Question about tone/volume pots... (Help)

[Mizati20]

Hey fellas... Been dealing with an issue with my new guitar, have swapped the pickups a coupe times now and honestly have noticed hardly any difference in sound, I've gone from BKP to Dimarzio to Seymour Duncan with hardly any difference in sound...

Most recently as a friend of mine was wiring up my guitar he mentioned not have a tone pot could have a huge impact on what I am disliking... The guitar just has a volume and a 3- way...

If I roll the volume back about halfway I get the EXACT tone I want... But with the guitar full on its just SO much of every frequency and it almost makes the guitar sound twangy...

Any opinions on what kind of volume pot I could put in the guitar to get the desired sound I want? Thanks!

 

[FourT6and2]

Hey fellas... Been dealing with an issue with my new guitar, have swapped the pickups a coupe times now and honestly have noticed hardly any difference in sound, I've gone from BKP to Dimarzio to Seymour Duncan with hardly any difference in sound...

Most recently as a friend of mine was wiring up my guitar he mentioned not have a tone pot could have a huge impact on what I am disliking... The guitar just has a volume and a 3- way...

If I roll the volume back about halfway I get the EXACT tone I want... But with the guitar full on its just SO much of every frequency and it almost makes the guitar sound twangy...

Any opinions on what kind of volume pot I could put in the guitar to get the desired sound I want? Thanks!

What is the value of the volume pot you're using? If you like how the guitar sounds with the volume pot at half-way, then what is the issue? Just play with the volume knob at half-way... duh!

Using a lower-value pot could help. But there is a difference between a 500k pot at half way (less output) and a 300k pot (less high-end), for example. But you could try a 300k pot and see if you like that. But it also depends on what's in your guitar right now.

 

[boost]

Not having a tone pot will effect the tone exactly as you say. Adding one (even if left full up all the time) will have an effect and should mellow the tone out a bit.

Matching woods, pickups, and electronics is alot of trial and error. there are generalizations that you can start with, but all guitars are different and what works in one may not work in the next even with seemingly identical parts.

Also what amp are you running it into? I know on some solid state amps there is no difference in sound between a $100 guitar and $1000 one. I could plug anything into my Korg Pandora and get about the same sound out of it. Tube amps, you should definitely hear a difference no matter how good or bad they are.

The fact that you couldn't tell the difference between all those pickups does seem odd. I'd gut the electronics and start from scratch with good quality components with whatever decent pickup you have left. Go from there swapping pot values/caps until you get what you need. Be sure to mess with pickup height too. Sometimes a pickup sounds it's best not where you would think to have it set. My Dimarzio Area's are set flush to my pickguard. Odd, but that's where they sound best for my set up.

 

[Mizati20]

Unfortunately the guitar is a custom build... and the control cavity is really tiny... adding a tone pot isn't an option at the moment... as far as I know all the components are super high end... but to be honest I know absolutely nothing about that sort of thing...

I suppose I will give the lower value volume knob a shot....

And I have been playing the guitar through all kinds of amps... 5150's, VH-4's, Mark IV's, and my Line 6 practice amp... it's definitely not the amp...

I had made a thread awhile back about not liking my BKP Warpigs... seems it's not a pickup issue at all... it's really hard to explain... like if a volume pot could turn even further than "All the way up"... it's just overkill sounding and harsh...

 

[FourT6and2]

I would honestly either try a lower-value volume pot or maybe try wiring up a treble-bleed.

But again, if the guitar sounds good with the volume knob rolled down a little, why not just play with the knob rolled down a little, instead of messing with new pots?

 

[Mizati20]

Not having a tone pot will effect the tone exactly as you say. Adding one (even if left full up all the time) will have an effect and should mellow the tone out a bit.

Matching woods, pickups, and electronics is alot of trial and error. there are generalizations that you can start with, but all guitars are different and what works in one may not work in the next even with seemingly identical parts.

Also what amp are you running it into? I know on some solid state amps there is no difference in sound between a $100 guitar and $1000 one. I could plug anything into my Korg Pandora and get about the same sound out of it. Tube amps, you should definitely hear a difference no matter how good or bad they are.

