Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1993 15:31:59 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8.10]
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Here's a easy and surprising tip I got from Dan Torres newsletters some
years back. Increasing the pot resistance value increases the output
and high end of the overall signal to the amp. He recommends increasing
the value to the next common size (from 250K to 500K for example).
Most single coil guitars (Strats,Teles LP Juniors with P-90's)use 250K
pots normally. Humbucker guitars (Les Pauls etc) use 500K pots. I don't
recommend going two far with this (i.e. a 1 meg pot in a Tele is far too
bright). Finding high quality 1 Meg pots is more difficult as they aren't
sold thru most guitar parts dealers. I believe Dan Torres sells some at
fair price (around $6.00).
The difference is quite surpising;
much like changing from Vintage type pickup to a medium
output model. I used DiMarzio 1 Meg pots (no longer available from them)
in a Les Paul Deluxe I had several years ago and loved it. It had a Dimarzio
PAF (full size Humbucker) in the bridge and a mini humbucker in the neck.
The extra high end allowed the neck pickup a far less muddy tone than normal
and had a very cool lead sound. The clean chorus tone was also much glassier.
In guitars with humm-single-single configurations, you end up
making some compromise to get a balance between the two types of pickups.
Yamaha went so far as to custom make 300k pots for the Pacifica guitars
a few years back to help the tone between the two types of pickups.
I am using a DiMarzio 500K custom taper in my "mutt strat" with Hum-single-
single configuration. I like the quick roll off of these pots as most of the
attenuation occurs between "10" and "7".
I also have been trying different capacitors tied between the input leg and
the output leg to eliminate the high frequency loss that occurs when you roll
off the pot. I was using a 470 pf but am going to try a 22pf as this value
allowed too much high frequency to get thru.
I have found each guitar and amp setup is different as far as what capacitor
and pot is best. Try several and see what you like.
Gary Watts
Hewlett-Packard
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