Pot Value Question

[cole]

I've been searching through the archives and have a question. My guitar I'm making is going to have 3 single coils and they work best (according to most) with 250k pot. I understand that 250k make the sound warmer and 500k make the sound brighter and in some cases give a little higher output. My question what would happen if I used a 250k pot for the volume and first tone and a 500k for the last tone so it would control the middle and the bridge tone? Would that bright up the output for the bridge and middle pickup? I'm planning on having a diffrent cap for each pickup...if that helps

[ansil]

the last tone control will have a different freq sweep based on the formula

f= 1/[2piRC]

WHERE f is frequency

r is resistor

c is capacitor.

basically what they are talking about is the impedance of the pot. a 500k is brighter although its easier to tell on better quality pickups mixing up the values is something fender does all the time.

on the squiers you will normally find:

Vol=500k

Tone=250k

Tone=250k

Vol=500k

Tone=500k

Tone=500k

where as most usa strats have

Vol=250k

Tone=250k

Tone=250k

really it depends on your ears man. if you have really bright pickups that are a bit on the hot side then definately 250's all the way.

if you have cheap pickups then i would say go with 500's

its all a matter of personal taste. i have some really dark pickups that sound great with a 1 M.

the best idea i have found for me was too put a 1M pot in a test pickguard and use resistors and a switch to test which i liked for the pickups i was putting in. or use push pull pots to change a 500k to a 250k via adding a parrallel resistor. or even modding the last tone control so that you have a master tone and have two 250k pots wired in series ie the voluem and the alst tone. keeping the last tone on zero will result in the first pot ie the volume being able to function normally. but if you turn up the tone pot it raises the impedance that the pickup see's and will give you a little more highs and some boost. sort of like a passive solo knob. add a switch a resistor and a cap and you can do alsorts of fun stuff.

ed