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Hi all. I am a relative newbie when it comes to fitting pickups and stuff, so I was wondering if someone would give me a little guidance.

I am planning on fitting a set of Hot Rails in the neck and bridge of my Strat, which is completely stock, for now, and all I know is, I may need to change the pots (250k/500k?) to get the best sound out of it. This is all I know. What does this mean?

Also, would I have to do the same to my Epi LP Custom, which is also stock, if I were to put in a pair of '59s?

Thanks in advance ~Rob~

If you get high pot like a 500k, you get more highs than compared to a 250k. Usually 250k is used with single coils because they are bright and 500k for humbuckers.


Originally Posted by RobbiedbeeHi all. I am a relative newbie when it comes to fitting pickups and stuff, so I was wondering if someone would give me a little guidance.

I am planning on fitting a set of Hot Rails in the neck and bridge of my Strat, which is completely stock, for now, and all I know is, I may need to change the pots (250k/500k?) to get the best sound out of it. This is all I know. What does this mean?

Also, would I have to do the same to my Epi LP Custom, which is also stock, if I were to put in a pair of '59s?

Thanks in advance ~Rob~

Your strat has 250K pots which are mainly used for the single coils that your guitar have already as stock pups..

Hor Rails is a single sized humbucker with plenty of mids and a very high output.
If you use 250K you would take a very very high output comparing to your stock pups and a little bit muddy sound because of 250K (its made for single coils)

If you use 500K you will have again the very very high output but with a high attack. (so nice for lead stuff).

Another thing is if you dont change middle pickup and change 250K stock pots with 500K, then your Mid pickup will sound a little bit brighter. So i advice you to change all.

Seymour`s web site says that a Hot Rail bridge with a Vintage Rail middle and Cool Rail neck makes that strat an incredibly versatile guitar

from : localhost//product...tRailsforStrat

You can have very different and progressive sounds with those 3 pups..

Thanks!

So, do these pots come with the pickup? If not, will my local guitar shop have them?

Most places should have plenty pots and capacitors in stock. If not, you can order them from stewmac.com, guitarelectronics.com, or any other company you're comfortable with for $3-5 each, give or take.

Thanks for the input guys! I appreciate it

A little bit of advice on pots...dont scrimp on an instrument you care about.

There are quot;fitmentquot; issues too!

Example: My early 1980's Gibson needed a replacement pot. Will any 500k pot do, as long as it fits the hole?

Answer: NO! The problem is not the pot's value...but rather the splines (the teeth) that are cut into the shaft-end that hold the control knob! There are fine spline and course spline control pots out there. There are also short shaft pots and long shaft pots. Short shafts are designed for thin applications like strat pickguard mounted controls, and thin wood as on my Gibson. Long shafts have their purposes, and just as good as long they do not stick out so far out of the back of the guitar that they interfere with body-cavity depths.

I do not know if Fender has spline issues. I do know that while my old Gibson's pots are fine-spline....my Korean made Epi Les Paul is course spline.

Last time I checked...two weeks ago...stewmac did not carry fine spline pots...but guitarelectronics does. The only problem I have with the CTS pot I got from guitarelectronics is that the photo shows a brass, NOT aluminum shaft! Brass speaks quality! I just wish the photo were more accurate as it shows a brass shaft.

If would bet serious money, I would say that the best quality guitar pots on earth are (were?) made the American company Bourns.