Volume knob mistake.

[sbk12]

Hello guys,have not posted here in a while and I was wondering if you guys might be able to help me with a problem.My Wamoth super strat that I finished a couple of months ago is awesome and the look,feel and finish is top notch except for one small little problem.I didnt realize when I ordered the body that the volume knob(only knob on guitar) was going to be located so close.My guitar has a humbucker in the bridge with pickup rings and this makes it even more uncomfortable for me to play.I guess I just wasnt thinking about this issue when ordering and was just anxious to get all of the other stuff taken care of.I have tried to sit down and get past it,but it just isnt happening.I need to do soemthing about it because I dont want to get rid of it.What options do I have? Moving the volume pot and filling it in and maybe putting a pickguard on to cover the hole?Another thing is,since I only have one pot and humbuckers are designed to run on a 500k pot and singles on a 250k pot,I had problems with the sounds when I installed a 500k pot for both.Since then I have replaced it with a 300k pot and it seems ok,but the single coil is still s little too hot.I was thinking of going with a humbucker in a single coil configuration.Again,this was another problem that I didnt think I would run into.Here is the guitar in question.Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Superlizard]

Try a different style knob perhaps... otherwise it's drillin' & fillin' time.

As far as the ol' "do I use a 250k or a 500k volume pot for my HSS geetar", well, there's a trick around that, but ya need a tone pot as well in order for it to work.

 

[simple]

I use a small Jbass knob in that location. The ridges actually make it a very comfortable knob to use while playing and the size seems to work better for me there.

JBK1S

http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/parts/parts.cfm?fuseaction=include_knobs

 

[sbk12]

I was thinking of going ahead and adding a tone control,moving the volume down,filling the hole,and adding a pickguard to cover the mess.Maybe looking like this..

Does anyone have any idea how long it would take to get a customized pickguard made and shipped to me?

 

[thumb55]

you might try getting a lower profile knob and lowering the pot into the body.  Like a fender knob thats really flat.

 

[Superlizard]

As far as the ol' "do I use a 250k or a 500k volume pot for my HSS geetar", well, there's a trick around that, but ya need a tone pot as well in order for it to work.

Correction - need 2 tone pots (a la stock Strat) for trick to work.

See here:

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=5122.0

 

[stratoholic77]

Another option would be to use a very low profile humbucker ring.  I have some that I got from Allparts and they are very thin, much thinner than a normal humbucker mounting ring.

 

[thumb55]

is your mounting ring a metal or plastic? Is it slanted or flat? Did you get it from Warmoth?  I'm not sure if that really effects the knob placement though.

 

[Vol. Knob]

HEY!   I NEVER MAKE MISTAKES!!!!!  ...well... not according to my wife...  or my bandmates, they claim I start ever song in a different tempo, key and time signature...

Anyways..  +1 on smaller mounting ring and look into a smaller bell shaped knob.  You might be able to make that more user friendly.  Like a smaller bell shapped know.  Check ebay, there are some wooden ones that are small and bell shapped that I almost went with on my bubinga topped thinline project.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

You don't really need the tone pots - a pot that's fully rotated in one direction can be replaced by a resistor of the same value.
A tone pot is just used to bleed the highs to ground by means of a cap.

As for moving the vol pot, you're not going to fill the existing hole without it standing out. That body's also far too nice for a PG. How about moving the pot and using the old hole to mount something else? A jack, or just the insert from a knob like you've got on there?

 

[sbk12]

is your mounting ring a metal or plastic? Is it slanted or flat? Did you get it from Warmoth?  I'm not sure if that really effects the knob placement though.

Its a plastic mounting ring and I am not saying that it is responsible for the problem,just adds to it.The volume knob placement is  just like a regular strat that has single coils,so there lies the problem and the humbucker and its ring only makes it worse.

 

[Superlizard]

You don't really need the tone pots - a pot that's fully rotated in one direction can be replaced by a resistor of the same value.
A tone pot is just used to bleed the highs to ground by means of a cap.

