Author Topic: Nailbomb humbucker and 250k pot vs 500k pot? (Read 7930 times)

Texasouthpaw · « **on:** January 24, 2007, 09:45:38 PM »

I just got my strat back loaded with 2 irish tours and a nailbomb in the bridge. The IT's sound good, the nailbomb doesn't sound bad and is head and shoulders above the stock pu. But to my ears it doesn't have enough top end or doesn't sound as full as I think it should...could this be that I didn't change to tone pots??? Will changing the pot make it sound better???

Peter Antal · « **Reply #1 on:** January 24, 2007, 10:34:23 PM »

Generally, (at least) 500K volume and tone pots should be used for humbuckers, especially hi-output ones. :)

Texasouthpaw · « **Reply #2 on:** January 24, 2007, 10:40:55 PM »

ahhh ok, I think I will be making that change pretty soon...I like the NB a lot it just sounds like it's not reaching full potential....is changing the volume and tone pots something i could do, or is it better to leave it with someone who knows what they are doing??

Texasouthpaw · « **Reply #3 on:** January 25, 2007, 12:00:50 AM »

After reading around people say that using a 250k pot makes a HB sound muddy and i'm sure it doesn't make it any better with a lot of distortion running through it

Peter Antal · « **Reply #4 on:** January 25, 2007, 12:14:32 AM »

Quote from: Texasouthpaw

After reading around people say that using a 250k pot makes a HB sound muddy and i'm sure it doesn't make it any better with a lot of distortion running through it

I wouldn't say muddy but definitely warmer with a softer attack and a less dynamic sound. Pot value has a radical effect on single coils and low-output humbuckers. The tonal difference is smaller but still audible with high-output HB's, especially between 250K and 500K.

Quote from: Texasouthpaw

is changing the volume and tone pots something i could do, or is it better to leave it with someone who knows what they are doing??

Yes, if you have a soldering iron, some wire and a wiring diagram. It's not very difficult. If you look at how things are wired in your Strat at the moment and look at a wiring diagram at the same time, you'll surely understand what you have to do. Also, if you have any wiring problems or questions, we'll be glad to help you.

tremblox · « **Reply #5 on:** January 25, 2007, 11:01:47 AM »

I'd just like to add that I'd be interested to hear how your single coils sound with a 500K pot. You may conceivably find that they are too "harsh". Hopefully not and if not please disregard the cr@p that I have spewed below.

In the worst case what I have done in the past is to experiment with pot values between 250K and 500K. I believe you can also get 320K pots for example (wasn't that a Gibson value eons ago?), as a compromise.

This is the way I've done it. I let my ears decide. By temporarily soldering various resistors in series with my pot and playing the guitar wide open you can decide which pot value represents the best compromise to your ears. To do this bring wires out of the guitar to be able to quickly solder in that series resistor. Ignore the noise - it saves a lot of time.

Then I take a 250K pot apart and gently file the resistive track around it's whole circumference. The resistance goes up and I stop when it measures at the "right" value that has been determined in the previous step. Put the pot back together and hey presto, tonal magic across the board!

Another interesting point is that many 250K pots aren't! Due to tolerances you find that they can fall a fair amount underneath- I always try to find pots that measure higher - this is not easy but there is a tonal difference!. Another solution would also be to install a small switch, or push-pull pot, that could either switch out the pot and put, say a, 1 Meg resistor in it's place for humbucker use,(no volume control), OR which put in that series resistor with the pot to bring the whole circuit up to a higher values when it's selected - (Disadvantage: rolling off the volume pot with this selected will reduce the volume but NOT to zero).

Do let us know. cheers tremblox

Peter Antal · « **Reply #6 on:** January 25, 2007, 12:26:18 PM »

Another way to try different volume pot values is to connect the two hot lugs of a higher value (1Meg or 500K) pot with a jumper wire. That way the volume control will be 'on 10' all the time, the resistance between pickups and ground will be the only variable. Volume will stay the same right till zero where the pot will act as a kill switch. I learnt this method from a guy at the Duncan Forum, the volume pot in my Artist is wired that way: it controls attack, brightness and dynamics, tone control and kill switch in one. 8)

When you've found the value you like, all you need to do is calculate what value resistor you need to solder parallel with the pot to get the total value you want. 1/(current pot value) + 1/(resistor value) = 1/(pot value wanted) ;)

BTW, I think Tim recommends 500K pots for HSS sets. My Strat has a Nailbomb/Apache/Irish Tour combo and the singles just sound fine with the 500K pots. You'll find the tone controls very useful, though, if you'd like to play jazz with the singles.

JonnyScaramanga · « **Reply #7 on:** January 25, 2007, 01:49:47 PM »

I had a 500k volume pot in my Strat for a while (but still with 250k tones).

I did it because I put a DiMarzio Fast Track 2 in the bridge. I could never decide if there really was a noticeable difference in the tone of the other two pickups or not. They did seem bright, but I was using a very bright guitar (maple fingerboard Strat) into a very bright amp.

I didn't have it that way for long because for anything other than out and out high-gain \m/ metal \m/ the Fast Track 2 is a $%&#ing hideous pickup.

I'm thinking of doing a superstrat later this year, and what I'm planning to do is keep the pots stock, but not wire the bridge humbucker (probably a VHII) to a tone pot at all. My theory is that this will balance out... you lose a bit of brightness from the 250k volume pot, but you regain that from having no tone control at all. This way, the neck and middle pickups sound as they should too. Does anyone who knows more about this than me think this is a good idea?

By the way, anone want to buy a Fast Track 2? Barely used? :D

Peter Antal · « **Reply #8 on:** January 25, 2007, 02:42:51 PM »

Another solution could be that you use a 500K volume pot but solder a 500K resistor between each single coil (to the lugs on the switch where you soldered them) and ground. That way you'll have a 500K volume pot in the bridge position and 250K in the other positions, except the middle/neck position where you'll have 166K. You'll need one 500KOhm resistor for each single coil.

I might be completely wrong with this post, though...

Texasouthpaw · « **Reply #9 on:** January 25, 2007, 09:01:26 PM »

Thanx a lot for the advice..I'm still messing around with the pickups..i got a lot brighter tone by using the EQ on my podxtlive and running it through my effects loop. The NB sounds pretty $%&#ing good, but the tone nobs seem to have a lot less effect on the NB then the two SC. I am still going to change all the pots, I can deal with bright single coils, because i can just roll off some of the hi end.