10k versus 250k pots for p-bass

[bigjonbasser]

Hi all,

I inherited a 1960s bass of unknown origin and decided to get a mate to rewire it. It came to me with two p-bass pickups of unknown origin, one A10K (logarithmic) volume control pot and one B10K (linear) tone control pot.

I visited my local luthier and he sold me two A250K pots and when my mate wired them in there was little or no tone control and the volume didn't cut until nearly the full extent of its movement. He then wired in the original 10K pots and all worked fine. The pickups are each ~5k DC resistance and are wired in series.

Anyway, my question is why don't the 250K pots work?  

Thanks in advance

 

[Funky Phil]

Are the pickups active (is there a battery)?

Such low values are usually only used with active pickups.

 

[bigjonbasser]

There is no battery.

 

[Mor Paul]

Can you show us a picture of the bass?

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

2 P-Bass pickups?  Pics please.

 

[bigjonbasser]

This is what it looks like after stripping off three coats of paint applied by the previous owner(s)and adding a Gotoh Saddle.
Did this help? How do I make the pic larger?

 

[bigjonbasser]

This is the full thing. I made my own pick guard.

 

[bigjonbasser]

I'm sorry for going about adding three pics in such a long winded way.............

 

[bigjonbasser]

........ and it was wired as per this diagram. Courtesy Stewart-MacDonald free information at http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Electronics/Wiring_diagrams/i-0139.html

 

[blue313]

Hmm.  It looks like an ordinary P-Bass. 

Those pickups in series are treated as one single coil pickup, that's split to be hum canceling.  There must be something unique about that pickup because it should definitely work with 250k pots. 

Were there any markings at all on the underside of the pickups?

 

[bigjonbasser]

No markings on the pickups. Ok then forgetting for the moment the electronics, what would I expect the difference to be aurally between using 10k and 250k pots?

BTW thanks for taking an interest