[Brooklyn_Bean]

Hello all! I am getting ready to build a warmth custom and am nailing down pickups and electrics.

It's a tele-type guitar with a roasted alder body, maple neck and ebony fretboard.
A strat-sized neck and bridge pickup cavity (not tele style).
This is a 24.75" scale guitar.

I have really liked the Chopper in the bridge in two other guitars I have had. Both of those instruments were 25.5 scale and had a 500k volume and 250k tone pot.

And I would like to have a cruiser in the neck position (a cruiser bridge model or neck model--not sure which).

My question is, what value pots should I choose? Does the shorter scale factor into that decision?

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you! 

[darkbluemurder]

I would use a 500k volume pot as I found this works well for both pickups (I have tried them together in one guitar). Tone pot to taste.

Cheers Stephan

[greekdude]

I remember with Chopper in the neck I had to convert the 500K tone pot to no-load in order to make it useful. So I'd say 500K tone pot. Dont know about Cruiser tho.

[Brooklyn_Bean]

Okay, so a 24.75 scale doesn’t necessitate brighter pots. Correct?

I suppose I will try them with 500k vol and 500k tone, even though I have read that some have said the Chopper gets too trebly with that configuration. Hopefully the shorter scale will mellow that out.

I keep hearing that the cruiser bridge can be muddy if not with 500k pots, yet Dimarzio advises 250k on its site, so I am confused. Throw in the whole issue of a shorter scale instrument and I realize I have to rely on the wisdom of more experienced tone-chasers.

The only other pickup I know that is cruiser-like is the Lace Sensor Light Blue, but I would like to use the cruiser as I feel it would have better sustain.

[darkbluemurder]

Okay, so a 24.75 scale doesn’t necessitate brighter pots. Correct?

Correct. Scale length is not the only tone factor. It is more a matter of whether the guitar as such is bright. Pots are rather cheap so if you find it is too bright with 500k pots and you cannot dial the excess brightness out on the amp, change to 250k or add a resistor in parallel to ground. The only downside is that you may have to take the pickguard off which is sometimes rather tedious.

I suppose I will try them with 500k vol and 500k tone, even though I have read that some have said the Chopper gets too trebly with that configuration. Hopefully the shorter scale will mellow that out.

I have 500k pots with my chopper T in my tele. Yes it's bright but I like it that way.

I keep hearing that the cruiser bridge can be muddy if not with 500k pots, yet Dimarzio advises 250k on its site, so I am confused. Throw in the whole issue of a shorter scale instrument and I realize I have to rely on the wisdom of more experienced tone-chasers.

No need to be confused. It is all subjective. Personally, for a neck pickup I want all the brightness I can reasonably get which means I would start with 500k pots, see if anything is missing and then take it from there. Most of this tweaking stuff is purely empirical and gained from experimenting.

Have fun,
Stephan

[Brooklyn_Bean]

DarkBlueM:

Thanks for the insight.
Let me ask you about your tone, if you do not mind.
Using the Chopper with 500k pots, do you find the pickup loses  the percussive low end that pickups has? That is my fear in using two 500pots with Chopper.

Oh, and then there is the question on a Cruiser bridge model or neck model in the neck position. I suppose bridge model is best with two 500k pots.

What is a “resistor in parallel to ground”?

Thank you.

[darkbluemurder]

Losing the percussive low end with 500k pots - I don't think so. I have not tried both but I would guess that since a 500k pot makes it a bit brighter the low end would get even more percussive.

Personally I would go for the neck model in the neck as I want all the brightness I can get from a neck pickup but either one would be fine.

The resistor would go from the connection where the hot lead of the bridge pickup is connected (either the pickup selector or the volume control input) to ground (normally the back of a potentiometer).

Cheers Stephan

[Brooklyn_Bean]

Thank you for your wisdom