The fact that you couldn't tell the difference between all those pickups does seem odd. I'd gut the electronics and start from scratch with good quality components with whatever decent pickup you have left. Go from there swapping pot values/caps until you get what you need. Be sure to mess with pickup height too. Sometimes a pickup sounds it's best not where you would think to have it set. My Dimarzio Area's are set flush to my pickguard. Odd, but that's where they sound best for my set up.

Unfortunately the guitar is a custom build... and the control cavity is really tiny... adding a tone pot isn't an option at the moment... as far as I know all the components are super high end... but to be honest I know absolutely nothing about that sort of thing...

I suppose I will give the lower value volume knob a shot....

And I have been playing the guitar through all kinds of amps... 5150's, VH-4's, Mark IV's, and my Line 6 practice amp... it's definitely not the amp...

I had made a thread awhile back about not liking my BKP Warpigs... seems it's not a pickup issue at all... it's really hard to explain... like if a volume pot could turn even further than "All the way up"... it's just overkill sounding and harsh...

 

[Mizati20]

Not having a tone pot will effect the tone exactly as you say. Adding one (even if left full up all the time) will have an effect and should mellow the tone out a bit.

Matching woods, pickups, and electronics is alot of trial and error. there are generalizations that you can start with, but all guitars are different and what works in one may not work in the next even with seemingly identical parts.

Also what amp are you running it into? I know on some solid state amps there is no difference in sound between a $100 guitar and $1000 one. I could plug anything into my Korg Pandora and get about the same sound out of it. Tube amps, you should definitely hear a difference no matter how good or bad they are.

The fact that you couldn't tell the difference between all those pickups does seem odd. I'd gut the electronics and start from scratch with good quality components with whatever decent pickup you have left. Go from there swapping pot values/caps until you get what you need. Be sure to mess with pickup height too. Sometimes a pickup sounds it's best not where you would think to have it set. My Dimarzio Area's are set flush to my pickguard. Odd, but that's where they sound best for my set up.

Unfortunately the guitar is a custom build... and the control cavity is really tiny... adding a tone pot isn't an option at the moment... as far as I know all the components are super high end... but to be honest I know absolutely nothing about that sort of thing...

I suppose I will give the lower value volume knob a shot....

And I have been playing the guitar through all kinds of amps... 5150's, VH-4's, Mark IV's, and my Line 6 practice amp... it's definitely not the amp...

I had made a thread awhile back about not liking my BKP Warpigs... seems it's not a pickup issue at all... it's really hard to explain... like if a volume pot could turn even further than "All the way up"... it's just overkill sounding and harsh...

 

[Mizati20]

Not having a tone pot will effect the tone exactly as you say. Adding one (even if left full up all the time) will have an effect and should mellow the tone out a bit.

Matching woods, pickups, and electronics is alot of trial and error. there are generalizations that you can start with, but all guitars are different and what works in one may not work in the next even with seemingly identical parts.

Also what amp are you running it into? I know on some solid state amps there is no difference in sound between a $100 guitar and $1000 one. I could plug anything into my Korg Pandora and get about the same sound out of it. Tube amps, you should definitely hear a difference no matter how good or bad they are.

The fact that you couldn't tell the difference between all those pickups does seem odd. I'd gut the electronics and start from scratch with good quality components with whatever decent pickup you have left. Go from there swapping pot values/caps until you get what you need. Be sure to mess with pickup height too. Sometimes a pickup sounds it's best not where you would think to have it set. My Dimarzio Area's are set flush to my pickguard. Odd, but that's where they sound best for my set up.

Unfortunately the guitar is a custom build... and the control cavity is really tiny... adding a tone pot isn't an option at the moment... as far as I know all the components are super high end... but to be honest I know absolutely nothing about that sort of thing...

I suppose I will give the lower value volume knob a shot....

And I have been playing the guitar through all kinds of amps... 5150's, VH-4's, Mark IV's, and my Line 6 practice amp... it's definitely not the amp...

I had made a thread awhile back about not liking my BKP Warpigs... seems it's not a pickup issue at all... it's really hard to explain... like if a volume pot could turn even further than "All the way up"... it's just overkill sounding and harsh...