The Last Bass Outpost

Quote from: amptech on August 05, 2016, 12:11:46 PM
No, but it can take it away, and that is what georgestrings is trying to compensate for if I understand him right.

That's it, exactly - thanks... I don't want to drastically change the character of the instrument, just try to get a little more treble and clarity out of it, if possible...


     - georgestrings

Quote from: Alanko on August 05, 2016, 01:45:38 AM
No amount of passive circuitry will add elements back to your tone that weren't there in the first place.

No one is claiming that it will - however, it is a fact that different passive circuits will affect what passes thru them... Again, why do you think that 250k pots are typically used with single coil pups, while 500k are typically used with humbuckers??? Surely, you don't think that's just a coincidence, do you??


   - georgestrings

OK, thanks, everyone - I appreciate everyone's input...


    - georgestrings

Quote from: exiledarchangel on August 03, 2016, 01:17:03 AM
I am not an expert, but I really don't find anything interesting on 1M pots. Maybe if you are a dog, or a bat, you will notice some extra brightness, but the taper of the pot is not good at all. If you are a guy that uses pots a lot, its better to bring back your treble using some other methods, like installing an onboard buffer in your bass.

I really don't want to add an active circuit, I just want to "take the blanket off" these pickups, so to speak - while retaining the ability to blend them, or roll them off altogether in some situations(on stage or at rehearsal)

At any rate, it doesn't look like anyone here has ever actually tried a 1 meg volume pot with a TB Plus pickup, so I might end up being the guinea pig... I'll be sure to post the results if I end up trying this, though...


    - georgestrings

Quote from: amptech on August 03, 2016, 12:23:31 AM
..As bright as the pickup and tone pot will allow is more correct. Correct me if this is not the case with TB+ circuits, but with the tone pot on 10 you bleed the trebles through whatever resistance your pot value is to ground via the tone cap. Not that I'd ever bother changing the value to 1M, because as you said the pot will have more like an on/off function and have a lot of useless travel, but it answers georgestrings' question.

Sure, with a tone pot, that's definitely true - but, what about using a 1 meg as a volume pot with a TB Plus??? That's what I'm really asking about - and so far, no one has spoken up that has actually tried it, that I'm aware of...


    - georgestrings

Quote from: Dave W on August 02, 2016, 02:43:46 PM
A tone control is a passive treble bleed circuit. With the tone control on 10, there's no bleed of treble frequencies to ground, no matter whether you're using 250k, 500k or 1meg pots. They're all equally as bright as the pickup will allow.

The only way you can make it a bit brighter is by eliminating the pot entirely, which removes its resistance load from the circuit. As amptech said earlier, you can do that either by removing the pot and wiring direct, or you can buy one of those no-load tone pots which do the same thing when the pot is all the way up, while still allowing you to roll off treble when you turn down.

Yes.

You're definitely right about tone pots, but it's my understanding that higher value volume pots will have an effect on a pickup's treble output - although maybe I'm mistaken about that....


    - georgestrings

Am I mistaken in the notion that using no load pots can produce the same effect as wiring straight to the jack??


   - georgestrings

Quote from: Granny Gremlin on August 02, 2016, 02:23:48 PM
+1 to Amptech - try it straight to jack and see.  Sometimes, additional treble can increase clarity and give the illusion of higher output.

Thanks - increased clarity/brightness is what I'm after most of all... I've considered going "no load", but can get the 1 meg pots a bit cheaper - and *think* they may make the difference I'm looking for... I figured I'd ask this forum, since there are plenty of people here who have experience with TB Plus pups - since I'll do the work myself, it really won't cost me much to swap both of my Gibson basses over...


    - georgestrings

Quote from: Dave W on August 02, 2016, 01:27:03 PM
Going to a 1 meg pot won't change the output, and it won't be any brighter than a 500k pot with it turned up all the way. The change will be the point at which it starts to roll off high frequencies as you turn it down. Unfortunately, with some pickups a 1 meg pot acts almost like an on/off switch rather than a gradual rolloff. I don't know how the TB Plus would react.

I appreciate your thoughts on this, but think you may be mistaken regarding tonal changes - for example, one typically uses 250k pots for single coil pups, and 500k for 'buckers - and from everything I've read, that's because of treble differences between the two pup types... I'll admit that I don't know this for sure, but there's a fair amount of info "out there" on this stuff, and it all seems pretty consistent...


     - georgestrings

Quote from: amptech on August 02, 2016, 10:13:26 AM
Slightly more treble if you use 1 meg (or just make your tone pot a 'no load on full' pot by scraping away the end of the resistance track) is possible, but i would not worry about doing this if more output is the goal. The pickup impedance is so much lower than the resistance of the harness/loom so that is mainly what the amp will see.

Just bypass the circuit and run the pickup(s) directly to the amp, and see if it's worth doing something.

More treble is definitely the motivating factor in this - I'd probably just run straight into the jack, except I want to keep the ability to blend pups, or completely roll off both in certain circumstances... Thanks for the input,


   - georgestrings

Quote from: Basvarken on August 02, 2016, 06:22:06 AM
I don't think choice of a different potentiometer would increase the output.

I have read that going from 500k pots to 1 meg pots will bleed off less treble, and sometimes allow slightly more output - but I have no direct experience with this...


    - georgestrings

Has anyone tried this combination? - If so, what were the results? I dig the way my Gibson basses look and play, but would like the stock pups to sound a bit brighter and clearer - a little increased output wouldn't hurt, either...


    - georgestrings

It sure looks like it has potential...

This one's been on my local CL for a while, previous ads had pics, and it looks to be in good shape - but I didn't want the slotted headstock:

http://watertown.craigslist.org/msg/5708027903.html


    - georgestrings

Quote from: Dave W on July 29, 2016, 11:01:52 PM
That photo probably includes all of you in the world. 

Hahahaha!!!


    - georgestrings

Quote from: TBird1958 on July 28, 2016, 08:33:03 AM
I just couldn't put one on any Gibson, they're so F%^&*$# ugly (sorry guys) that they just destroy the aesthetics of the bass they're attached to. Just my .02 tho.

Yeah, it really didn't improve the looks of my T-bird, IMO...


  - georgestrings