CIRCUIT CHECK
What should you consider along with a vintage-aimed pickup swap?
“Back in 1959, Gibson wouldn’t match the pots, they’d just pull out two from the parts bin and put them in”
Jeremy Tosh of Charles Guitars shares some wise words to help with our pickup swaps. “Between a standard CTS 500kohms pot and an 500k RS SuperPot, which are manufactured by CTS specifically for RS Guitarworks,” begins Jeremy, “the main difference is that the SuperPots are never below 500k. As you know, the standard CTS pots will vary from around 470k to occasionally just above 500k. The SuperPots have a baseline of 500k, but they’re usually in the 520k to 550/560k mark. If I wanted to get the most out of a Les Paul-style guitar – which is a question I get asked most of the time! – I’d put a 520k in for the bridge volume and something around the 540k to 550k at the neck.
“Also, I know there is a lot of snake oil about this, but the way the logarithmic curve is, the way it tapers off, is important. With the SuperPots they hold onto more as you turn the volume down, which means [the volume] doesn’t drop off a cliff when you turn it down, so there’s no need for treble bleeds or any of that malarkey. Of course, if you want to ‘cool it down’, take some brightness off as you turn down, then a standard CTS pot will be fine, but, even so, you want them 500k or slightly above – you don’t want any 470ks in there.
“You see, the values of pots back then [in the 50s] were much better than today, so I’d be inclined to go the SuperPot route on the volumes. Obviously, back in 1959, Gibson wouldn’t match the pots, they’d just pull out two from the parts bin and put them in. But I believe they were better to begin with: the tapers were better. In the SuperPot, the carbon resistor is thicker, they’re screenprinted with a heavier carbon track. Better, basically.”
The SuperPots aren’t designed as tone pots, as Jeremy explains: “Standard CTS are fine as they’re just acting as a rheostat. But, again, I’d look for a slightly higher value in the neck than the bridge.”
Incidentally, when considering new pots for your guitar, always check if you need shortor long-shaft pots. To be honest, I’d always assumed I’d need long shafts on a guitar like the PRS with its thick maple top, as you do with many actual Les Pauls. But simply removing the backplate I see each pot sits in a recess, mirrored by the dishing on the front under each knob. Short shafts are good to go and that’s simply what I order.
So, with our pots sorted and the intention to rewire to 50s style, there’s just the thorny subject of the tone capacitors to ponder.
“You might want to consider two .022 microfarads – one for each tone control – or use an .015 on the neck tone to make it more balanced with the bridge tone control because the neck is slightly darker to begin with,” says Jeremy. “But that is a matter of feel. If you’re moving your tone just by the sound you hear, as opposed to moving it to a specific number, it doesn’t really make that much difference.”
When it comes to type, “the oil-filled Luxe Bumble Bees are very, very nice”, Jeremy offers, “but they are expensive. They work very well and sound really great. The RS paper-in-oil (PIO) are a lot less expensive and very good. Then, for my money, it’s the Jupiter caps – I only sell these with a kit, but they’re very reasonably priced. They are used by Collings. I’d like to say I started using them before Collings, which I did.
“Do any sound better than another? I don’t know. [Guitar maker] Don Grosh has said, ‘I’ve tried them all; they all sound exactly the same.’ But I will say that I’ve taken guitars and perhaps put in a Luxe and it’s sounded terrible; I’ll put a Jupiter in and it sounded awesome.”
I decide on those mid-price RS PIO caps, with the .015/.022 microfarads values.
“I think that’s a good choice,” agrees Jeremy. “Bumble Bees are for those that want it to be and look period-correct. If you have a Custom Shop Les Paul or something and you’re doing some work then the Bumble Bees are what you’d probably want to go for. To be honest, as you say, that’s quite a muscular guitar you’re working on so I think with the control upgrade it’s going to sound epic. That’s my pre-test verdict,” laughs Jeremy. We’ll see.