guitarjeff Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I've been reading the threads on 250k vs. 500k pots, and I understand the basic rule-of-thumb of "250k for single-coils, 500k for humbuckers", but what do I do in the case of my Nighthawk project, where I have one single-coil and two coil-splittable humbuckers? Do I try both and decide which I like better, or try to find pots somewhere between 250k and 500k? Does such a thing exist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightTimeConcealmentX91 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 delete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Guitarjeff, Don't know anything about the nighthawks except that some of the members have them. This is the only person I know of that has worked on the pots: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/80548-anyone-swapped-out-thier-volume-pot-in-a-highthawk-for-a-cts/ If his post doesn't help maybe you could P.M. him and get some answers. Good luck, Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjeff Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Ok, thanks Willy and Pete. I clicked on those links and read them, but still kinda confused. Sounds like 500k audio taper for the volume, but does the tone have to match? I've read something on another forum that said if you use 500k on the volume and 250k on the tone, you effectively end up with 375k. Is this true, and is it a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I've been reading the threads on 250k vs. 500k pots, and I understand the basic rule-of-thumb of "250k for single-coils, 500k for humbuckers", but what do I do in the case of my Nighthawk project, where I have one single-coil and two coil-splittable humbuckers? Do I try both and decide which I like better, or try to find pots somewhere between 250k and 500k? Does such a thing exist? Funny....i posted about a fix i figured out for this very thing just recently. Then i see your post. No one replied and the thread is a few pages back here.... http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/80601-heres-what-i-think-is-a-great-nighthawk-mod/ Real simple fix. One resistor from the middle pu's hotwire to ground and your 500k pot effectively becomes 250k when in the 2, 3 or 4 positions and remains 500k in the 1 and 5 positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjeff Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Funny....i posted about a fix i figured out for this very thing just recently. Then i see your post. No one replied and the thread is a few pages back here.... http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/80601-heres-what-i-think-is-a-great-nighthawk-mod/ Real simple fix. One resistor from the middle pu's hotwire to ground and your 500k pot effectively becomes 250k when in the 2, 3 or 4 positions and remains 500k in the 1 and 5 positions. Yeah, I've read that one several times- maybe too many, might be why I'm kinda confused. When I bought this Hawk a few weeks ago, I didn't know the parts were gonna be so tough to find. I recently scored the bridge and neck pups on ebay, but no luck so far on the middle pup, bridge, truss rod or cavity covers, or the chrome trim ring for the slanted humbucker. My contact at guitar center said his contact at Gibson told him those parts are not available separately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Not sure what you're saying, but it sounds like you bought a stripped NH and need to buy all the parts for it ? I thought you just wanted to know what pot to use due to HB needing a 500k and singles needing a 250k. If you DO happen to need to know that let me know and i'll explain exactly how and why what i posted works. Don't want to get deep into it any more than i already have tho if thats not what you wanted to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardog Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 WOULD A 300K POT BE A GOOD MIDDLE GROUND. KEEP IN MIND THE POT OHM WILL AFFECT THE SOUND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT A 250K POT DOES TO THE PUP'S SOUND THEN USE IT; IF NOT USE THE 500K. AS FOR THE 300K I BROUGHT SOME FROM ALLPARTS.COM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Has no one stopped to think that being a variable resistor somewhere on the sweep of a 500k pot you will find 250k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarjeff Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Yeah, sorry, HF, I forgot to mention that part. I did buy it stripped. I won it in an ebay auction for $175 from a guy who gets his stuff from a refurbishing center. It's transparent amber, with only the stap buttons, input jack, and bridge ground wire still attached. The only thing I could find wrong with it is a piece of wood chipped off from one of the cavity cover screw holes,which will be hidden by the cover. I was just trying to get some info on pot values cuz I had no idea what it originally came with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Has no one stopped to think that being a variable resistor somewhere on the sweep of a 500k pot you will find 250k. Thats not quite correct. A pot wired as it is in a guitar is not a simple variable resistor. It's a variable voltage divider. There is no point in it's rotation that simulates a 250k pot because a 250k pot turned full up has ZERO resistance between the pickup and the output and 250k resistance between the output and ground. With a 500k pot there is 500k resistance from ground, and while it's true that when turned at some point ground will indeed be 250k resistance, there will also be 250k resistance from pickup to output. If it were wired as a variable resistor, which means the wiper and one lug are used and the remaining lug remains unused, then what you suggest would be true. Unfortunately the volume will not work right at all like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightTimeConcealmentX91 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 edit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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