Right now, I have a 6 string electric, 2 humbuckers that can split between single and dual coil, a set of switches to control them, 2 tone pots, one 'blender' pot and one volume pot.

 

The issue is with the tone pots: I get no change in tone until a certain point then the tone drops to mud. kinda like the tone just falls off a cliff. Here is the wiring:

 

Again, everything works except the tone simply cuts out at a certain point. The pots are 500K and the caps are .047uf. This is driving me NUTS. This diagram is based off Seymour Duncan: 2 Hums, 1 Vol, 2 tones, 3way switch diagram. The blender is taking the place of the 3 way and I included the SPDT O-F-O switches to control the single/dual tap. I have even grounded Lug 3 on the tone pots.

 

Any insights as to what might cause the tone pots not to work correctly? Would I want to put in a 100K resistor in with the tone cap like this (at the tone pots, not volume pots):

 

The above is a low-pass filter in essence.

 

-WY

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Replies

  • I think I bought a set of four 500K pots with two As and two Bs. I _think_ I am using the B pots as the volume and blend. A pots as tone. I _think_.

     

    -WY


    Roosterman said:

    Try using 2 A pots instead of an A and B pot Wes.

    B pots are linear and and give the impression of nothing happening for most of the rotation.

  • Yup. Had it that way originally.

     

    Ehhhh, well, a 3-way only has three selections per se -- neck/neck-bridge/bridge. The switches I have can control not only each pup, but if its single, off, or dual coil.I just can't find a good single switch to control each pup individually.

     

    Now, what I REALLY need is a true blend pot.

     

    Ted Crocker said:

    Try not grounding the 3rd lug on the tone pot.  I hate blend pots, way more control with a 3 way switch and 2 volume pots.  Infinitely more.  In the hand drawn sketch the tone pots don't look wired right.  Looking from the bottom it should look like this:

     

    305751912?profile=original
    No ground on the 3rd lug and the cap from the middle lug to the back of the pot to ground.  I use audio taper pots.

  • Right. Hmmmm. I think its a wiring issue rather than a pot issue.

     

    -WY


    Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:

    Okay, here is the section from one of my reference books copied here word for word:

     

    A linear pot is usually marked with a B or Lin and will reach 50% of its total resistance at 50% of its total rotation.  Humans do not perceive volume as a linear scale, however, so these pots sound like they are doing very little for the first three-quarters of their rotation.  Audio taper pots are usually marked with an A or Audio and have a logarithmic scale of resistance that increases volume in accordance with human hearing.

     

    Moreover, all of the wiring schematics that I base my designs on always use a B pot for volume and an A pot for tone.

  • Try using 2 A pots instead of an A and B pot Wes.

    B pots are linear and and give the impression of nothing happening for most of the rotation.

  • Try not grounding the 3rd lug on the tone pot.  I hate blend pots, way more control with a 3 way switch and 2 volume pots.  Infinitely more.  In the hand drawn sketch the tone pots don't look wired right.  Looking from the bottom it should look like this:

     

    305751912?profile=original
    No ground on the 3rd lug and the cap from the middle lug to the back of the pot to ground.  I use audio taper pots.

  • Okay, here is the section from one of my reference books copied here word for word:

     

    A linear pot is usually marked with a B or Lin and will reach 50% of its total resistance at 50% of its total rotation.  Humans do not perceive volume as a linear scale, however, so these pots sound like they are doing very little for the first three-quarters of their rotation.  Audio taper pots are usually marked with an A or Audio and have a logarithmic scale of resistance that increases volume in accordance with human hearing.

     

    Moreover, all of the wiring schematics that I base my designs on always use a B pot for volume and an A pot for tone.

  • yeah matt, I'm not 100% sure about that either. Still searching

     

    -WY


    Artist Formerly Known as Matt said:

    In the hand drawn diagram it looks like the tone pots will work more or less as variable bleed off resistors. I don't see that ending well, but it could work ..... I've seen something similar somewhere that changed tone by bleeding off the treble. ( or something like that)

     

    I suggest playing with the pots themselves. It really sound like the differencr between using linear taper and audio taper pots.

    Maybe also try changing values.

     

    AFKAM

  • In the hand drawn diagram it looks like the tone pots will work more or less as variable bleed off resistors. I don't see that ending well, but it could work ..... I've seen something similar somewhere that changed tone by bleeding off the treble. ( or something like that)

     

    I suggest playing with the pots themselves. It really sound like the differencr between using linear taper and audio taper pots.

    Maybe also try changing values.

     

    AFKAM

  • Any thoughts on this working? Note where and how the tone pots are wired.

     

    305751733?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

     

    -WY

  • k. Thanks Josh!

     

    -WY

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