Author Topic: Different Pots Clean up differently (Read 5633 times)

indysmith · « **on:** November 27, 2007, 10:44:29 AM »

I've noticed that different guitars with different volume pots clean up in very different ways. i.e. on my greco to get a clean sound out of my crunch sound i need to roll back way down to 2 or 3, whereas with my Edwards it starts to clean up audibly the moment i roll back at all - there is a very noticeable difference between having it at 8 and then rolling back to 6. On my greco this is barely noticable.
I far prefer the edwards system as it seems far quicker and more accesible to change sounds. Are the pots in my Greco (and my other guitars) at fault? What pots can i buy to make it act like the Edwards?
thanks

Twinfan · « **Reply #1 on:** November 27, 2007, 10:53:05 AM »

It might be the wiring. 50s style wiring cleans up quicker and rolls off quicker. Modern wiring has more of a gradual roll off.

50s wiring - tone pot connected to centre lug of volume pot (output)
Modern wiring - tone pot connected to left lug of volume pot (pickup input)

Henk · « **Reply #2 on:** November 27, 2007, 11:45:05 AM »

Quote from: Twinfan

50s wiring - tone pot connected to centre lug of volume pot (output)
Modern wiring - tone pot connected to left lug of volume pot (pickup input)

Owwww.... im such a stupid old sod, i changed all the wireing on my custom because i though it was polarity reversed, and also had the pots wired differently. Now i see its just a different type of wireing :lol:

Owell.... Are there any other differences between modern and 50's style wireing twinfan?

Twinfan · « **Reply #3 on:** November 27, 2007, 11:52:58 AM »

It affects the way the tone pots interact with the volumes. If you use modern wiring, the tone pots are more consistent across the whole volume range. Modern wiring also sounds a bit louder and a bit fuller at all times. It's all to do with the load on the pickups from the pots.

With 50s wiring, and the volume below 5, you'll notice as you roll off the tone that the volume drops too. 50s wiring retains highs better as you roll off the volume too.

I find that SGs sound better with 50s wiring as retaining the highs is a primary goal with all that mahogany.

I prefer modern wiring on Les Pauls as it keeps them nice and fat, plus the tone controls are more useable. I do have one LP wired with 50s wiring and unpotted Mules though it's as my Vintage-spec LP ;)

Philly Q · « **Reply #4 on:** November 27, 2007, 01:23:47 PM »

Of course it also depends, quite simply, on the quality of the pots - US pots tend to have a smoother taper than Japanese/Korean pots, which are often "all or nothing".

On most of my own Edwards guitars, all the activity seems to happen between 0 and 3, after that they're pretty much at full volume.

Henk · « **Reply #5 on:** November 27, 2007, 01:58:07 PM »

Ok, thanks for the explanation, maybe ill rewire it sometimes, if i remember correctly it seemed the 50's wireing sounded to have a bit more high and a little less mids, maybe due to a different passage trough the pots. Well anyway, shame i didnt try the difference better.....

Jonesy76 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 27, 2007, 03:49:50 PM »

50's wiring saves the treble better than modern wiring, although it does have the drawback that if you play your LP with the switch in the centre position and roll back one of the volumes completely you'll totally lose the outputs of both pickups. This glitch doesn't occur with the modern wiring which is the reason the vintage wiring brigade will tell you the circuit got changed.

All my LP's are wired to vintage 50's spec......I like 'em that way, and Tims fabulous humbuckers (Stormy Mondays, Mules and Riff Raffs) work beautifully with them. You want vintage LP tones......that's how to get them. The audiophille vintage tone geeks out there will also claim that the vintage spec saves more of the mercurial PAF harmonics than the modern spec........make of that as you wish.

Henk · « **Reply #7 on:** November 28, 2007, 08:09:31 AM »

Ive decided to rewire my custom with mules sometime in the near future, so ill try the 50's style wireing but for the 3 pickup version. The last time i tried it i made the error of starting to solder and looking for a quick schematic at the same time, i wont do that again because the scematic was wrong and i wasted all that time.

Anyone know a good schematic for 50's wireing, and preferably for 3 pickups?

Twinfan · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2007, 11:34:18 AM »

Here you go folks:

Henk · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2007, 03:49:25 PM »

Thanx!

I just need to decide which 3 pickup wireing i should do, the modified 3 volume wirering sounds like it is the most usable version. Or maybe i should get a different switch which allows a simple 3 seperately selectable pickups with the three seperate volumes? Maybe there even is a 5 way toggle swich? Owell ill let you guys know when i have decided, suggestions are allways welcome offcourse.