Do Volume Pots Matter?

Volume Pots Comparison on a Precision Bass - 1 MEG vs 500 K
Want 2 Check Review - Short & Sweet demos
PLEASE NOTICE THAT THE "1/3 TONE" CLIPS ARE THE WRONG WAY AROUND. THE 500K IS THE 1MEG AND VICE VERSA. Sorry about that, my bad.
This video is a comparison between two different volume potentiometers on a P-Bass, a 1 MEG resistance and a 500 K resisatance. The bass used is a Fender Precision Bass made in Korea in 93 or 94. It is recorded with the mix of the DI of a Gallien-Krueger MB-500 and a SM57 in front of a Gallien-Krueger Neo 112.
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[@MixYourWay]

Thank you so much for this simple and effective demonstration!! :3

[@ShredAimlessly92]

I love the 1M pots, they seem like they’d compliment flatwounds really well, and allow more versatility with a tone knob with flats.

[@neocollective]

Thank you for putting this together man !!! very informative :)

[@Want2Check]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Don't forget to subscribe for more videos like this one!

[@TomTobin67]

I prefer the 1 Meg pot.

[@bdwutube]

I do as well!

[@dominicmcmahon4798]

1 meg is way brighter. and considering its got a rosewood board it helps brighten it. i got a jazz bass cos they are humbuckers would installing a 500k or 1m in the tone and volume pots work the same way? also what cap value would i need?

[@bdwutube]

much brighter but rosewood doesn't make it brighter

[@xthereon754]

The 1MEG has so much more character to it compared to the 500k, even with the tone all the way down

[@larsfrosznielsen3536]

wow thanks for a great video....all the answers to my questions

[@Bertanerny]

Really helpful video, thanks for posting. Personally I liked the 1 Meg pot, I thought the 500 K sounded a bit muddy at times.

[@maestrodillingerklopfgeist]

Nice video!!!!!!!!! J’avais reconnu ton accent! Ha Ha Ha Nice playing!!! And that 1M pot sounded a bit brittle/harsh.... def. more ‘’p-bass-ish’’ and nicely rounded with the 500, I’m gonna steer clear of the 1M for my build, thanks a lot for posting. Keep up the good work, Cheers From Montréal!!!

[@Want2Check]

Hahahah merci!

[@KennethNicholson1972]

The 1 meg pot sounds much brighter than the 500 but looses nothing. The 500 looses that brightness but sounds just a little muffled for my tastes. I would personally run with the 1 Meg volume pot, with the tone rolled down a little. This is the best of both worlds really as it leaves things open tonally to lift yourself in the mix on stage, depending of course on the room ambience. 30 years a bass players Brother with many gigging hours. Peace.

[@terrancepemberton4648]

500k all day! i prefer the deeper warmer sound

[@alexk3088]

Nice video and nice bass. As recorded, 1Meg sounded better to me (and you can always roll down the tone control when you need darker tone). It sounded like the 500k tone was available with the 1Meg pot somewhere half-way through the tone knob range. But I wonder how drastically different it sounded in the room (live)? That's the $3.95 question (or whatever the pots cost).

[@bdwutube]

You'll notice even more of a difference if you use a 500K or 1M Ohm pot for the treble cut (tones) control.

[@williamlafrance2514]

Merci pour l'info man ! Je préfère aussi le 500k sur une Précision, c'est plus plein et claquant comme son, comparé au Fender "normale" avec des 250k

[@danielsanichiban]

It doesn't only affect the highs, also the lows. You lose some bottom end when you increase the load on the pickups, how it sounds depends on the pickup. And like others pointed out, you can turn the 1M down to 500k anyway. I'd go 1M

[@abelincoln95]

500 meg gets you the best of both worlds.... You might want to think of "vintage" wiring too. Cap to volume instead cap back to tone. Vintage wiring puts your tone "in front" of your volume and keeps most of your tone throughout the full volume sweep. Modern wiring puts the tone behind your volume acting like another capacitor when you roll off the volume.

[@charliemoody7168]

I like what you’re saying…can you link to a description of the procedure for doing that, putting the volume ‘in front’? (My wiring adventures are still ahead of me, but I want to know this!)

[@catch22ak]

Nice comparison. I like the 1 Meg pot myself, it's brighter with a fuller sound.

[@truthfilterforyoutube8218]

actually the 1 meg pot rolls the bottom end off in favor of the high end......

