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A 470kΩ resistor is commonly used in guitar wiring to reduce the effective load seen by a pickup when using 500kΩ pots.
When a 470kΩ resistor is connected from the signal/hot side to ground, it is effectively in parallel with the pot:
Reffective=500k×470k500k+470kR_{effective}=\frac{500k\times470k}{500k+470k} ≈ 242kΩ
So a 500kΩ pot with a 470kΩ resistor presents the pickup with an effective load of approximately 242kΩ, which is close to the traditional 250kΩ load used with Strat® and Tele® single-coils.
A 500kΩ pot normally allows more high frequencies through than a 250kΩ pot. This is often desirable for humbuckers, but can make some single-coils sound excessively bright.
Adding a 470kΩ resistor effectively lowers the load to around 250kΩ, giving:
Less high-frequency emphasis
A smoother, warmer response
Better control for bright single-coils
The convenience of retaining a 500kΩ pot
For an HSS or mixed-pickup guitar:
500kΩ Volume Pot + 470kΩ Resistor → ≈ 250kΩ effective load
This is a useful way to make a single-coil pickup "see" a more traditional 250kΩ load while still using a 500kΩ potentiometer elsewhere in the circuit.
A 470kΩ resistor is commonly used in guitar wiring to reduce the effective load seen by a pickup when using 500kΩ pots.
When a 470kΩ resistor is connected from the signal/hot side to ground, it is effectively in parallel with the pot:
Reffective=500k×470k500k+470kR_{effective}=\frac{500k\times470k}{500k+470k} ≈ 242kΩ
So a 500kΩ pot with a 470kΩ resistor presents the pickup with an effective load of approximately 242kΩ, which is close to the traditional 250kΩ load used with Strat® and Tele® single-coils.
A 500kΩ pot normally allows more high frequencies through than a 250kΩ pot. This is often desirable for humbuckers, but can make some single-coils sound excessively bright.
Adding a 470kΩ resistor effectively lowers the load to around 250kΩ, giving:
Less high-frequency emphasis
A smoother, warmer response
Better control for bright single-coils
The convenience of retaining a 500kΩ pot
For an HSS or mixed-pickup guitar:
500kΩ Volume Pot + 470kΩ Resistor → ≈ 250kΩ effective load
This is a useful way to make a single-coil pickup "see" a more traditional 250kΩ load while still using a 500kΩ potentiometer elsewhere in the circuit.