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250 or 500k pots in 150s?


fxdx99

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Posted

After watching the Doug/Pat show and the pot swap in his 150, checked mine and they're 250 as we'll. I like the voicing... But it was like a blanket taken off in that vid.

 

Whatcha been doing to your 150s? Or 535s for that matter. Anyone done the swap to 500k?

Posted

No way? I have to check that out right away... They don't sound any different from other guitars I played with 500k though. Do you know if it's all of them or just a few years or do the specs vary from guitar to guitar?

 

On a side note, I had a Gibson from 1980 a few years back, which had 300k pots stock. I swapped them to 500k pots and it sounded much better.

Posted

haha, I saw that as well, was surprised and wow did it ever make a difference!!

 

I have a '94 H150 will have to check out what is in there

 

is there an easy way to check without unsoldering the pickups? I have never bothered to measure pots in gtrs before

 

thx!

Posted

I replaced my 535's pots with CTS 500s and swapped out the Schallers for Phat Cats a couple of years ago. There's a photo thread buried in the posts here somewhere. It's a long-winded, fiddly job on a 535.

 

My 150 came stock with 500s.

Posted

haha, I saw that as well, was surprised and wow did it ever make a difference!!

 

I have a '94 H150 will have to check out what is in there

 

is there an easy way to check without unsoldering the pickups? I have never bothered to measure pots in gtrs before

 

thx!

 

'94 - same year as Doug's in the vid! Mine has a value stamped on the back. If not, can unsolder that end pot connection that's grounded to the pot base to get a reading.

Posted

Haven't watched the video yet, but ensuring a 500K is in the tone rolloff circuit will make the greatest difference, since this one determines how much high frequency content isn't going to make it to the output jack. The volume pot is just a divider that sends the pickup signal around a varying resistance in its path. These typically should have no resistance when wide open, so zero ohms is still zero ohms.

 

 

http://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/3627

Posted

  • just a side note....I had a 70s LPC with Shaws in it and it had 100k pots and it sounded KILLER.

Posted

 

  • just a side note....I had a 70s LPC with Shaws in it and it had 100k pots and it sounded KILLER.
I had '79 LP Custom that had T-tops and 100k volume pots. That was actually my first LP back in '91.
Posted

500k vol & 500k tone always in humbuckers.

 

But I recently switched my 150 GT p90 to 500k v&t and it is too bright. I am going to replace the tone pots to 250k first, and follow with 250k volume pots if it is still too bright.

Posted

500k vol & 500k tone always in humbuckers.

 

But I recently switched my 150 GT p90 to 500k v&t and it is too bright. I am going to replace the tone pots to 250k first, and follow with 250k volume pots if it is still too bright.

Try 0.033 caps first, Kuz. Easier, cheaper job and it may just get you there.

Posted

I was thinkng about that: do you think the caps in the 250k guitars are tailored to suit that resistance?

 

interestingly enough, I once replaced the entire wiring guts in that '94 H150 with an RS kit, and after a couple weeks switched it back, I didn't like it

 

I am curious what's in there

Posted

Classic Rock Absolutely Perfect

Cool Retro Adrenaline Project

Conundrum Rhythm About Platypuses

 

I got 'cher CRAP right here, Chris...

 

Thinking that 150 caps are .022. Went to the parts bin, saw an envelope with a CTS 500K pot in it. Oh yeh, had replaced a failed volume pot on the 150 a few years ago. The spare measures 432K. Tone pots in the 150 are 250K according to the stamp on the back of them. Just listened to the vid again ( ~26:00 the mark) between the 150 with 250 and 500 pots and seems compelling enough to fire up the solder iron and make a swap...

 

To the bench.

 

Mark - thanks for that link. Quite the spreadsheet!

Posted
Just listened to the vid again ( ~26:00 the mark) between the 150 with 250 and 500 pots and seems compelling enough to fire up the solder iron and make a swap...

 

Yes!! most definitely.

I might even get around to putting some other p/ups in while Im there.

Posted

Took out the 2 tone pots that measured 220 and 230. Both vol were already at 500K. Put neck tone (432K) and bridge tone (516K) in. Brighter on both as to be expected, bridge the more noticeable with more 'chime' or top harmonics. Kinda tele- like in it's voicing now.

