Requesting Help for Choosing the right Pot

[WhiteRam]

I've got a Miracle Man in the bridge of my alder body maple/maple neck Strat, middle & neck Trilogys' are on the way from BKP.  Guitar is H/S/S and uses only one volume pot (no tone pot) and one 5-way switch.  I've searched the forum and have read many threads concerning the following:

I have a 250K pot in the guitar now, it is awesome for the MM, rolling the guitar's volume knob from 5 to 9.5 has no tonal changes at all, it's dream perfect, when up to 10 there is a slight treble increase which is also perfect for that last cutting thru if needed.  The MM is usable from 5 to 10 on the volume knob.

I'm checking with you for opinions, after reading thru the forum for 3 hours I'm stumped.  The vast majority say 500K for the MM, they say the MM is getting chocked off with a 250K.  Am I missing out on the full potential of the MM by not using a 500K ???  It's bass clarity, or tightness, or richness, or dynamics, or ???

Not only is the EQ perfect as I roll the volume knob up & down, but the taper of the volume changes is absolutely perfectly gradual.

I'm asking because as you know with only one pot in an H/S/S guitar, there is going to be a lot of tedious soldering all over the pot, of which I'm excellent at but would really like to pick the right pot first time thru of course.  So, considering all of the above information, what say ye the masters of BKP?  Is what the 500K will do for my MM worth the trade off for what I have now with the 250K?  (not to forget about the TS's coming into the mix)

Most sincerely appreciated guys, and thank you for tolerating my long post.  :)

WR


 

[kevinr]

If your happy with the 250k then keep it!

[Twinfan]

^ what he said!

[Philly Q]

^^ what they said!

It sounds like you're very happy with the sound now, why worry?  If I remember right, Seymour Duncan used to recommend 250k for all pickups, singles and HBs - or at least that's his personal preference.

Personally I've always found humbuckers a bit bright/harsh in Strats (probably because I'm more used to SGs and things like that).  I suspect the 250k tames a bit of that brightness.  If I ever get round to putting together my HSS Warmoth Strat I'm going to use 250k pots.

[ShredHeadJHJ]

Here's a good place to order from. They have a 280k super pot. I have one sitting here, but I haven't put it in yet. You can get the switch from them too.

http://store.rsguitarworks.net/RSG4.html

http://store.rsguitarworks.net/5WAY.html

Her's the thing about pots - the less value your pot is, the less treble it will bleed off. If you feel that your sound could be brighter, go for a 500k pot. I've never heard of anyone running a 250k pot with humbuckers, but I have heard a lot of people say that they prefer the brightness of 500k pots with single coils.

[WhiteRam]

Hey right on gentlemen!  Yes, I was concerned that I may be missing out on something.  I never tried the MM with a 500K because it was a fluke (long story, not BKP fault at all) that I ended up with it and couldn't return it.  Even though I just knew from forum posts the MM wouldn't work in my guitar, I popped it in anyway. . .

This pickup is awesome in my guitar, I learned we all need to clarify the difference between upper mids & treble, the term mids is used to loosely, the MM is relaxed in the upper mids so the treble is quite welcome in my axe, and we all know how this pickup rides the lightning and tracks the bass line like a Kentucky race horse!  :)

I also learned ceramic magnets are my thing, my ears never tire of them and alnico (buckers) grinds on my nerves after about 30 minutes.  Again, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on the fullest potential of the sonic value of the MM bridge as I prepare to construct my new pickguard.

Thank you for the links, the input, your time, and mostly your generous sharing.

WR