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500k Pots ?

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(@jamminejohn)
Eminent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 28
Topic starter  

So I want to put a P90 & a Humbucker in a geetar.
500k Pots for the volume and tone would be correct ?

JJ


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

Yes.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

and make sure they are audio (logarithmic) taper. linear taper pots will not provide a well scaled/proportioned roll-off throughout the range of rotation.

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

We had a discussion about that a while back, and I was soundly berated for my ignorance by some outside "expert" who dropped in to register for that argument and then disappeared, but I still think linear pots work well for tone controls. If you look at them as RC filters, the frequency roll-off is a linear function of the variable resistance. As the drop-in berater pointed out, circuit elements don't operate in isolation, and when the tone control's got a pickup with its inductance on one side and a cable with its capacitance on the other, it doesn't work as simply, but my ears tell me that on my guitars with audio taper tone pots, there's a sudden huge dropoff in treble as I start to turn the knob down, with much less audible difference after that. Linear taper pots are what's normally used for passive treble-bleed tone controls in amps.

No doubt you want audio taper for a volume control in any case.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

hmmmmm .... even audio taper for volume is merely a recommendation -- someone out there might find they prefer a linear taper volume. the audio taper recommendation is based on the observation that most humans just seem to prefer the operation of an audio taper pots. the tone control situation is even a fuzzier -- I can understand your argument, but then I also think about the fact that octaves are a geometric progression, and more ...

your berater picked a pretty trivial point upon which to self-aggrandize. the treble bleed circuit is not really a great way to control frequency response anyway - it's mostly cheap and easy. may as well choose the way you want yours to suck -- linear style or log style.

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

may as well choose the way you want yours to suck -- linear style or log style.
That's a depressing thought. :lol:

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

500k is pretty expensive for pot.

that joke never gets old. :?


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
 

Hmm.... can i hijack this thread for one quick question??
my volume pots do all their volume control between 1 and 2.
2 - 10 is just the same volume - very inconvinient live.
when i replace those what do i ask for?

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

i can't answer your question, but as for the logarithmic vs. linear thing, a logarithmic volume knob makes sense, since volume is actually measured and sensed in a logarithmic manner. a power of 10 difference in output is detected as a doubling of volume. so that makes sense. but there's no corresponding logic for wanting or needing a logarithmic tone pot.


   
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(@jamminejohn)
Eminent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 28
Topic starter  

I just use a smaller cap between tone & volume. .022 or less.
Only linear ones in the house are 1 meg.

JJ


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

I've got some 2M and 2.5M linear ones around that I got to bridge with resistors to make true log pots (or closer than the dual-linear ones that are sold as "audio" nowadays) for amp volume controls.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

Hmm.... can i hijack this thread for one quick question??
my volume pots do all their volume control between 1 and 2.
2 - 10 is just the same volume - very inconvinient live.
when i replace those what do i ask for?

those are linear taper. you want to replace them with audio (or log) taper pots to get a full range of use.

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
 

thanks :D

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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(@hyperborea)
Prominent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 827
 

Hmm.... can i hijack this thread for one quick question??
my volume pots do all their volume control between 1 and 2.
2 - 10 is just the same volume - very inconvinient live.
when i replace those what do i ask for?

those are linear taper. you want to replace them with audio (or log) taper pots to get a full range of use.

I've heard it said that certain amp manufacturers do this to sell their amps. The line of though being that the guy buying it in the store will think "wow, it's really loud and it's only at 2!" Not sure if it's true or not.

Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

We don't believe that any amp manufacturer would use deceptive marketing tactics, do we?

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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