Lets talk about the most important part about potentiometer quality that manufacturers look for when buying pots. Both Bourns and CTS feature excellent ratings both in life cycle and in accuracy of their stated value.
What are CTS potentiometers?
Emerson Pro Pots (CTS) Potentiometers are custom made by CTS to Emerson specifications. Emerson Pro Pots are low torque and feature a proprietary custom audio taper that ware designed to maximize response (think turning down your volume to 2 and its the same effect as turning down your amps volume knob).
Where are alpha pots made?
Generally, 500K-ohm pots are used with humbuckers and 250Ks are used with single-coil pickups. 25K pots are used for active systems. You can use any value you like, but a 250K will give a slightly warmer tone than a 500K pot.
Why use 500K pots for humbuckers?
Standard humbucking pickups tend to cancel out some of the higher overtones, so 500K pots are often used to prevent extra high end from bleeding off. Single coils usually have more higher overtones, so 250K pots will bleed off a little bit of the treble, which is sometimes considered “ice picky.”
Can I use 500K pots for active pickups?
Active pickups are usually ok with any resistance between 25K and 100K without behaving erratically. If 250K/500K pots are used with active pickups, the controls usually acts more like switches than pots and if 25K pots are used with passive pickups, the sound will be exceedingly dull.
Do Volume pots matter?
Its true that the value between the input and output lugs on the volume pot goes to zero as you turn the knob towards 10, meaning the pots max value has no impact between the input/output lugs. But, the value between the output (middle) lug and the 3rd lug increases up to the pots max value at the same time.
Why are 500K pots brighter?
Pots with higher resistance — like 500K compared to 250K — prevent higher frequencies from bleeding through to ground more than lower ohm pots. This means a 500K pot provides a brighter overall tone than a 250K pot.
Why do active pickups need 25K pots?
25K pots are for controlling the volume or tone of active pickups, or for use after the preamp of a piezo-saddle transducer bridge.