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Any of you guys ever find a good mod that allows the volume pot taper to occur quicker and with a smoother overall taper using 500k pots?

One of the reasons I Love a strat and Tele is that when you roll down a 250k pot you hear something happening pretty quick on the rollback of the pot...

I tryed Seymour's .002 cap and the 100k resistor and I wasn't too impressed with that...Right now I'm just using an 820 pf cap across the volume pot of my neck hybrid in my LP guitar and it works fine keeping the highs in place,but the volume tapers suck pretty bad...

I just use standard 50's style wiring. It seems pretty responsive to me.


Originally Posted by Benjy_26I just use standard 50's style wiring. It seems pretty responsive to me.

I didn't care for the 50s mod,in that I actually didn't like the way it retained the highs....I've tryed that twice?

My Fender '05 catalog said that the Eric Johnson sig strat uses special 375k pots. Maybe snagging one and using it as a volume pot would give you the tape ryou want. Another option might be a 250k pot as a volume and a 1meg as a tone.


Originally Posted by Benjy_26My Fender '05 catalog said that the Eric Johnson sig strat uses special 375k pots. Maybe snagging one and using it as a volume pot would give you the tape ryou want. Another option might be a 250k pot as a volume and a 1meg as a tone.

Thanks brother...The problem is...As you lower the pot K values,you lose your highs....Guys go from 500k to 1 meg sometimes to get more highend...I need to figure out a way to change the taper but not lose my highend...EJ's 375K pot is going to make the guitar brighter with single coils compared to a 250k value.

Follow me brother?

Completely. Maybe my logic is a bit twisted, but if you use a 250k volume, you get the taper you want (with a loss of highs, of course). Then, using a 1 meg tone control would (theoretically) shunt off less highs to ground. I think that this would maybe give you the same tone as using two 500k pots. Am I way off base?


Originally Posted by Benjy_26Completely. Maybe my logic is a bit twisted, but if you use a 250k volume, you get the taper you want (with a loss of highs, of course). Then, using a 1 meg tone control would (theoretically) shunt off less highs to ground. I think that this would maybe give you the same tone as using two 500k pots. Am I way off base?

You're correct....In a strat or a Tele we have plenty of highs to work with,but in a LP/SG Gibson type axe,we don't want to lose highs...We want to retain them,plus a 250k squeezes the life out of a humbucker(I feel)especially with the higher output versions!

The higher the resistance of the pot,the less shunting of highs to ground....Correct....Fender used 250k values because it warmed up the single coils and probably Leo liked the 250k taper better! Just like I do!

I use Kinman's treble bleed: .0012 cap and 133k resistor in series. Check out his site, lotsa cool info.

Haven't had any taper problems. Resistor end goes on the pot input lug. I think I heard that the resistor keeps the taper even, but not positive.


Originally Posted by Fritz6I use Kinman's treble bleed: .0012 cap and 133k resistor in series. Check out his site, lotsa cool info.

Haven't had any taper problems. Resistor end goes on the pot input lug. I think I heard that the resistor keeps the taper even, but not positive.

I've used this mod on my strats and I thought it was pretty good,but I think Chris has that mod figured for 250k pots? I Like that mod...The cap and resistor are in series instead of the more common parallel..

Regardless of the value of the pot, there are at least two tapers, audio and linear. Presumably an audio taper pot would give you a smoother sounding taper but maybe the linear is more what you're looking for, who knows? Just try the opposite of whatever you have in there, it can't hurt.


Originally Posted by ZhangliqunRegardless of the value of the pot, there are at least two tapers, audio and linear. Presumably an audio taper pot would give you a smoother sounding taper but maybe the linear is more what you're looking for, who knows? Just try the opposite of whatever you have in there, it can't hurt.

I've never tryed a linear taper volume pot? How is it in the guitar as a volume pot? Some guys use them as tone pots though.


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97I've used this mod on my strats and I thought it was pretty good, but I think Chris has that mod figured for 250k pots? I Like that mod...The cap and resistor are in series instead of the more common parallel..

Yeah I didn't realize it was for 250k when I put it in one of my guitars. But the taper seems the same to me as before. It's on a 485k pot with a High Order 14k ceramic double screw bucker in the bridge and a Cool Rails in the neck.

Smooth taper and nice clear sound with the vol rolled back. I have extra caps and resistors in the needed values if you want to try it. Ordered a bunch from Mouser a while back.


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97I've never tryed a linear taper volume pot? How is it in the guitar as a volume pot? Some guys use them as tone pots though.I have linear volume and audio tones on my Carvins (that's what they came stock with). There's not much of a jump when turning the volume up, it seems more consistent (duh ) throughout it's travel.


Originally Posted by Fritz6Yeah I didn't realize it was for 250k when I put it in one of my guitars. But the taper seems the same to me as before. It's on a 485k pot with a High Order 14k ceramic double screw bucker in the bridge and a Cool Rails in the neck.

Smooth taper and nice clear sound with the vol rolled back. I have extra caps and resistors in the needed values if you want to try it. Ordered a bunch from Mouser a while back.

Appreciate the offer,but I have all the components already from all the pedals I Mod for all the forum brothers...You don't know me yet,but you will...


Originally Posted by Benjy_26I have linear volume and audio tones on my Carvins (that's what they came stock with). There's not much of a jump when turning the volume up, it seems more consistent (duh ) throughout it's travel.

Maybe I should try a linear taper 500k volume pot huh brother? I hate soldering inside of a Gibson type cavity actually and I probably should give it a rest since everything is working great...

I prefer linear taper volume pots and audio taper tone pots. Backwards from most guys, but hey! I don't use a lot of gain, I prefer the vintage style sounds up to about a JTM45. Linear vol and audio tone seem to make both controls behave very consistently through their travel for me.
PS - I love the '50s wiring and this setup seems to work extremely well for that.


Originally Posted by Alvin Lee FanI prefer linear taper volume pots and audio taper tone pots. Backwards from most guys, but hey! I don't use a lot of gain, I prefer the vintage style sounds up to about a JTM45. Linear vol and audio tone seem to make both controls behave very consistently through their travel for me.
PS - I love the '50s wiring and this setup seems to work extremely well for that.

Thanks ALF for posting....Some really good info from all....


Originally Posted by STRATDELUXER97Maybe I should try a linear taper 500k volume pot huh brother? I hate soldering inside of a Gibson type cavity actually and I probably should give it a rest since everything is working great... Sometimes we gotta stop tweaking and start playing.

Either way, I hope you nail the sound and feel that's in your head.


Originally Posted by Benjy_26Sometimes we gotta stop tweaking and start playing.

Either way, I hope you nail the sound and feel that's in your head.

Trust me I do plenty of playing! I own 9 electrics and it's only been this one I've been tweaking on lately,but I mod alot of pedals and I'm forced to play because of the mods if for no other reason...I practice with my band every week and play out once in awhile to keep things new and to have goals to stay together..

Go easy on me please!