[@vonicrimson3619]

@@truthfilterforyoutube8218 you could always do 1 meg volume and 250/500 k on the tone

[@paulmanoogian7646]

I agree. You can always boost your low end with Eq or with an amp but its often hard to get the upper frequencies like pick growl and stuff to sound right because they are often so muddied and muted. As far as I'm concerned I want the pickups to pick up as much sonic information as possible and have a high gain output and then I can shape that sound later on down the line.

[@tonedriverss8629]

Tres bien fait . Cool vid . Salut de Mtl !

[@Want2Check]

Merci! Salut de Qc!

[@domagojoinky8262]

Both pots sound interesting, what about 250k pot ? It seems that the larger the number, more brighter the sound gets. 500k seems like a good choice for p bass, 1M also sounds good.

[@oldowl4290]

I have an old bass with three pickups and three pot holes. Can I use dual concentric pots and have three tone / three volume? And if so, what pots should I use?

[@oldasrocks9121]

This can help on a particularly dark bass. An A500K tone pot will give you a wider sweep of adjustment. Also players seem to have gotten away from adjusting tone by rolling the volume off a small amount, like guitars players do to clean up output they overdrive pedals. This works best with vintage voiced handwound pickups.

[@standauphin1592]

I watched this video the other day and bought a 500k pot for my p bass that needed an overhaul. Replaced the 250, cleaned it up and and re-did some of wiring which was a bit battered. Totally worth it, sounds like a brand new instrument. I would highly recommend the upgrade to 500.

[@standauphin1592]

I used a seymour duncan pot, dunno how much better quality it is compared with some other pots but whatever.

[@MrBuzhinsv]

Tone closed - 1 Meg is the winner. Tone fully open - 1 Meg is way too bright and 500 k sounds more usable. Tone 1/3 - 1 Meg is the winner again. So overall I would stay with 1 Meg and roll down the tone. Fully agree with Kenny Nicholson below. Thanks for the video, now I want to experiment with my pots:)

[@gutbucket260]

I use 250 k pots with a push/pull on the tone pot that takes the cap out of the circuit if you want the full tone of the pickup to come through.

[@justindoss7581]

How would an epiphone eb-0 bass sound with a 1 meg or 500k potentiometer sound would it maybe add a bit of clarity to the sound of the mudbucker?

[@jburtonca]

I like the 500k pot. It sounds more like the classic P bass. The 1meg was too bright for me but in the end it's all about personal preference.

[@linleylaurencon3516]

Where can you purchase 500k pots for fender Jazz Bass? I have checked a few retailers and cannot find this? Thanks

[@ReverendHellbilly]

Yeah. Cheers to.you 🍻. Great vid

[@Want2Check]

Thanks!! 🍻

[@Fili2009able]

Are they pots for passive and active basses? the reason I am asking is because I went to buy a volume pot to GC and they ask me if my bass is active or passive and also if I know if it uses a 1 Meg 500k or 250 K How do I know witch one I need ? They also ask me the bass brand name I said a Yamaha RBx750 (active bass) I was told 'normally' Yamaha uses 1 Meg because they are well know for their bright sound.... ????? so should I buy the 1Meg or what ? Thanks

[@TheRastler]

I bought a harness from Sixstring supplies with 250k pots and a new capacitor already wired, I just hade to connect the live and Earth wires, it is a MIM PBass and unlike the pots that are stock the variation in tone alters across the full sweep of the tone control as does the volume. The harness is also available with solderless connectors and treble bleed . Check them out

[@Mr.Steve-O]

What size cap do you have on the tone pot ?

[@AngelsINIDemonsCafe]

One Meg... because is more clean low tone for my taste. well done, Thanks for enlighten me.

[@helderbarbosa7862]

And about fretless bass, what's the better ? 250k or 500k?

[@redmodpedals9100]

in my opinion every instrument should have 1M, you can always cut some treeble from amp, but you cannot add

[@Want2Check]

That's a valid point!

[@stanfie1d]

Wow, didnt expect such difference. I see no reason to chose 500k over 1M cause you can always roll it halfway down :)

[@davekeating.]

The reason why Asia manufacturers use larger value volume pots on their basses (and other single coil pickup guitars) is to squeeze some life out the dull “fridge magnet” ceramic pickups they use?

