Which 500k pot should i change to attenuate highs?

[maturanesa]

i have two 500k pots on my bass: volume and tone.
Which one should i change for a 250k to attenuate the highs frequencies? both?

thanx!

 

[NigelD]

Just change the capacitor on the tone pot. ( some common values for bass- 22uf, 33uf, 47uf, 68uf)
There are threads which deal with how cap value effects tone.

 

[line6man]

Rolling the tone pot down about a fifth will give you precisely the effect of a 250k pot. So if for whatever reason you can only change one pot (I don't see why you can't change both.) then you would want to change the volume pot.

 

[bigtone23]

Rolling the tone pot down about a fifth will give you precisely the effect of a 250k pot. So if for whatever reason you can only change one pot (I don't see why you can't change both.) then you would want to change the volume pot.

This. Assuming they are audio taper, you can just turn down each one to around 7 to hear the effect of 250K pots on 10.

 

[sikamikanico]

This. Assuming they are audio taper, you can just turn down each one to around 7 to hear the effect of 250K pots on 10.

I don't find this true on the volume, but I suppose it's close enough.

Either way, changing pots makes very little difference and it's imo easier to darken the sound of 500k pots than brighten 250k pots. Hardly worth the hassle, unless pots are faulty etc...

 

[maturanesa]

thanx!

 

[line6man]

I don't find this true on the volume, but I suppose it's close enough.

Either way, changing pots makes very little difference and it's imo easier to darken the sound of 500k pots than brighten 250k pots. Hardly worth the hassle, unless pots are faulty etc...

Rolling a 500k tone pot down a hair gives the same result as using a 250k pot, but the same is NOT true of volume pots. With a volume pot, there are two different resistances. One is in series with the signal path, while the other is in parallel. With the pot set to 250k, you have a 250k resistance in parallel with the signal path, but also a 250k series resistance that would not exist with a 250k pot set to "10."

 

[wcriley]

Easiest solution: roll off the highs at the amp/preamp.

 

[line6man]

Easiest solution: roll off the highs at the amp/preamp.

I agree. Pots make such a subtle difference in tone that it is easier to just use an equalizer if you want to tame out harsh treble.