new pots for solid-body

oldskoolchop · #1 07-28-2011, 11:41 AM

This is a tech ? dealing with solid-body guitars. I have a Dean ML that I got a few years ago that I have slowly been replacing parts with. I mainly use it for rock and metal and have been replacing parts as I go it is not my main guitar. I have put in some Seymour's that give a real heavy sound even when clean, anyways the switch has gone out on it and I am know going to replace the switch and the pots. Are there different pots for the volume and the tone control? What are some diffs between different pots? Are 500 for hum-buckers and 250 for singles? Is there a big diff between brands?

All of this made me think of the guitar I play the most my Jackson Randy Rhoads 3. I have also changed the pickups in it as well, a Seymour custom in bridge and '59 in the neck. I love those pickups they give me a wide range of tones. Would changing the pots in it make any diff in the sound or are the stock well enough to leave alone? I have considered moving the pots and switch from the RR to the Dean and putting the new parts in the RR. Do they make that much diff in sound?

If anyone has any experience please share.

jorgemg1984 · #2 07-28-2011, 12:34 PM

I have a Cort source (cheap 335) - first I changed just the pickups to Bare Knuckles Stormy Monday. A huge difference. Later i changed the wire, caps, pots (all BK also) and did a copper shielding and got a clearer tone and more control over the knobs but its not a huge change. Worth it though in my opinion.

SamBooka · #3 07-28-2011, 12:48 PM

Tone pots you can leave well enough alone.
If a pickup is too bright I will switch to a lower value pot.
If it is too muddy I will go higher.
( I like a 1 meg pot with the neck humbucker in my tele. The combination of Tele bridge and 1meg pot would shear your head off so I actually changed the pickup for a warmer Lollar. Normally I dont change a pickup unless I really cant work with it and the stock fender falls into that catagory)

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