Is there a tone difference between using 500k vs. 250k pots with humbuckers?

[jpervin]

If so, what are the differences?
Better with 500k?

[sparrow1133]

many other TGP members can explain it better than I . but ..

Yes.

it's not so much the "tone" .. but the OUTPUT that the pots give the pickups .
typically . the 500k will produce more output/ gain, and treble etc.
and, the 250k will produce less output/gain/treble.
some pickups will sound clearer/better with certain pots.

it's best to let people know what guitar and pickups you're using. to find the best answer.

[GAD]

Oh my, yes.

[sparrow1133]

^ what
Farnsworth

said.

[Sean French]

Hell yeah there is huge tonal difference.
With humbuckers a 250k vol pot will sound like there is a heavy blanket over the tone compared to a 500k pot.

[XmasTree]

absolutely
a lot of Gibsons have had 300k pots for a Long, Long time...
A lot of people thought their guitars sounded muddy, even after a pickup change.
including me

Humbuckers with audio 500k is "the standard"
especially since pots are only 5 bucks

300k or 250k with humbuckers will sound like poopie-pie ...and you'll (unknowingly) blame the pickups....

[SFW]

As a general guideline for my taste, I prefer 500k with Humbuckers and P90s. 250k for Fender style single-coils.

[Wayne Alexander]

Higher pot value leads to brighter clearer tone. Lower pot value leads to darker more muffled tone. The "normal" starting point is 500K with humbuckers and 250K with singlecoils - there's a reason for that. If your guitar is too bright with its existing pots, try lower pot values, if it's too dark with existing pots, try higher pot values. None of this costs more than a few dollars if you can solder.

[Jef Bardsley]

After years of experimenting with pots and caps, I think it's more about the dynamics than the tone. My maple-necked Les Paul is Telecaster bright, but I prefer 500K pots as with 250K pots it sounds limp and lifeless, and still too bright.

[Drak]

Quote:

"Lots of people, even techs do not understand how a higher value pot (potentiometer) will raise the gain of a guitar. This comes from not knowing how the pot works.

Your pickup is connected to one side of the pot. The other side of the pot is connected to ground. Between these two outside tabs, there is an "element." This is just a resistor and the pot's value. If you have a 250k pot, the "element" resistor is 250k. The middle tab of the pot is connected to the shaft of the pot. When you turn it, the wiper goes around the element varying the resistance.

The important part of this info is that one side of the pot is connected to ground. Even with the volume on 10, the pickup is connected to ground via a resistor/value of the pot. Some of the pickup's signal is "short circuited" to ground and lost.

So - raise the value of the pot, from say, 250k (which is 250,000 ohms) to 1 meg (which is 1,000,000 ohms) and the resistance to ground is higher - LESS of the signal is shorted to ground, MORE of the signal fights it's way down the guitar cord to the amp - the pickups become hotter, and frequency response is raised because there is much less load on the pickups. Higher pot value means less load, Less load means more gain. Easy once you understand it."

[riffmeister]

Nice explanation, Drak. Thanks for that!

What about the tone control? What happens to the output/sound when you change from 300K to 500K?

[Gnarlly]

Depends on the pickup. For a very bright pickup, a 250k pot will warm up the tone nicely. That is what i do with my SD JB pickups in my HSS guitars (no tone controls though, which can rob treble/output); also makes the single coils sound like "normal" Strat single coils instead of overly bright. I had read that Seymour Duncan himself prefers the JB with a 250k pot, and after trying it out, I am a believer.

Also, with the bright Burstbuckers in my SG, I would not even think about using 500k pots. They are bright enough as is with the Gibson 300k pots.

[JP~)]

love them in the bridge position with my T-tops....The neck however needs the 500k or it's muddy

[riffmeister]

Anyone care to comment on the effect of changing resistance of the tone pot?

[Amplite]

What is best to use for a full size humbucker bridge and a single coil in the neck configuration?