You need them if you want to have a master vol that does 500k on the humbucker, and 250k on singles.

If you do a 250k master vol with a humbucker & single coils, then your humbucker (unless it's designed for a 250k a la SD JB) will be muddy.

If you do a 500k master vol with a humbucker & single coils, then your single coils will be too bright.

By placing a resistor on one of the tone pots, you can achieve the 500k/250k master volume.

 

[sbk12]

But you have to have two tone pots?

 

[Superlizard]

But you have to have two tone pots?

I haven't actually tried with just 1 master vol and 1 tone... I have with 2 tones like the link says, and it measured correctly.

I s'pose you could assign the 1 tone (with trick resistor) to the single coil, but then your humbucker will have no tone control.

Again, haven't actually tried and measured this, so "in theory"... (I only state as fact that which I can attest to)

 

[sbk12]

Well,the whole point of only have one volume was not having any tone controls,but if I have to have tone controls,I definately would only have to put one.Sheesh,I think I am more in doubt on what to do now than before I started..LOL....Next time its definately one humbucker only or two humbuckers.

 

[Superlizard]

Well,the whole point of only have one volume was not having any tone controls,but if I have to have tone controls,I definately would only have to put one.Sheesh,I think I am more in doubt on what to do now than before I started..LOL....Next time its definately one humbucker only or two humbuckers.

There may be other tricks, but that's beyond the scope of my own experimentation/memory/experiences.  I've been around on different guitar/amp boards in my time, and in my whole time I've never seen any solution that works for the "500k+250k master volume" problem other than what I've mentioned.  Most people don't even know or care, and the ones who do usually go for a happy medium (compromise) like you did (~300k master volume pot).

Perhaps if they made a 500k/250k concentric pot... ?  :sign13:  (one knob)

 

[ocguy106]

I am prob completly wrong but can,t you just isolate the output of the volumn going to the pups with diodes and on the single coil put a resistor after the diode.

Ken

 

[sbk12]

HAHA,,I actually have one of those and I decided to take it to a so-called Guitar tech,he said the shaft was not long enough and convinced me to go with a 300k.So,yes,I have a brand new stcked 250/500 k pot  with a black 2 piece knob that goes with it.Anyway,the sound is ok,just wish the single coil wasnt as hot when using it with a high gain application.Using it clean,its great.The only reason I actually put the pot problem in within the original post was because I thought that if I am going to have to make some changes internally and externally,I might as well try and fix the pot problem.I hear ya on there not being a simple solution for this.What I dont get is that there are several manufactured and custom guitars that have this same configuration..What the hell are they doing to address this problem??I dont get it..Seymour Duncan has probably the most wiring diagrams of any site and the closest they have to this is their George Lynch style wiring which is still slightly different.Hell,I guess I could always route out the front pickup for a bucker and it would be problem solved.(except for the stupid volume knob position..

 

[Superlizard]

Anyway,the sound is ok,just wish the single coil wasnt as hot when using it with a high gain application.Using it clean,its great.

If that's the real issue here, then why not try a different single coil pickup?  One with lower output perhaps?

 

[sbk12]

Anyway,the sound is ok,just wish the single coil wasnt as hot when using it with a high gain application.Using it clean,its great.

If that's the real issue here, then why not try a different single coil pickup?  One with lower output perhaps?

Yeah thats one of the issues.The main issue is with the volume knob placement..The single coil in question is a Rio Grande Vintage tallboy and I didnt think it was really that hot of a pickup.I mean,I am almost willing to bet that the problem lies in the fact that ist getting just slightly to much push from the 300k.Man,I dont know..I am no expert.My ears tell me what I need to hear and my brain was not working when I designed this guitar completely.I know what options I have that would require major changes and some drilling and cutting,I jst wish I could avoid them.But in all seriousness,I could live without the damn single coil even hooked up(ala EVH),but its that damn volume knob that is killing me.Its also even gotten into my head.I find myself picking up my other guitars because of it and not giving enough love to my Warmoth.