Potentiometers decreasing output

Frans-B--Cocq

Good very early morning - or whatever the time is in SA. ?

I picked up this piece of information somewhere a few days ago, and thinking of it, I reckon it makes sense. Being just variable resistors, pots could actually block some of the signal, even when turned to 10. So I have a question, and it is that how much does this affect the sound? I never really use the tone pot, and the volume is usually maxed, too (although I tend to turn it down a bit on cleans), so I'm thinking of getting rid of them if the change is a bit more radical than audible.

What do the gurus say?

MikeM

Removing tone pot makes a difference ?

Volume pot you can replace with a resistor and switch but that's if you feel like it?

What guitar is it? What pups?

You could do something called a "spin-a-split" which is basically like a variable coil tap controlled by a pot.

Frans-B--Cocq

The guitar I'm thinking about is my hotrodded Squier strat. I recently bought a Seymour Duncan SH-4 for the bridge, so I was thinking that while I'm under the hood, I could remove the tone pot at the same time. The neck pup is an Ibanez HGD-something (crap). Oh, and I already have coil taps controlled with the 5-way... it's a waste if you use a 5-way for selecting two pickups. ?

MikeM

Snap just read original post and realised I misunderstood or misread, so this post can be ignored, except the last line ?

Bam and now I understand what you mean by 2 pickups ? Ok this is not really a strat ? heheh

Well if you are looking for something different... This is what I'd do...

4 way switch Tele style: Bridge, B & N Parrallel, B & N Series, Neck - otherwise 3 way tele switch

Volume pot: Push pull to set mid pup to be in or out of phase.

Toggle switch to activate mid pickup in any position. (This gives you 8 combinations in total with no doubles

Spin - a - split in the last control spot to swap from a fat bridge bucker to a weak single coil sound and be anywhere in between. We all know how well the JB splits so that'd work well I think.

This is just me though and what I think would be most versatile while still being easy to use... And the way I see it, is if you're removing stuff, at least put stuff that you might use occasionally in it's stead ?

Otherwise I'd say get a new pickguard with only the switch hole and one for a vol control ? Holes in the PG are quite unsightly, I had one for a month... Ew ?

Off topic - why don't you have a decent neck pup? That's the nicest tone from a strat?

AlanRatcliffe

Pots are voltage dividers, not variable resistors. They don't block any signal (at the full up setting, the wiper rests on the contact, not the track, so resistance is basically zero), but they do drain a tiny amount to ground, even when full. IMO not enough to worry about in volume applications though. If you're worried about any effects, you can simply use larger value pots (you should be using at least a 500K if you have an SH4 in there - especially on the tones).

Disconnecting the tone pots does make a small difference, making the guitar brighter - whether you like it or not is down to the pickups and your taste (you might find ceramic mag pickups get a bit brittle without tones).

matta

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:Pots are voltage dividers, not variable resistors.

Alan, technically a pot CAN be a variable resistor/rheostat, but a variable resistor cannot be a pot. If you only use the wiper and one terminal of the pot you have a variable resistor, in this case it is NOT used as a voltage divider.[/quote]

AlanRatcliffe

matta wrote: Alan, technically a pot CAN be a variable resistor/rheostat, but a variable resistor cannot be a pot. If you only use the wiper and one terminal of the pot you have a variable resistor, in this case it is NOT used as a voltage divider.

Thanks Matt! I didn't know that, but it makes perfect sense.

However, would it be correct to say that in a guitar's volume or tone circuit a pot is always used as a voltage divider?

Frans-B--Cocq

matta wrote: Alan, technically a pot CAN be a variable resistor/rheostat, but a variable resistor cannot be a pot. If you only use the wiper and one terminal of the pot you have a variable resistor, in this case it is NOT used as a voltage divider.

Yeah, that's what I was saying, wasn't it? Yeah... :-[

Anyway, thanks for the info. I expected the effect to be quite radical, but I have no brightness problems, I think.

matta

Frans B. Cocq wrote:
matta wrote: Alan, technically a pot CAN be a variable resistor/rheostat, but a variable resistor cannot be a pot. If you only use the wiper and one terminal of the pot you have a variable resistor, in this case it is NOT used as a voltage divider.
Yeah, that's what I was saying, wasn't it? Yeah... :-[

Well it is an easy mistake to make and now everyone reading this is the better for it so no need for the :-[ instead lets turn that frown around ? ? ? ? LOL

However, would it be correct to say that in a guitar's volume or tone circuit a pot is always used as a voltage divider?

Alan, in a typical RC network, Yes.

Cheers

Matt