 

Can see where on a jazz box one may want the 250K pots for the warmer sounds. On the 150 playing blues/rock/country oriented material can see having the top end avail on both clean and gain settings.

 

I can get 'lost into' and enjoy most any voicing at low volume in the home, but I do like the results. An easy $10 swap. Test will be in gig setting with band. Looking forward to getting it out.

 

Should add that in this guitar I started with SD59s, then Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays, and Throbaks (thanks again, Jon!) are now in it. Replaced the caps with .022 paper in oil (and thanks Scott!). The pot swap would seem to be about as much an audio/voicing change as any. Those Stormy Mondays sure sound good in that vid... I should put them in something me thinks.

Posted

Took out the 2 tone pots that measured 220 and 230. Both vol were already at 500K. Put neck tone (432K) and bridge tone (516K) in. Brighter on both as to be expected, bridge the more noticeable with more 'chime' or top harmonics. Kinda tele- like in it's voicing now.

 

Can see where on a jazz box one may want the 250K pots for the warmer sounds. On the 150 playing blues/rock/country oriented material can see having the top end avail on both clean and gain settings.

 

I can get 'lost into' and enjoy most any voicing at low volume in the home, but I do like the results. An easy $10 swap. Test will be in gig setting with band. Looking forward to getting it out.

 

Should add that in this guitar I started with SD59s, then Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays, and Throbaks (thanks again, Jon!) are now in it. Replaced the caps with .022 paper in oil (and thanks Scott!). The pot swap would seem to be about as much an audio/voicing change as any. Those Stormy Mondays sure sound good in that vid... I should put them in something me thinks.

I realize you did all the work already, but it might make more sense to open up the neck tone pot with the 516k and smooth out the bridge tone pot with the 432K. This is essentially what some guys did with their caps (.0150 in the neck and .022 for the bridge).

 

Just my .02

Posted

I realize you did all the work already, but it might make more sense to open up the neck tone pot with the 516k and smooth out the bridge tone pot with the 432K. This is essentially what some guys did with their caps (.0150 in the neck and .022 for the bridge).

 

Just my .02

 

Considered that. And considered just leaving the 230K in the neck spot as I like(d) that voicing. A neck pickup a little warmer... a bridge like 'tele on steroids'. But as long as I was fiddling around thought I'd swap both, but put the lower measured pot in the neck for a bit warmer (as much as 100K ohms makes a difference... which may be minimal).

Posted

Short shaft pots for Heritages (150s etc)?

 

This guy has a series of good You Tubes on pots and caps. Here's the first one:

http://youtu.be/W8dp9clGe-I

 

hmm..direct you tube link not working..here's the embed link..forgetting how to do the lnk here..

http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/W8dp9clGe-I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Posted

After watching the Doug/Pat show and the pot swap in his 150, checked mine and they're 250 as we'll. I like the voicing... But it was like a blanket taken off in that vid.

 

Whatcha been doing to your 150s? Or 535s for that matter. Anyone done the swap to 500k?

 

Yes. My '02 535 came stock from Roman in Vegas with 250 pots and Blackbacks (SD Custom Custom and JB).

 

Switched to a Jonesyblues 50's style harness with 500k and paper in oil caps, blanket is right. Even when going from a 14k output p'up in the bridge to a 8k output p'up...night and day. Proper pots/caps and PAF's in a 535/150 are like peanut butter and jelly. they're meant for each other.

Posted

Well yesterday Brent helped me with another task that required opening the back plate off my '00 H155 (wHRWs) and upon noting that the guitar had 500k pots Brent also noted what appeared to be a bypass cap as I believe Kuz is discussing here so this thread has gotten my attention this morning. We theorized this was put in by the previous owner as a way to cut the highs a bit. More on that later.

Posted

Short shaft pots for Heritages (150s etc)?

 

 

Yup, short shaft pots.

 

Well yesterday Brent helped me with another task that required opening the back plate off my '00 H155 (wHRWs) and upon noting that the guitar had 500k pots Brent also noted what appeared to be a bypass cap as I believe Kuz is discussing here so this thread has gotten my attention this morning. We theorized this was put in by the previous owner as a way to cut the highs a bit. More on that later.

 

Most wiring circuits will have capacitors (low pass filter). For 150 and I'd guess 155 usually .022mF. Note on Kip's pics you can see them. Maybe you've a treble bleed cap as well on yours, Ray?

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