[@christopherstorrier5560]

Being a P bass it uses single coils so both pots should be 250k as you said...my Jaguar PJ came with all 500k pots ...sounded far to bright...settled for 250k CTS 8% Linear pots with a 0.68mfd polypropylene cap...now it's a sweet sounding Jaguar PJ bass but still has enough mids and lower top end to cut through a mix...it's a personal thing i guess,i like a bass to sound like a bass but we're all different...i use 250k pots on my passive Ibanez,ripped out the cheap pre-amp and rewired it passively, the 2 humbuckers (PFR's) are bright so 250k linear pots sound best to my ears for what i play....great way to change your overall tone to light,mid or bass heavy using various value quality pots with a polypropylene cap for a smooth top end ,& cleaner low end...if it's a Jazz style bass use Linear Volume & Tone pots...with log pots you cannot fade in the second single coil as everything happens between 9 & 10 on log pots...if your bass has 2 single coil pick-ups use Linear pots only if you want to add a bit of another single coil pick-up to your sound...

[@user-qy7lm4oj9f]

Hey,I have a Squier Matt Freeman P bass what pots do you recommend for upgrade?

[@ShredAimlessly92]

argiris k. Probably too late a reply, but probably the best upgrade would be getting linear pots, 1meg volume and a no-load tone pot. This way you get the most wide open sound with the tone pot essentially bypassed at full, and the ability to engage and slowly roll off the treble with the tone pot. Hope that helps with your Freeman P or any other bass you have!

[@Sion2040s]

Have you got the 1/3 tone clips the wrong way round?

[@Want2Check]

What! You're definitely right, what a dumb error from my part! Thanks for the cue.

[@athosreis5415]

Whats is the tone capacitor? 22 nf?

[@lucasvieira1805]

What is the Capacitor value of the Tone

[@adand824]

With the 1M pots it got much better, the tone much more alive, I will do my thanks.

[@acidbath3226]

i want to combine a 1 meg pot with a tektronix .1uf capacitor on the tone

[@rodriprat]

If you install a 1 M pot you can use it as a 500 pot ot 250

[@alfieharries]

What strings u usin?

[@arnlmndza]

how about a 250k?

[@birddispenser]

I liked them both

[@timbailey4055]

I like the 1 Meg. I love a bright tone

[@vonicrimson3619]

What was the tone pot?

[@lesjones7617]

1 Meg 4 me! will try it in the 4 string kit im billing.

[@snowchild322]

What song is that @ 0:24????

[@timid0004]

What capacitors are you using and any changes in circuit due to pots change?

[@Want2Check]

No change in the circuit or the capacitors, I only changed the volume pot.

[@ShazShaun]

1m for rock, funk, pop.. 500k for RnB soul, jazz, mellow pop.. just what i would use for recording... both are awesome, if i had to choose 1, i’d go for 500k.. it could cover all genres, the 1m is still good, but it sticks out a bit during mixing... but both are equally great

[@CookingwithgwEm]

the 500K sounds more like I would expect a bass to sound, if that makes sense

[@JuanEBianchin]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@AnderDoUrden]

500 wins hands down (if you want a Precision of course). I think 250 would be even better

[@acidbath3226]

i like the 1 meg personally

[@aryatrust3182]

Hello Sir, I from india, need suggestion for my 5 string bass with 4 controls knob is there,and also I will love to install heavy gauge strings, I'm subscribing your channel ri8 now, waiting for your reply. I will b Very thankfull, Thank you

[@Want2Check]

Hi Arya, thanks for subscribing! I'm not sure that I understand your question. Are you looking for a 5-string bass with 4 control knobs?

[@TiagoEliasu]

1m is for the volume ,,, 500k tone to bring warmer tone ...like in the video

[@alfer9920]

Je voudrais savoir si t'as la même vidéo mais en français, merci!

[@Jubular]

I prefer the 500k too.

[@steveuleez477]

Is it true that to change a i meg to a 500k all you have to do is turn it down ??

[@Want2Check]

You can adjust the Tone pot to change the resistance, so I guess this is possible to get a 500k resistance from a 1 Meg Volume pot by adjusting the Tone pot. However, the resistance of your Volume pot will greatly affect how your Tone pot react, so it's no easy task to match the two and get the exact same result.

[@myboxmic]

Are the pots log or linear types (A types or B types)

[@Want2Check]

Log type!

