sorry - another wiring question... tone not doing what it should...

markblack · June 2023

I'm trying to get a single humbucker with one vol and one tone working.

It does... kind of, but the tone control only works when it's rolled completely off... so i've done something wrong somewhere...

I've tried different pots and caps - and the same result.
The pick up is a BareKnuckle Mule.

all wired up as shown.

any thoughts as to what i've messed up much appreciated.

Cheers

Mark

Funkfingers · June 2023

Should the capacitor value actually be .047uF?

Remote diagnosis will require photographs.*

Your drawing is an excellent representation of what you think you have done. It provides no clue as to your actual soldering work. e.g. You may have overheated the innards of the offending pot. Physical damage might mean that the wiper makes little or no contact with the resistance track. Speaking of which, is it a No-Load™ pot?

* Please include some of the jack socket.

markblack · June 2023

@Funkfingers here's a pic...

the pots in question are CTS 450 series 10% tolerance dimple backs.
The cap is indeed a .047uF
and on the jack the red goes to the tip and the blue to the sleve.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

M

Danny1969 · June 2023

Cap would normally be 22 to 47n ish, linear pot for the tone might work better for you.

SteveRobinson · June 2023

The symptoms are similar to what you hear if you use a linear pot rather than log for a tone control but the pot is clearly marked as having a logarithmic taper.

Your wiring looks fine, I can't help thinking the pot is at fault.

markblack · June 2023

@SteveRobinson cheers for the reply. I'll dig out a few more pots and try some options.

Funkfingers · June 2023

markblack said:

here's a pic.

I notice that both pots are stamped D-A500k. The D could refer to a supplier (e.g. Six String Supplies emboss some of their pots) or it could refer to the resistance taper.

A indicates logarithmic (audio) taper, typically 15-20% resistance halfway.

D (a.k.a. A2) is a more extreme log taper, say, 10% resistance halfway.

If the tone pot is an A2 taper, most of its effect will occur in the last quarter of the rotation towards maximum cut.

ICBM · June 2023

Danny1969 said:

linear pot for the tone might work better for you.

No it won’t

.

That result is actually what you get with a linear pot. It’s odd that it’s doing it with an audio taper…

If the pot isn’t faulty, the problem is that the taper isn’t logarithmic *enough*, not that it’s too much. You need lower resistance in the middle of the taper to give a smooth sweep. 10% log works best, 30% audio taper not much better than linear.

Does the tone change very abruptly at the very bottom, as the wiper comes into contact with the end of the track? If it does, it sounds like the track is damaged. You can try squeezing the terminal onto the trackboard with a pair of pliers and see if that helps, but unless it’s only working when the wiper actually touches the metal (they don’t usually) then it won’t.

SteveRobinson · June 2023

Funkfingers said:

markblack said:

here's a pic.

I notice that both pots are stamped D-A500k.

I think "D" is for dimple.

markblack · June 2023

@ICBM thanks for that.

so I've tried a couple of different pots - a 500k log, a 500k lin, a 250k log. And two different caps both .047uF.

all have the same effect and as you say the tone changes abruptly at the bottom. Not quite and on/off - but not far off it.

I can only think I must of wired something up wrong? I have rewired a few guitars and have always managed to get them working (in the end) but I'm a bit confused on this! Anything obvious I could of messed up?

Cheers

Mark

Funkfingers · June 2023

markblack said:

Anything obvious I could've messed up?

You might have misidentified the terminals on the output jack socket. (Hence, my request for a pic.)

Trying to persuade a Metric splined control knob onto an Imperial pot shaft. This can go wrong in two ways.

EITHER the plastic cracks
OR excessive downward force pushes the innards of the pot apart, rendering it ineffective.

This may be repairable by carefully undoing the tabs and repositioning the innards back into alignment.

markblack · June 2023

@Funkfingers thanks for that. I'll have a look. And yes i destroyed a pot in my cack handedness. Putting a knob on... So i hear you...:)

markblack · June 2023

@Funkfingers here's pic of the jack wiring.

I've tried it both ways and by passed it.

I've also tested the pot on a multi meter and i get a nice smooth adjustment from 0 to 500.

so i must of messed up something else... hmmm

Danny1969 · June 2023

Connect the cap to the other end of the pot ... the tone pot will now work the other way around but might help prove a point if the pot is damaged.

SteveRobinson · June 2023

So if you disconnect the tone pot the pickup sounds as if should and the volume control works as expected?

Jonathangus · June 2023

markblack said:

I've also tested the pot on a multi meter and i get a nice smooth adjustment from 0 to 500.

Would that not suggest that it is in fact a linear pot?

markblack · June 2023

I just rewired it with different pots and it works so the pots must be the problem... everyday is a school day... it's only got two knobs and pick up, it took me less time to do a double coil tapped thing on the last one!!!! I'm off to hit something with a hammer.

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sorry - another wiring question... tone not doing what it should...

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