250k or 500k pots for SD JB?

[jforsythe]

I'm switching the pickups in my '90 Les Paul Standard from EMG 81 and 85 to a Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) and Jazz (neck). I'm hearing from quite a few people that alot of Les Paul players prefer the 250k pots compared to the standard 500k so that the highs are less shrill and are more even with the mids and lows. Honestly, I don't know much about this stuff since having used active pickups for years and never doing my own electronic work on my guitars.

And am I going to have to change the pots altogether when switching from active to passive pickups?

Any suggestions from LP users would be helpful before I make the change.

 

[God Hand Apostle]

I think you made the best choice in Duncans there. I think Seymour has that very combo in his own LesPaul. (TO ME!) It really depends on what style of music you are playing. If you want the guitar for pure metal only....I would keep the EMG's. If this is your only guitar...I would put in the Duncans with 500k pots because that JB can handle metal very well, but you can roll down the volume and tone to clean it up if you like. If you are using this axe for fusion or jazz, I would put in the Duncans with the 250k pots.

So it really depends what you want the axe to be I guess. (TO ME!) The most versitile thing to do would be the Duncans with 500k. The 250k pots really pull down the volume along with the highs like you said...you may not be comfortable playing with them after EMG's with 500k pots.

 

[Drache713]

the standard usually is that strats use 250k pots, and les pauls use 500k pots. the 250k pots will filter out more high end than the 500k pots. The main reason strat players use 250k pots is because the 25.5 scale is brighter than 24.75 scale of the les paul, and the single coil pickups are brighter than the humbuckers (the type of neck joint might also be a factor too). And the opposite is true of les pauls, their scale length is not as bright and the pickups are warmer, thus they balance it with pots that yield a brighter sound.

For your situation, I'd say go 500k pots.

...you may not be comfortable playing with them after EMG's with 500k pots.

EMG's actually use 25k pots

 

[Ibanez_fanboy]

ha good work

 

[God Hand Apostle]

"EMG's actually use 25k pots"

Thank you, you are correct!

What I meant was that if he is used to that "hot" sound, or more importantly, the technique of playing/working with a "hot" sound, he may be thrown by the 250k.

Thats cool though...I shall file that info into the ol' medial temporal lobe.

 

[jforsythe]

Really stupid questions, but will the pickups come with the 500k pots or will I need to buy them separately? I already ordered my pickup set. If not, what manufacturer for the pots do you guys recommend?

 

[Drache713]

Really stupid questions, but will the pickups come with the 500k pots or will I need to buy them separately? I already ordered my pickup set. If not, what manufacturer for the pots do you guys recommend?

No the pickups won't come with the pots, but they can be had fairly cheap. I don't really know any good brands, I just buy what looks good/solid and is the right price. I dont think there's TOO big of a difference between brands.

 

[jforsythe]

Also, if my volume pots are going to be 500k, what should the tone knobs be? Would they be the same or different?

 

[Drache713]

Also, if my volume pots are going to be 500k, what should the tone knobs be? Would they be the same or different?

Your tone pot(s) can be the same rating or a different one, most people use the same rating though, so I'd go with a 500k tone pot also.

The pots used for tone and volume are exactly the same, what makes the tone pot a tone pot is a capacitor you have wired to ground. That's the only difference.

 

[jforsythe]

Thanks alot for your help

 

[okta]

anyone has sample of stuff the recorded with those JB-7?

 

[eaeolian]

anyone has sample of stuff the recorded with those JB-7?

Go to our MySpace site - the guitar by itself in the intro of the song "Hunt" is a JB7 through a Road King on the red channel w/6L6s and an AnalogMan modded TS-9 in front, and a Mesa cab with Celestion 90s.

(For those interested, the other guitar is the same rig on EL34s (w/different EQ) and EMG 707s. They really don't sound that different.)

 

[Leon]

i generally go for 500k pots instead of 250k's because the 500k has a greater dynamic range. meaning, there are more dialable sounds between "off" and "on", so you can really employ a number of tones with the guitar volume alone.

 

[okta]

eaeolian..thanks ..