[@myboxmic]

@@Want2Check Merci ;-)

[@tsiggy]

can a 1000K pot sound like a 500K pot when you lower the tone a bit? if yes, then why not do exactly that instead of buying an 500K pot?

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

250K for me.

[@learnmusic488]

Yeah too bright the other ways.. ... The Only Time I’d put a 500K pot in there, is if it had a Mudbucker right under the neck...

[@JonadanandtheFreaks]

2:23 / 1 Meg pot closed 2:47 / 500k pot closed 3:09 / 1 meg pot open 3:32 / 500k pot open

[@bassworship50]

500 all day long

[@RedeyeRaccoon]

*Technical specs I used for this review. I believe will help others as well! Note: I know you have a accent, not sure where your at, I apologize for any comments where I stated "US currency" for example... Lol. Thank you sir! To others. Here are my "add on" tips to get the most from this man's great explanation and samples! 1st. When I viewed your video (on KZbin) my settings were @ the highest level of quality, CRUCIAL, nothing below 480p! 2nd. I watched it on a Samsung J7 (2016) smartphone. It's their bottom line phone only costs $150 new! Compared to their $800 Galaxy 8, any iPhone, smartphone, computer etc. Usually quality is 100% (-/+ 10% in volume and/or quality due to that devices sound drivers). Now, fweeew, this is only accurate…. WHEN…. 3rd. Use Headphones, or quality speakers. Crucial for anyone who reviews, I repetitive, but I don't know my stuff, I've been told I do. Please, do not listen to any sound comparison through a phone speaker! My J7 is terrible, and about 85% of others. I reviewed your vid on my new ATH-M20x headphone by Audio‑Technica (BTW $50 US BUCKS!) review for yourself, (below) it's all the rage here in the states. Of course you can use speakers, but quality ones! Please.. No built-in computer, laptop or tablet speakers. Especially crap desktop speakers! They do have a purpose in audio comparison. If you did, it's OK, but it defeats the purpose and you will not hear all of his hard work properly. I was able to hear *almost what you heard through your headset. (Apologize for those who know) I am a Sound Engineer with credits on some HBO documentaries (TV channel in the The US). *I am a certified, full time, Audio-Visual- Stage Lighting-Music Instrument | Repair Technician. Of course a musician, trying to figure out the best tones for my bassist. Plus,.... Not to brag, I worked at Asurion as a Mobile-Tech specialist (call center) only 1 year, enough to know and share. Again, I apologize for the length, You put in your time and created excellent work. I also wanted to sincerely contribute and help anyone who reads this, even if this helps 1 person. It's worth it! OK, my Review! Finally.. ☺️ I agree the 500K! All the way! However, it wasn't the high end I noticed, there were slight differences. I heard a loss in volume on the 1ohm volume pot (smart move turning down the tone completely, and the ⅓ settings 😀! Just for us to compare them. The best way to do so! (All should do a search on why he chose ⅓ and not full). Now with the tone essentially at 0 (adding the tone is the process of turning it down completely, it's simple, negative highend). Tone set at ⅓ (tricky to get right every time) it's still subtracting high end. IF you set tbe tone pot on full. You're basically bypassing that tone pot, and getting the pickups played straight through a 500K or 1 ohm pot. The 500K indeed is louder and a brighter tone, because the 1ohm is too much, the tone knobs would need to be 750K pot just to hear a tone and volume that matches the 500K volume and 250K tone. There is a lot going on. And unless you want more, like I said research it through legit places. YAMAHA has a great book on it. It will take you 3 years to truly understand it. So, again thank you for your time sir. You save my time from doing just that. I have 2 questions, Can you provide the Schematics? It was difficult to understand on the part where you mentioned how you set it up, or what you did to set this. BTW great English! Last question, What bass is that in the background. I'm converting my bassists Squire jazz into that. I can't get the name right. Also, any errors on my part, I would love to be corrected. Thank you! M.Porter facebook.com/redeyeraccoon Reviews of my Headphones www.google.com/search?q=ath-m20x+review&oq=ATH-M20&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j35i39j0l2.11565j0j4&client=ms-android-metropcs-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#idx=2&pie=plaji-i

[@Want2Check]

