Pots 250k or 500k. Whats the diff?

[MelodyMaker1]

I am not to much into this modding thing, but one thing I still can't seem to understand (well one of many things I don't understand), whats the difference in pots besides the extra 250k. What does what, and is the tone or sound different. I mean is one for a thinner sound, or more of a full type sound. They say ignorance is bliss, if so I am one happily blissful soul.

[Ricochet]

There is no 'quality'-label attached to resistance-values(nor on knowing what they do, I hope).

The 250k will have a slight treble roll-off compared to the 500k. That's why they generally advice on using 500k with muddy sounding humbuckers, and 250k to tame the piercing highs of a single-coil. Whether that works for you, is entirely up to personal preference(but also depending on potmeterquality, and what other potvalues and caps are in the circuit).

[carverman]

There is no 'quality'-label attached to resistance-values(nor on knowing what they do' date=' I hope).

The 250k will have a slight treble roll-off compared to the 500k. That's why they [i']generally[/i] advice on using 500k with muddy sounding humbuckers, and 250k to tame the piercing highs of a single-coil. Whether that works for you, is entirely up to personal preference(but also depending on potmeterquality, and what other potvalues and caps are in the circuit).

 

Also, Leo F*nder started off using 250k because of his original "racous sounding"

#43awg SCs, and it's now a defacto standard with most SC equipped guitars.

 

But I noticed that Gibson has been using 300K pots on some of their special LPs, (equipped with bbuckers),

so it seems that with modern p_ups, an "engineered sound" can be obtained with a "comprimise" resistive

value. 300K is usally about 10 to 20% higher on most commercial grade pots,

so, in fact the measured value could approach 330k -350K.

[tonedeaf1281734100]

Potentiometers bleed off some signal to ground even in their wide open wiper position. The higher the resistance of the pot, the less signal is bled off.

 

The ear perceives the loss of the higher frequencies first. That's why you seem to lose the highs more than the mids and lows, when you roll off the volume of a pickup with a volume pot.

 

Higher resistance pots let you use a higher value capacitor on the tone pots, if you want to, and not bleed off all the highs. You can certainly use 500 K pots with single coil pickups, and just use your tone control to roll off the highs a bit. For a strat type 3 single coil pup guitar with standard wiring and no tone control for the bridge pup, you are probably better off sticking with 250 K pots.

[MelodyMaker1]

Thanks guys, just what my poor overloaded brain needs. More confusion. But, I think I have it.