Opinion on Blend pots

[rkubik]

Looking to mod a strat and as I have seen from searching the other posts it is hard to get the MODPOTS for the Tiger schematics. I saw one post where someone recommended the blend pots from Stew Mac. I guess I am looking for opinions/results on those or if I should just use a regular 250 or 500K for the tone.

[Imagined Days]

are you going to be using all single coils? If so go with 250k's

Chris

[rkubik]

I am going to be installing a SDS 1 in the neck and the other two will be super 2s.

[JonnyBoy]

I wound up with an extra pot and 3 way switch on my les paul converted to rosebud. I inquired about the blending and I believe Tapestry either had a problem getting it to work right since you have two signals going on in an OBEL (on board effects loop) or, it just did not work like one hoped it would. I think alembic has a successful system for this.

[Imagined Days]

use 250 for the single coil and 500k for the Super II's. Add a pot to the guitar if you have the space. Or the 2 pickups could share one tone pot. I added a tone pot to my guitar, so I have 3 tone pots and one volume.

[JonnyBoy]

are you talking about regular pots for your guitar (Tone and Volume) or a blend pot that mixes two signals ie: regular signal with OBEL singnal?

[rkubik]

What I am looking for is not a regular pot. If you look on the Tiger wiring schematic there is an Allen Bradley MODPOT which from my searches are very hard to find and my question is how would a blend pot work in its place. In one of the searches I did, the comment said they knew the blend pots were being used by some for that purpose but I am trying to find out if they are in fact a good alternative or just go with a regular 250K or 500K depending on how I wire up the PUP.

[DeadAheadNH]

Hi ... I did a Fender No-Load tone control, ACME blender, Waldo Buffer + OBEL on a 91 strat with Lace Sensors. I'm veryyyyy happy with it. It was easy and didn't cost a ton of $$$. I have a schematic - pm me I use the neck/bridge combo ALL the time ... and the tone control is at the detente so its basically out of the circuit. The rest of the stuff is TB'd so I can get pretty close to guitar->amp (with tone bypassed). I'm using it for clean & chimy 70's Bobby through warbly choinky modern sounds using some TS-808s and a Mutron III in reverse mode. AMP = Fender HRDeville 4x10. I did all the mods in one whack and the result FAR exceeds the tonal characteristics of the stock strat.

[JonnyBoy]

OK, I was thinking you wanted to blend an OBEL and clean signal, that is something we have discussed before and Alembic does as an option. I know they sell dual ganged pots out there, but way easier you could have the humbuckers share a 500K tone pot and the single have its own 250K. I have done that myself and it works fine, the bridge and middle shared and the neck on its own. I actually like the one pot to rule them all approach myself as mentioned above.

[Rusty the Scoob]

Why don't guitar players ever use a pickup blend pot like on a bass? Most modern basses have two pickups and knob that changes the ratio from 100% neck pickup at one extreme to 100% bridge pickup at the other, and infinite variations in between. And then you just control the master volume with a standard volume knob.

Seems like it'd be a great setup for guitar as well but AFAIK nobody does it.

[tcsned]

Why don't guitar players ever use a pickup blend pot like on a bass? Most modern basses have two pickups and knob that changes the ratio from 100% neck pickup at one extreme to 100% bridge pickup at the other, and infinite variations in between. And then you just control the master volume with a standard volume knob.

Seems like it'd be a great setup for guitar as well but AFAIK nobody does it.

Lindy Fralin makes one for Strat players will blend in either the back or front pickup depending on which one isn't selected. Gives you a Tele sound etc. I have on on my 79 Strat. I didn't use it a lot when I was playing that Strat a bunch, but great for country tunes.

[JonnyBoy]

Thanks Rusty! you just gave me the new idea for my extra pot that is vacant. I was thinking blending the Obel and clean tone, but a blend between the two pickups I am playing sounds like a cool idea. Although, with all the split coils, tone knobs and a 5 way selector I am not really wanting for anything tone wise. It already gets crazy when I can't decide if I like something better than something else, especially with overdrive.

[tcsned]

Thanks Rusty! you just gave me the new idea for my extra pot that is vacant. I was thinking blending the Obel and clean tone, but a blend between the two pickups I am playing sounds like a cool idea. Although, with all the split coils, tone knobs and a 5 way selector I am not really wanting for anything tone wise. It already gets crazy when I can't decide if I like something better than something else, especially with overdrive.

Here's Lindy's schematic:
http://www.fralinpickups.com/images/blendschem2.jpg

[JonnyBoy]

I forgot to thank you too, I thought about that when I posted!

[DeadAheadNH]

... that's what I was offering up the schem for ... OBEL + Buffer + Bridge/Neck blender and single tone control ...