No-load tone pot
A tone control with a mechanical detent that disconnects the capacitor entirely at the top of its travel, so the pickup sees no load when the knob is fully up.
An ordinary tone pot adds a small amount of capacitance and resistance even at maximum, which very slightly dulls the highest frequencies. Removing that load at the last position gives a fractionally brighter, more open sound, and the difference is most audible on a single-coil guitar played clean. It is a subtle modification, and useful mostly to players already chasing the last bit of top end.
Example: a guitar whose tone control is always left fully up will benefit more from a no-load pot than from changing the capacitor.
See also
Related
- PageTone control
- PagePotentiometer
- PageActive pickup
- PageAlnico
- PageBlade pickup
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock