Pickups that don't respond well to volume knob cleanup...any fixes?

[big_teee]

They're already potted, and when i reassembled them i hit em with a hair dryer till the wax reflowed.

Sounds like you got it covered!
GL,
T

[Fluoroscope 5000]

Possibly the pot is partially burnt out?

[Chuck H]

Daz,

I love me some big_teee. My own guitar is loaded with his pickups. I really don't want to squash his pitch here, but you did say "the pickup sounds fabulous". So I figure whatever you can do to avoid changing the tone you have now should be the first course of action.

I'm just guessing here, but it's possible that with the pickup setup as you have it, with the 3/3 arrangement on the coils, there is additional inductance that is disproportionate to the pickups actual output. It's a pickups electrical characteristics interacting with the load (volume pot) that makes guitars muddy when you back off the volume control. Since you may have an exacerbated version of this problem we can try to address just this first.

The circuit below should isolate the pickup somewhat from the action of the bright circuit as well as reduce the shifting of the pickup circuits resonant peak as the volume knob is backed down. With the knob up full the circuit will be electrically the same as what you have now.

I didn't include a capacitor value because I don't know what value you like for "bright" circuits. The impedance of this circuit is much higher than stock so you will probably need to use a cap value of half or even less compared to what you typically like. But experimenting is always encouraged.

[big_teee]

Daz,

I love me some big_teee. My own guitar is loaded with his pickups. I really don't want to squash his pitch here, but you did say "the pickup sounds fabulous". So I figure whatever you can do to avoid changing the tone you have now should be the first course of action.

Don't shoot the messenger!
I was just offering to try to help him sort it out!
T

[Chuck H]

Oh, I'm not even disagreeing with you! It's sorta like when you go to the hospital and the heart doc says it's your heart and the brain doc says it's your brain when in fact it's neither

[big_teee]

Exactly.
I've done lots of noise and weird issue trouble shooting.
My method is the old Napoleon, Divide and conquer method.
First I would put the pickup in question in another guitar with different pots.
If you determine that the trouble follows the pickup?
Then I would look into what is different with the pickup?
If the trouble follows the guitar then I would trouble shoot that.
But, it all takes effort!

T

[David King]

May I suggest that CTS pots are quite variable from one to the next and a lot depends on where you got them from and how they were spec-ed from the manufacturer. Allparts seems to order them with no minimum tolerance specifications while other places are a bit fussier. I've heard around here that Mojo, Stewmac and WD are a bit more consistent in quality but you might want to just start with a small stack of pots and try them sequentially in your circuit until you get one that does the job. I find I always have to do this with the raw CTS pots and even with the sealed element Bourns pots.

[daz]

Daz,

I love me some big_teee. My own guitar is loaded with his pickups. I really don't want to squash his pitch here, but you did say "the pickup sounds fabulous". So I figure whatever you can do to avoid changing the tone you have now should be the first course of action.

I'm just guessing here, but it's possible that with the pickup setup as you have it, with the 3/3 arrangement on the coils, there is additional inductance that is disproportionate to the pickups actual output. It's a pickups electrical characteristics interacting with the load (volume pot) that makes guitars muddy when you back off the volume control. Since you may have an exacerbated version of this problem we can try to address just this first.

The circuit below should isolate the pickup somewhat from the action of the bright circuit as well as reduce the shifting of the pickup circuits resonant peak as the volume knob is backed down. With the knob up full the circuit will be electrically the same as what you have now.

I didn't include a capacitor value because I don't know what value you like for "bright" circuits. The impedance of this circuit is much higher than stock so you will probably need to use a cap value of half or even less compared to what you typically like. But experimenting is always encouraged.

Interesting. I don't understand the theory at all but i may have to try that. Thanks. Oh, and i don't think it';s the 3 per coil vs 6 because i think i mentioned i have had it configured both ways and it's always had this issue. in fact, the issue is lessened like this over all 12 rods.

David....that very pot has been in a few teles and it measures 260k (i always avoid using pots that vary too far from 250k) and furthermore, this is the second thinline with fender RI WRHB pickups and the other one had the same issue. I'm 100% positive it's the pickups.

Anyways, i have some A2 rods on the way because i think they will have better sound judging by the tone right now, and maybe thier lesser strength will also help with this issue.

[Chuck H]

[QUOTE=daz;414537] (i always avoid using pots that vary too far from 250k)

In that case, if you do try the circuit I posted use a 1M pot that measures a little high (IME most do) because if the values I spec'd are dead on you only have 248k

[daz]

[QUOTE=Chuck H;414551]

(i always avoid using pots that vary too far from 250k)

In that case, if you do try the circuit I posted use a 1M pot that measures a little high (IME most do) because if the values I spec'd are dead on you only have 248k

When i say too far i mean like 200k or even 220. I have bought 250k's that measured 200 or 220 before. 200 makes it obvious something ain't right. 220 i think i could tell but not sure. Where the point is that isn't possible to see a difference i don't know. But rather than agonizing over whether I'm hearing something thats not quite right or no, i just use pots within a reasonable rage from the 250k i am used to. Anything over about 240k I know work the way i'm used to. It;s called playing it safe. You know how anal i am so you can understand i don't need little things like that gnawing at me.

[Chuck H]

I know you're reasonable. I just know how you can be and I was gnawin' at ya'. Ergo the little spin emoticon (still having trouble with the word "emoji"). Consider it a punch in the arm

[big_teee]

You know how anal i am.

I remember how much fun some of the other threads were now.
Sorry, I'll try to not to do it again!
T

[Chuck H]

Not so sure the quotes came out right on this one. NBD

[big_teee]

There, fixed it, maybe!

[Dave H]

When i say too far i mean like 200k or even 220. I have bought 250k's that measured 200 or 220 before. 200 makes it obvious something ain't right. 220 i think i could tell but not sure. Where the point is that isn't possible to see a difference i don't know.

200k is only -20% of the total resistance which is probably not noticeable. What you really need to do is measure how 'log' it is as in post #9. That's what governs how it reacts when turned down below '10'.