Pup, Pot, Caps combination?

[StringsOf4]

I've read that Higher value pots and caps (or lower caps, i don't remember) can give a little more high end in your tone, is this true?
If so, should I get 500k pots and a different capacitor to go with my spb-2 (middy, vintage tone pup), or use an spb-3 (which can have alot of high end already) with the lower value pots to keep it from going too high, or...should i go all the way and do spb-3 with the higher pots and caps? Does anyone have any of these combinations? Recommendations?

ps.I play with a pick and play punk rock stuff similar to that of fall out boy, starting line, and rufio. thats why i like treble, but i still want to keep the fat p tone in there somewhere.

Thanks.

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[Clorenzo]

I can only answeryour first question since I don't have any first hand experience with your pickups and I don't know what your taste is. Yes, higher value pots give more high end (specifically they increase the amplitude of the resonant peak), but, contrary to popular belief, no, lower value caps don't do the same unless you turn the tone pot down. If you leave it on 10, the effect of the cap is negligible. If you turn it down, sure a smaller cap cuts less treble than a bigger one.

 

[jwymore]

I believe the higher value pot also raise the frequency at which the resonant peak occurs.

The thing with the SPB-2 is that I think it's more of a low boost EQ so I'm not sure the pot change would move or boost the resonant peak in the correct place for what you need. It might just give it more mids. I think the SPB-3 is more suited to the style of music you mentioned.

 

[StringsOf4]

Thanks guys for clearing that up. I think I want to go to the spb-3 with a 500 k volume and eliminate the tone knob altogether as i don't use it.

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[Clorenzo]

Thanks guys for clearing that up. I think I want to go to the spb-3 with a 500 k volume and eliminate the tone knob altogether as i don't use it.

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Bear in mind that that's the brightest possible option: Maybe I didn't make it clear but, although the effect of the tone cap is negligible with the pot on 10, that's not true for the pot itself, which even on 10 does have an effect on the overall sound.

Think of the volume and tone pots as if they were resistors in parallel. So with one 250k vol. pot and one 250k tone pot, you have an overall load on the pickup of 125k. With 500k pots, the load is 250k. With a single 500k pot, the load is of course 500k. Now the higher the load, the brighter the tone. You were saying that the spb-3 is quite bright already, so a single 500k pot may be going too far.

Since I understand you currently have 250k pots, I'd try one of those first (which is equivalent brightness-wise to two 500k vol. + tone pots) and if you still find it not bright enough then get a 500k.

 

[StringsOf4]

That does sound like a good idea, thanks alot. I wasn't thinking of them resistance-wise,like the value of them together vs. just one but i figured thats why eliminating knobs makes the tone brighter.

thanks again.

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