Learn how to choose between 250K and 500K Pots now!
We frequently get asked about pot values when a customer orders one of our Prewired Telecaster Control Plates or Prewired Pickguards. Pot value has a significant impact on your instrument’s final tone; it’s essential to choose wisely. We mainly get asked how to choose between 250K pots and 500K pots. Let’s dig in!
CHOOSING BETWEEN 250K AND 500K POTS:
When choosing between 250K and 500K pots, there is no concrete rule (more on this later), but here’s a good rule of thumb:
- Single Coil pickups sound best on 250K pots (think Strat or Tele pickups)
- Humbuckers and stronger pickups sound best on 500K pots
- 300K pots do an excellent job of filling the gap between 250K and 500K.
WHY?
The pot itself dampens high frequencies from your pickups’ signal. It does this by adding a short across your pickup’s signal. Lower resistance pots, like 250K, will dampen more high frequencies off of your signal than a 500K pot will.
If you were to connect your pickups directly to the output jack, you would notice your tone is louder and brighter. Most instrument manufacturers pick the pot value that makes the instrument sound the best.
A 500K pot provides the most resistance, so high frequencies from your signal are not bled to ground as easily as a 250K pot. Similarly, the 250K pot contributes less resistance and thus bleeds more high frequencies to ground.
But wait: variable resistance is a good thing! Traditional Humbuckers can sound dark and muddy through a 250K pot, and Single Coil Strat or Tele Pickups can sound shrill and “crispy” through a 500K pot. By choosing the correct pot value, we tailor our electronics to the pickup’s true voicing.
LINDY SAYS…
Lindy always says: “the correct pot is the one that sounds the best to you.” This is true for many reasons: you may want your single-coil pickups to sound brighter in the first place. Or, you may have a dark-sounding guitar, and you want to compensate by having brighter sounding pickups. In either case, wiring your pickups through a 300K or 500K pot will most likely help you achieve that goal.
WHICH POTS TO CHANGE?
When you choose between 250K or 500K pots, it’s important to remember that Volume Pots make the bulk of your tonal difference. Your tone pots certainly make a difference as well, but, if you wanted to make a quick and easy change, change your Volume pot first, and then listen.
Well, that’s really about it. It’s a pretty simple topic. The best way to know which pot value works best for you is to experiment! Grab a 250K, 300K, and 500K, and change out your volume pot to see what it does to the tone.
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What size pots are usually recommended for P-90 pickups?
Hey Michael, the size of the pot really depends on the guitar. Pots need short shafts for Teles and Strats, but longer shafts for Gibson-style instruments. That said, if you’re referring to the the resistance value of the pot, P90s sound best with 500K pots.
Hi Tyler,
Great topic.
So for volume, 500K will be more transparent than 250K which will remove high frequencies to the ground?
So if you have high quality pickups as Fralin pickups, 500K will deliver the true pickup tone compared to the 250k? I have a 1989 japan RI 54 Strat’, she weights loud and sound dark and warm, I put your Fralin hot vintage set with 500K CTS pots and the sound is amazing since 10 years now
I have an M series solid body Gibson Mandolin with P type pickups. These mandolins are circa late 60’s and early 70’s. Do you work on these pickups or manufacture them? If so , I would like to talk to you absolutely about the pickups and the tone pots that work with your pickups
Thankyou for your time.
Hey Chris, great question. Please send us some photos of your pickups to [email protected], and we’ll get back to you!
I have a harmony silhouette with two gold foil mini humbuckers and I was wondering what value tone pot I need with these.