250kΩ Volume Pot vs. 500kΩ

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Ben Waylin

Ben Waylin

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Currently have a 500kΩ volume pot in a guitar with a JB style humbucker.

What differences am I going to hear by switching to a 250kΩ volume pot ?

:unsure:
 
I have a 500kΩ in there now.. it's starting to make static/scratching noises.

Ordered both last night, 250 & 500

I'm happy with the 500, but in the past some folks have recommended a 250

FWIW, I sprayed the pot with DeoxIT D5, and it did clear up a lot of the noise, but I do a lot of volume swell stuff, so I think the pot it just worn out.
 
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The higher the ohms the more highs pass through. If you want it to be brighter go 1Mohm, darker 250kohm. Or to look at it another way the higher the ohms the closer the tone will be to connecting directly to the output jack.
 
Agree with above responses. Stick w/500k. I tried the JB / 250K thing that many seem to prefer, and it sounded weird and lost all the balls.
 
marvcus said:
Dave Friedman and Jim Gaustad speculated that EVH had a 250k pot in the Kramer 5150.

About 8:20 in

Click to expand...

That's the one I was thinking about.

Jim speculates Ed took the volume pot from the Strat and just connected the humbucker.. which would give him a 250kΩ

1:35:35 He starts talking about the pickup I'm using - Jalen FW

1:46:14 He goes into the whole 250k pot thing.
 
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MadAsAHatter said:
The higher the ohms the more highs pass through. If you want it to be brighter go 1Mohm, darker 250kohm. Or to look at it another way the higher the ohms the closer the tone will be to connecting directly to the output jack.
Click to expand...
Just wanted to add to this that there is no right answer for which pot to use. Let your ears decide what you like best. I typically stick with 500k for humbuckers because it has the best balance. Though for a darker sounding pickup I may go 1M.
 
MadAsAHatter said:
Just wanted to add to this that there is no right answer for which pot to use. Let your ears decide what you like best. I typically stick with 500k for humbuckers because it has the best balance. Though for a darker sounding pickup I may go 1M.
Click to expand...

Since you have the 250K , why not try it out with the great gear you own and maybe even record it so others can hear the differences . It would be interesting and you wouldn't need to always wonder about it.
 
PLX said:
Currently have a 500kΩ volume pot in a guitar with a JB style humbucker.

What differences am I going to hear by switching to a 250kΩ volume pot ?

:unsure:
Click to expand...
Roll your pot down about 20-25%. That will approximate it. I personally hate humbuckers and 250k pots
 
scottosan said:
Roll your pot down about 20-25%. That will approximate it. I personally hate humbuckers and 250k pots
Click to expand...
I know what that sounds like.

Hesitant to change what I've got because I'm very happy with the feel & sound.

Will prolly just solder in the new 500k when I get it in the mail.
 
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If you ever wanted to know why active pickups use 25k pots, it's because they can drive a heavy load.
 
PLX said:
That's the one I was thinking about.

Jim speculates Ed took the volume pot from the Strat and just connected the humbucker.. which would give him a 250kΩ

1:35:35 He starts talking about the pickup I'm using - Jalen FW

1:46:14 He goes into the whole 250k pot thing.
Click to expand...
I have a Jalen FW and when I installed it I forgot about the 250k volume pot thing. As soon as I started playing it I was wondering WTF? then it dawned on me…250k Volume. I added a 470k in parallel with the bridge switch position and boom…there it was. That guitar remains like that to this day and I play it a ton. But it’s the only humbucker I’ve ever liked that way, not that I’ve tried…any others.
 
IME the JB loves a 250K volume - especially in Fender scale guitars. Warms & smooths it a little.
(Might even clean up a little better that way compared to 500K; not entirely sure on that one tho.)

Of course when it comes to tone, personal tastes will differ - and no two guitars are exactly the same either.
Also, IMO the JB is more particular than most about what individual guitar it's in.
I think trying both pot values to see which you like best was good advice,

I do agree with the general consensus here: normally any humbucker gets a 500K.
The JB is a rare exception to that, along with a few cases of very bright sounding guitars.

I've only chosen a 1Meg volume pot in two cases.
Once as the master volume in Gretsch-sryle wiring, where the two pickups also had individual 250K volume pots.
The other for a little extra cut & sparkle from the neck humbucker in an all mahog guitar.
 
A lot of older Gibsons came with 300K volumes right from the factory. Even if they say 500K on the case. Grab a bunch of pots and measure them. Some will be higher, some lower. It's a crap shoot sometimes. I really like RS Superpots for the taper, but a lot of them are intentionally spec'd over 500K and they're too bright for me. There is no right answer, only what you prefer. Try a bunch of values to see what you like. 250K, 300K, 400K, 500K, 550K, etc.
 
Besides the obvious reduction in highs, I find the lower value volume pots have a little more midrange and body to the tone. The lower the value the lower the pickup’s resonant peak shifts downward. The 250k pot volume taper is more gradual as well. By contrast I find 1meg volume pots brighten and thin out the tone in a bad way, at least for bridge pickups.
 
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