Custom pots/Jensen capacitors - anyone tried these?

[fbloke]

I've just ordered some Bareknuckle 500k pots and Jensen capacitors to go into a Gibson 335 with Stormy Monday A2's already fitted.  Has anyone tried anything similar?   What I expect to happen to the tone?

[Nephilim]

Well the Jensen Capicitator basically eliminate your tone being sucked from your guitar; which basically happens when you use cheap ones. Also you'll notice your tone pot will become more interesting to you, as it doesn' suck your tone the more it gets turned down. It retains the power, but rounds off the harshness, etc

[FELINEGUITARS]

DID YOU ORDER 500K POTS OR THE BETTER 550K ONES?

The 550s are my fave  and along with the Jensen caps it's a joy

Good luck getting the Jensen caps through the F holes though - they are pretty big

Also I have started liking 50s style wiring option too - see schematic on BKP website

[fbloke]

I think it was the 550 ones, they were recommended by Ben at BKP who was very helpful and friendly. So, less tone sucked-out and more of the natural goodness of the guitar and pickups allowed to shine-through then?  Looking forward to hearing that.  Shame about the f-hole thing being so tricky, like keyhole surgery.  Reminds me of a joke about a gynaecologist and a letter box....

[Nephilim]

It really is an improvement. But my god! They're big bloody things lol

[fbloke]

Cheers everyone, hopefully getting these fitted this week so I'll post a review.

[BigB]

Notice that there are two main ways to wire a gibby: the "modern" one and the "vintage" (or "50s") style:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/tonefreaks/558-wiring-library.html#post4555

The 50s style wiring keeps more highs when rolling off the volume pot, but can act rather strangely when you roll off both your tone and volume past a given point. The modern style wiring is much more predictable but your tone tends to mud up when rolling down the volume pot due to highs being grounded. Which one works best for you, well, you'll have to try out (which, with a semi-hollow, is kind of a PITA). As far as I'm concerned I like the 50s style wiring so much that I even use it on SC guitars (which were never wired that way historically), but YMMV.

[5F6-A]

Notice that there are two main ways to wire a gibby: the "modern" one and the "vintage" (or "50s") style:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/tonefreaks/558-wiring-library.html#post4555

The 50s style wiring keeps more highs when rolling off the volume pot, but can act rather strangely when you roll off both your tone and volume past a given point. The modern style wiring is much more predictable but your tone tends to mud up when rolling down the volume pot due to highs being grounded. Which one works best for you, well, you'll have to try out (which, with a semi-hollow, is kind of a PITA). As far as I'm concerned I like the 50s style wiring so much that I even use it on SC guitars (which were never wired that way historically), but YMMV.

true. I prefer modern with a twist.

[BigB]

true. I prefer modern with a twist.

Strange enough given your nickname ;)

More seriously, is the "twist" here a mere treble bleed, or this this something else ?

[5F6-A]

true. I prefer modern with a twist.

Strange enough given your nickname ;)

More seriously, is the "twist" here a mere treble bleed, or this this something else ?

I like modern because I don´t like how the 50´s wiring messes with the the tone control...  Greg Martin uses this wiring too. Basically it´s modern but it uses the other "half" of the tone pot. Modern wiring was used in the 50´s les pauls sometimes too... personal preference I guess

I also use true bumblebee caps to great effect.

[witeter]

So between a custom pot and a Jensen capacitor-which one would you guys say has the MOST effect on how well the pickup performs to its maximum capacity?

[Nephilim]

So between a custom pot and a Jensen capacitor-which one would you guys say has the MOST effect on how well the pickup performs to its maximum capacity?

Well the Jensen only is needed if you have a tone pot. I'd say they're both as important as each other if you have a Vol/Tone set-up. Without a good Pot, you could be prone to crackling and bad tone transfer. But without a good capacitor, you could also be prone to bad tone transfer.

[witeter]

cheers man!

[AJM]

I installed a RS Guitar Works http://store.rsguitarworks.net/PWVINTSG.html Vintage Kit in my SG. Has 500k CTS Pots and Jensen caps. Best upgrade I've done to my guitar so far. Have a set of AII Stormy Monday's on the way and can't wait to see what happens when the two meet. The improvement in your tone and the use you'll get out of your Volume and Tone Pots with the upgrades can't be over stated.

[Nephilim]

I installed a RS Guitar Works http://store.rsguitarworks.net/PWVINTSG.html Vintage Kit in my SG. Has 500k CTS Pots and Jensen caps. Best upgrade I've done to my guitar so far. Have a set of AII Stormy Monday's on the way and can't wait to see what happens when the two meet. The improvement in your tone and the use you'll get out of your Volume and Tone Pots with the upgrades can't be over stated.

+1,000,000

That really does look like a very well mad piece of kit. It looks so neat and tidy