Pot value question.

[fretmeister]

I've just noticed that the EBMM Joe Dart signature - the original with the single ray pickup - uses a 100Kohm pot.

 

Most bass pickups use 250Kohm - what would be the effect of the 100k pot?

[PaulThePlug]

For potentiometers, Possibly as it is single Volume...

100k might be like a 250k Vol with a 250k Tone in parallel.

Higher the value, the more treble, 100k to darken things down...

 

Usual for 'buckers to have 500k, but usual for a tone control.

 

Maybe try A250k to start and see if what you can EQ...

 

For the the other type, i'd go quality of quantity... or a large quantity of quality... 😉

Edited July 26, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[Baloney Balderdash]

19 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I've just noticed that the EBMM Joe Dart signature - the original with the single ray pickup - uses a 100Kohm pot.

 

Most bass pickups use 250Kohm - what would be the effect of the 100k pot?

As PaulThePlug said, it would approximately have the same effect as a 250kOhm Volume and 250kOhm Tone pot in parallel (which would equal just about 125kOhm).

 

Which is that the lower resistance the more treble is bleeded to ground, taking the very top end off the pickup's response.

 

Wire the pickup directly to the output jack socket, as I like to do, and you get the full top end response of the pickup(s).

 

Want a darker less shill tone from a pickup add lower resistance pots, less attenuated top end add higher resistance pots, or entirely leave them out for practically no attenuation. 

     

Edited July 26, 2024 by Baloney Balderdash

[Chienmortbb]

As far as I know all EBMM's are active. Therefore the value of the pot is not related to the pot values on passive basses.

Here is an original MM dual band preamp.

[Hellzero]

11 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

As far as I know all EBMM's are active.

Not the Joe Dart models, which are all passive. 😉 

 

https://www.music-man.com/instruments/families/basses/joe-dart

 

And the two artist series models from Sterling by Music Man including another variant of the Joe Dart.

 

https://intl.sterlingbymusicman.com/collections/artist-series-basses

 

Edited August 5, 2024 by Hellzero
Links added.

[Chienmortbb]

I stand corrected.

[itu]

If there's place for a buffer, then the pot value would be negligible. And if there was a buffer, why not a preamp?

[Obrienp]

Interesting thread. I have been thinking about changing the 250k pots in my medium scale P bass build, to 100k (or even 50k) to compensate for its excessive brightness. It’s a medium scale neck in a full scale body, so the pickup set is closer to the bridge than is ideal. It’s more like where you would have a Stingray pickup (because the bridge is further into the body to get the 32” scale).
 

This would take the top end off a bit wouldn’t it but it’s not going to give me more low mids and bass? Am I just going to end up with a rather odd sounding mid centred P bass? 

[Hellzero]

The longer the cable, the less the treble. It's also another trick with passive instruments. 😉