Pots for Modding my Les PAul

[New Frontier]

Hello All

I want to install some push-push pots on my Les Paul, for pickups series and paralel operation and phase reversing, but don't know wich value to use, and if I use log pots or linear pots
What value and type I use for both Tone and Vol control ?

Can anybody help me?

Tkx    

[vanhansen]

http://www.allparts.com/

Get 500K log pots for volume and tone.

[Johan]

"log" or "lin" pots depend on how you use your guitars volume controll. Gibson comes stock with linear 300k pots for the volume. if you plug into a typical marshall running with everything on "10" this makes it easy to dail in just the right amount of distortion from the guitars volumepot. Fender typicaly comes with logarithmic volume pots making the responce very different going from distorted to clean when turning down from "10" to "9" and you instead get access to all the different shades of clean that on a Gibson typicaly would hapen between "0" and "1"
Tone controls are usualy logarithmic on both Gibson and Fender

hope this helps

Johan

[Outlaws]

"log" or "lin" pots depend on how you use your guitars volume controll. Gibson comes stock with linear 300k pots for the volume. if you plug into a typical marshall running with everything on "10" this makes it easy to dail in just the right amount of distortion from the guitars volumepot. Fender typicaly comes with logarithmic volume pots making the responce very different going from distorted to clean when turning down from "10" to "9" and you instead get access to all the different shades of clean that on a Gibson typicaly would hapen between "0" and "1"
Tone controls are usualy logarithmic on both Gibson and Fender

hope this helps

Johan

I won't say you are wrong, but my '96 stidio LP and and every other Gibson I am aware of is 500k (I recent found out they are audio).  Mine cleans up very evenly....and I used to have a 900 halfstack.

Infact, that Allparts link in interesting, they don't even make 300k pots.

Was your guitar used when you got it?

[vanhansen]

Infact, that Allparts link in interesting, they don't even make 300k pots.

Sure they do, part number EP_4880-000.  It's on the 500K pots page.  Why, I don't know.  

[Johan]

"log" or "lin" pots depend on how you use your guitars volume controll. Gibson comes stock with linear 300k pots for the volume. if you plug into a typical marshall running with everything on "10" this makes it easy to dail in just the right amount of distortion from the guitars volumepot. Fender typicaly comes with logarithmic volume pots making the responce very different going from distorted to clean when turning down from "10" to "9" and you instead get access to all the different shades of clean that on a Gibson typicaly would hapen between "0" and "1"
Tone controls are usualy logarithmic on both Gibson and Fender

hope this helps

Johan

I won't say you are wrong, but my '96 stidio LP and and every other Gibson I am aware of is 500k (I recent found out they are audio).  Mine cleans up very evenly....and I used to have a 900 halfstack.

Infact, that Allparts link in interesting, they don't even make 300k pots.

Was your guitar used when you got it?

..have you mesured it out of circuit?..Gibson switched from 500k to 300k in the volumeposition in july 1973 ( according to the schematics at Gibson.com http://www.gibson.com/relations/schematics/diagrams/lespaul2.gif  see the note at the bottom of the schematic) and now only use 500k in the volumeposition on Customshop guitars, and mine deffenetly is linear ( put the pot halway and it mesured 150k to each end when out of the circuit )..

Johan

[Outlaws]

..have you mesured it out of circuit?..Gibson switched from 500k to 300k in the volumeposition in july 1973 ( according to the schematics at Gibson.com http://www.gibson.com/relations/schematics/diagrams/lespaul2.gif  see the note at the bottom of the schematic) and now only use 500k in the volumeposition on Customshop guitars, and mine deffenetly is linear ( put the pot halway and it mesured 150k to each end when out of the circuit )..

Johan

Well, hmmmmmm.  I will measure mine later on and report back, because I got mine new and haven't swapped out the pots so they will be stock numbers.

But that schematic says as of 1973.  It seems to me that is around the 'start' (if you will) of Gibsons lesser years of quality.  I would think they maybe cahnged back somewhere along the line.


EDIT:

I admit, I can't get my pot to measure.  Maybe my DMM can't do it....but non of the settings seem to give a valid number.

But I did find on the LesPaul forum that "There was a time when they did use 300K volumes and 100K tones, 300Ks starting around July 1973 and later 100K tones."
http://www.lespaulforum.com/pots/lpfpots.html

If that helps.... :?

[Fret Wire]

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Control_pots_and_knobs/Control_Pots.html

[vcamargo99]

My 4 Les Pauls have/had 500K pots. Volume control is perfect 0-10. My Semi-hollow had 300K linear pots. Volume control was awful. Switched them over to 500K's and life is WAY better. I'd go with the 500k's and it should brighten things up tonally just a tad too. On SOME I'll use a .001uf(?) cap on the volume pots. I can get a really bright "single coil like" sound on 5-6, and turn it up for that FAT/FULL/BUTTERY tone only a humbucker can give. I did lose some volume control in doing so, because 5-6 doesn't lower the volume as before the cap, but the versatility in the bright/full settings is too useful for me.

[dosmun]

500K log pots.  I am not sure if CTS makes them but if they do go with the CTS pots.

[dosmun]

Check out Black Rose Customs for pots.  This place is awesome with great customer service and they match the pots for you.  

http://www.blackrosecustom.emerchantpro.com/index.html?token=2052582313-363806521-990812167&A=41&B=Electronics

[vanhansen]

500K log pots.  I am not sure if CTS makes them but if they do go with the CTS pots.

Yes, CTS makes those.  I bought mine from Warmoth not too long ago when I ordered a new pickguard.

[Johan]

..well, I could be wrong, but I would think Gibson knows what they've been using all this time...
http://www.gibson.com/relations/schematics/
the only one not using 300k for volume is the Jimmy Page, but that one still uses Linear pots..
common wisdom is to use 500k pots for humbuckers, but it's not a law. I've owned three Les Paul's in my life. One I bought new in -89 it has 300k Lin pots for volume ( still my main guitar ), the other one ( a Custom ) I bought used in -99 it also had 300klin for volume. this one I traded for another standard two years ago, and this one also has 300klin pots for volume. since these all these three correspond with the documentation at Gibson, I see no reason to believe they have been changed/modified..

Johan