Pot values (nerd question)

Noisy Cat · Post by **Noisy Cat** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:06 pm

Will a pickup running through a single 500k pot sound the same as going through two 1meg pots?

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:41 pm

Series or parallel?

Noisy Cat · Post by **Noisy Cat** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:44 pm

Dunno, whatever it is on a standard Jag/JM/Mustang/Tele.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:51 pm

Not sure I understand what you mean. On a standard Jag / JM the signal doesn't "go through" 2 x 1M pots. It goes through 1, the volume control, and the signal that comes out of that has some of its treble leaked to ground by the tone control. You can't replace that circuit by a single 500k pot, it doesn't work like that.
If the pickup signal was split to a pair of 1M pots which turned in unison with each other, this would be the same as a single 500k pot. But no guitar is made like that as far as I know.

Noisy Cat · Post by **Noisy Cat** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:54 pm

OK, would say a Jaguar with the standard 1meg vol & tone pots (both turned fully up) sound the same as a Jag with just one 500k (e.g. vol) pot, again fully turned up?

Apologies, I know next to nothing about this stuff.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:06 pm

It might - 1M vol and 1M tone turned up is basically full signal with the minimum amount of treble bleeding off through the tone control. A single 500k turned full up would be full signal without the tone control bleed. The 500k would normally produce a fraction darker tone than a 1M control, so that might be equivalent to the slight treble bleed of the 2 x 1M setup. It would depend on the capacitor in the tone circuit, and other magical stuff e.g. TONZ, about which I have no actual idea. My understanding only goes so far, sorry.

Noisy Cat · Post by **Noisy Cat** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 4:40 pm

Cheers matey, appreciated.