Pots 1 --- Pickups 0

[J M Fahey]

At least according to this "Gearnews" artice.
https://www.gearnews.com/make-your-c...otentiometers/
Which boldly states that it´s not worth investing in Pickups to improve Guitar tone:

Why upgrade your potentiometers?

I see lots and lots of players go out and spend a lot of money on new pickups for their cheap guitar, in the hope that it will make their guitar sound nicer. Often a set of pickups will cost you well over a 100 pounds. This could be half the price of your budget guitar’s value in many cases.

My suggestion is to change your potentiometers. Why? Because they have a huge effect on the tone of your pickups. They literally control what comes out of an electric guitar.

What´s his point?

As a guitarist, I use my volume and tone controls all the time, the best tones are often hidden in those controls. Clapton‘s Woman Tone comes from using those controls. Jeff Beck is widely regarded as a master of guitar controls, too.

If it only were so easy!!!

Or inexpensive.
At least he does not suggest expensive Audiophool pots but:

My two favourite potentiometer brands are probably CTS and Alpha

Yet my heart and mind are torn ... which brand gives me Woman Tone and which Jeff beck Tone? ... article is not clear enough

Must I buy 2 sets and experiment?

[alexradium]

At least according to this "Gearnews" artice.
https://www.gearnews.com/make-your-c...otentiometers/
Which boldly states that it´s not worth investing in Pickups to improve Guitar tone:


What´s his point?


If it only were so easy!!!

Or inexpensive.
At least he does not suggest expensive Audiophool pots but:

Yet my heart and mind are torn ... which brand gives me Woman Tone and which Jeff beck Tone? ... article is not clear enough

Must I buy 2 sets and experiment?

heh,the new audiophile trend of guitar is pots,what's next,that's because after changing pickups,caps,trem block,gears,frets,strings,cables,paint,pickguard....you still suck at playing guitar....and that's 50% of the game,figure that....maybe try changing strap pins next time.

[Justin Thomas]

Clapton's woman tone came from using those controls?
Yeah, by TURNING them, no replacing them!

Replace for functionality? Sure. Cheap stuff breaks easier. But it works just the same til it breaks.
What. A. Crock.

Justin

[Leo_Gnardo]

At least he does not suggest expensive Audiophool pots but:

My two favourite potentiometer brands are probably CTS and Alpha

Well what about those upscale brands like Emerson (looks like private branded CTS to me) and PEC (Canadian made hermetically sealed, look like old Allen Bradley Ohmite) selling at US$10 or so. Or Alessandro pots (look like private branded PEC) last seen streaking through the stratosphere at $45 apiece. Heck a quick scan of Mouser shows some rather posh Honeywell units for $50 ish. Hell, if you had the space & the bucks, why have a pot at all, use a multi step switch like x-pensive hi fi gear and top grade mixing consoles.

Yeh I better put on some new strings & get some practice in. A very short spritz of Deoxit will keep my old controls working just fine thank you.

[Chuck H]

Guys! Guys!..

Of course pots have tone. Guitars are about VIBRATION. Good quality pots are made from heavier materials that resonate at higher frequencies. The cheap pots resonate more in the audio range. Especially those midrange frequencies that we need to preserve for good tone. A resonating pot can cause cancellation due to feedback at these resonant frequencies and rob your tone.

[big_teee]

A good pot is important, along with the right value.
The pickups are also important.
Along with Cap value.
I got into pickup building, for my own cheap guitars.
There is more variation in pickups than in Pots.
Under wound, over wound, magnet type, magnet strength, etc.
Pickup position in the guitar, is tonally very important.
I like to take a guitar and wind the pickup for the tonal qualities of the guitar, and for the player.
A blues player will want a different tone, than a rocker, or a country player.
To make a blanket statement that it is foolish to change the pickups, I don't agree with!
YMMV
T

[J M Fahey]

Guys! Guys!..

Of course pots have tone. Guitars are about VIBRATION. Good quality pots are made from heavier materials that resonate at higher frequencies. The cheap pots resonate more in the audio range. Especially those midrange frequencies that we need to preserve for good tone. A resonating pot can cause cancellation due to feedback at these resonant frequencies and rob your tone.

You are absolutely right.
And even much more than pots, of which there are just a few in an amplifier, are capacitors.

Often ignored, never mentioned in Audiophile discussions, there are many of them all over the place and, believe it or not, do influence Sound.

What´s nthe main offender? .... the CASING.

They are *enclosed* by it so they take their characteristics and vibrations.

* plastic cased capacitors will your system sound like ... well ... PLASTIC!!!!

* no need to explain how will PAPER!!!! capacitors sound like .

* aluminum cased ones will sound like .... ALUMINUM!!!!
Ever saw an aluminum body instrument?
Ever saw a Drummer replacing his Zildjian and Paiste cymbals with pot lids?
Me neither.

Admittedly, my Granddaughter Martina does play drums with my Daughter´s kitchenware and her Dad´s drumsticks .... but she´s 4!!!!!

So, what noble material is used to make Musical Instruments of the highest quality?:
* WOOD !!!!!! that is.

So best way to improve Audio quality is to replace cheesy tinny sounding "Aluminum" cases with Wood ones.
Ony acceptabe material to seal them? ... Beeswax of course!!!!

Here´s an illuminated Audiophile´s (he swallowed a lighted candle) successful experiment:















Amost forgot: to protect it he carefully wrapped guts in rice paper.

Resuts were wonderful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some pearls of wisdom:

You can achieve a major improvement in sound if the following is done accurately:
The best kind of wood for this, is tropical wood, like bankirai.
Ricepaper has best tonal qualities (no joke!).
Et voil�: Two modified capacitors which in return for the job well done, will sound much better than the originals!!
If you do not trust your skills, Cees Piet is willing to make you a pair as described above. This will cost you 50Euros, the capacitors excluded.
This capacitor modification is really worth the effort, you'll get wagonloads of "push" and detail like you've never heared before..
A longtime DIYer friend said that you'll get sound improvement just by lightly sanding the caps.
The input and output leads are marked, they do make sound difference how you connect them even the Solens are non polar.

[big_teee]

You can count me out on all the Audiophile parts.
The value of the caps, is my main concern with caps n a guitar.
Not what exotic material they are made from.
T

[Leo_Gnardo]

good pot is important

Definitely, and the notion is catching on these days.

To make a blanket statement that it is foolish to change the pickups, I don't agree with!

100% correct. And look who's saying foolish things like that - the guy who tries to sell you $45 pots, $5 a foot hookup wire, $50 hand rolled beeswax, rice paper & tinfoil caps and the like.