Hi M. Porter! Thanks a lot for your review, it is truly appreciated! I'm really glad you appreciated my effort in english since my first language is french (from Québec City, Canada). For the schematics, I simply used this one, the basic way to wire a P-Bass: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/95/00/7c/95007c23daca04a441ee43067c87b47d.jpg As for the bass in the background, I'm guessing you're talking about my Fender Jaguar Modern Player? If so, this is a great bass, very affordable (made in China). However, I think they stopped making this series. It has a P/J configuration, but I mostly use it as a P-Bass, as I already have a great American Jazz Bass. It has a great P-bass sound, in fact I have seen a seen a lot of p-basses that I liked less than this chinese jaguar. It's hard to explain, but this bass is the real deal for me. It just sounds so great, round and big. Now that I have this Korean P-bass too, I use the Jag as my flatwound p-bass and the Korean as my roundwound p-bass. Both great instruments that I got for less than 400$ CAN each. It's hard to believe when you hear them! Or maybe you were talking about my Eastwood Classic 4? This semi-hollow, short-scale bass is a completely different animal. I'm gonna do a review of each of theses 2 basses on this very channel shotly, so stay in tune! In the meantime, have a good day sir!

[@artofnoly9754]

The One meg. It's fonkier (as opposed to funkier).

[@NNCMMC]

open 1Mis a little bit brighter. (IMHO) I like 500k sound much more.

[@Want2Check]

I agree, 1 MEG with the tone open is VERY bright!

[@tankerd1847]

Yeah I'm with you guys on that one, the 500 sounds better. Interesting there's a difference though. I always thought the volume pot simply attenuated the signal as a whole, either completely at 250 (or 500, 1000) kiloohms (volume turned all the way down) or not at all at 0 ohms (volume turned all the way up.) Reason I came to that conclusion is I just changed out the electronics in my cheapo Squier P-bass and was playing around with my multimeter on the, still assembled, old set. When I turn the volume pot all the way down the resistance reads as 247 kiloohms. All the way up, zero. So I would think, that the volume pots being turned up all the way on your bass should both still read 0 ohms! That would make the circuit identical, as if you had a 250 or any other pot in there. I wonder what it is I'm missing! What was really interesting however, was the maximum resistance on the tone pot. That one only went up to 230 kiloohms. When I rewired it I put in a couple nice CTS pots, and man the difference it made on that bass is unreal.

[@Denver077804]

@@tankerd1847 I've been wondering the same thing. But it obviously seems to make a big difference. What exactly was the difference between the old pot and the CTS? Hope you can remember two years down the line!

[@tankerd1847]

@@Denver077804 Hi Denver. I think it has to do with the improved quality of the materials within the potentiometer itself.

[@JoseMendez-ci6zq]

Hi. I have an Squier PJ, should I change all three 250k pots for 500k or just the tune, does it makes any diference on the vols? Thanks.

[@ericcoombs]

1 meg

[@eyedunno8462]

1meg is technically superior but encroaching on the guitarist's territory, bad thing to have in both recording and live mix. 500k gives plenty of audible treble and is far more musical, easier on the ears; in the sweet spot as it were

[@guil_juliao]

1meg is too bright for a P bass. Will sound better on a 70’s jazz bass setting. Great demo!

[@ChrisJohnsonChannel]

I fefinity hear a big diffeeence between the two pots.. 1 Meg is just too bright

[@tomasorechovsky1377]

Pots they are cheap and easy to replace. It's good to try on.

[@SquareWaveSymphonies]

Actually, I have to say, I prefered the 1Meg pot.

[@sfmag1]

1 meg. Brighter more presence

[@telefunkenyou47]

1meg

[@meshugas4christ779]

1Meg 4sure, unless iam a Jazz player

[@marcblum5348]

Tone 100%: huge difference between 1Meg and 500k. Tone 0%: not so much

[@metal422life]

i dont hear anything

[@Want2Check]

Hey, Did you listen the video with a good pair of headphones? The 1 MEG is a little bit brighter than the 500k but it really helps if you listen to it with speakers or headphones that can produce well these frequencies! It may be a subtle differences, but every small choices makes your own sound at the end of the chain! ;)

[@quarantineclips488]

1 meg pot for me

[@brianrussell1565]

Can't hear bass too weak

[@DougHinVA]

A strong accent with spoken English is a waste... why not just get a normal USA English speaker to go with the USA plain English text in the title?

[@johnniecameron8829]

1 meg

[@frankdebiase5739]

1 meg