Using 500k volume pot with single coils ..

[Antiquo Cantor]

What would happen if I used a 500k CTS vintage taper pot for volume with a Lace sensor and a Strat pickup?

 

[Sean French]

I've never liked a 500K pot with single coils.
Try it. I did more than once.

 

[walterw]

What would happen if I used a 500k CTS vintage taper pot for volume with a Lace sensor and a Strat pickup?

it'll sound brighter and edgier, and the volume knob will drop the sound a little faster off of "10".

don't like it with regular fender pickups, which were deliberately voiced to sound right with the mellowing effect of the 250k pots. 500ks make them kind harsh and unpleasant.

it can be cool with way overwound F-style pickups, which will be darker to begin with.

 

[cowboytim]

Jim Wagner and I put 300k pots and a set of his brand caps in my Strat. I usually roll the tone anyways, it sounds great.

 

[SPROING!]

it'll sound brighter and edgier, and the volume knob will drop the sound a little faster off of "10".

don't like it with regular fender pickups, which were deliberately voiced to sound right with the mellowing effect of the 250k pots. 500ks make them kind harsh and unpleasant.

it can be cool with way overwound F-style pickups, which will be darker to begin with.

Yeah, 500k pots are way more jumpy than 250s. Seems like 250s give you much finer control.

 

[Kashmir Oceania]

I use 500K pots of my single coils because I like the extra brightness, it helps me sit in a mix better and I can just roll the tone of a bit if it's too much.

Heck, I even have an HSS guitar with all 1M pots!! It's all up to personal taste, the good thing about changing pots it that it's cheap and easy to do. You can try it next time you change strings.

 

[gulliver]

I put an external 250k to 500k switch on a strat to see the real time difference ... there was no difference in the individual pickups and only a very very slight difference way way up top on the in between positions. I am told, however, that the magnitude of difference will depend on the amp.

 

[Polynitro]

depends on the pickup.
Ive used 500K on my broadcaster which has an 11.9K bridge
thats on the dark side.
It only takes a slight turn of the volume and/or tone control to tame this.
whats great is 500K on the neck really opens it up and makes the tone pot usable
I think if more people used 500K they would not find tele neck pickups dark or muddy

jaguars use 1MEG and also late 60s teles had 1meg as well.

Its all about nothing if you use your tone knobber.

I do prefer 250K with .022
but if using 500K id go with .047

with .022 you can turn the tone knobber all the way on and it still sounds clear/
not overly dark or woofy

 

[cardinal]

It's pretty zingy. I'm not a fan.

 

[Lace Music]

Lace Sensors (and the Duallys for that matter) were designed around 250k pots. Using a 500k will result in more treble and high end cut, as others have said. Whether you like that or not is up to you.