Hi all,
I recently bought a Squier Paranormal '54, and so far I'm very happy with it. Plays great, sounds like a Jazz bass and I can't really fault it in terms of QC.
However, one thing that was immediately noticeable was that the pots are not great, as one might expect in this price range. The volumes work alright, even if they're a bit on or off with not much in between. My main gripe is with the tone pots, which don't seem to do much at all. All the way off, the tone is still pretty bright. My Squier VM P-bass has CTS pots installed by the previous owner, which really do make a big difference, as I am now finding out. So I decided I would like to try and replace the pots myself, as a first attempt at doing any sort of electronics work. I reckon it's about time to have a crack at soldering, both because it would open some doors to working on my instruments myself (fixing bad connections, repacing pickups etc.), and as a general life skill.
I had a look at what's in there now: made in Korea Alfa (with 3 2 1 stamped into it, not sure if this is related to the model...). Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about electronics
I can't seem to find anything about the values, so I'm not sure what to look for in the replacements. I read that Fender basses typically have 250k pots, but all I can find locally in terms of stacked pots is 500/250 or 500/500. About the former, is there a rule as to which one is 250 and which one is 500? It's not specifically mentioned on the product page, but I'm guessing 500 is top, 250 is bottom?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
On Fender's shop, it says that 250/500 pots are used on American Vintage '62 Jazzes, so I'm assuming the one in the first link is the one I want (x2 of course
).
As far as capacitors go, the only quality ones I'm familiar with are orange drop, so I figure these would do the job:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I'm not looking to radically change the tone, but just to make the pots (especially tone) more usable.
Last question (for now): am I correct that the wires are unnecessarily long and messy? I realize that this is probably a cost saving thing and there is no time to make it super neat, but the cavity is pretty small and I had some trouble getting everything back in and putting the plate back on.
Any tips and suggestions are more than welcome.
Thanks!
I recently bought a Squier Paranormal '54, and so far I'm very happy with it. Plays great, sounds like a Jazz bass and I can't really fault it in terms of QC.
However, one thing that was immediately noticeable was that the pots are not great, as one might expect in this price range. The volumes work alright, even if they're a bit on or off with not much in between. My main gripe is with the tone pots, which don't seem to do much at all. All the way off, the tone is still pretty bright. My Squier VM P-bass has CTS pots installed by the previous owner, which really do make a big difference, as I am now finding out. So I decided I would like to try and replace the pots myself, as a first attempt at doing any sort of electronics work. I reckon it's about time to have a crack at soldering, both because it would open some doors to working on my instruments myself (fixing bad connections, repacing pickups etc.), and as a general life skill.
I had a look at what's in there now: made in Korea Alfa (with 3 2 1 stamped into it, not sure if this is related to the model...). Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about electronics
I can't seem to find anything about the values, so I'm not sure what to look for in the replacements. I read that Fender basses typically have 250k pots, but all I can find locally in terms of stacked pots is 500/250 or 500/500. About the former, is there a rule as to which one is 250 and which one is 500? It's not specifically mentioned on the product page, but I'm guessing 500 is top, 250 is bottom?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
On Fender's shop, it says that 250/500 pots are used on American Vintage '62 Jazzes, so I'm assuming the one in the first link is the one I want (x2 of course
).As far as capacitors go, the only quality ones I'm familiar with are orange drop, so I figure these would do the job:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I'm not looking to radically change the tone, but just to make the pots (especially tone) more usable.
Last question (for now): am I correct that the wires are unnecessarily long and messy? I realize that this is probably a cost saving thing and there is no time to make it super neat, but the cavity is pretty small and I had some trouble getting everything back in and putting the plate back on.
Any tips and suggestions are more than welcome.
Thanks!
