No-load tone pots look and function exactly like a regular tone pot. When turned between 1 – 9 it works like a regular tone pot. The difference is when the pot is rotated between 9 and 10, it acts as a true bypass system and essentially removes the tone pot and capacitor from the wiring circuit. This means if your tone pot is at position 10, you will be hearing the direct, unfiltered sound of your pickup.
This gives you a little more diversity with your guitar. Turning the tone pot to 10 can slightly increase the output and brightness of the pickup attached to it. If you are looking for the ability to have a much more raw sound while still retaining the tone you would expect in other positions (positions 1 – 9) then this would be a great option for you.
I personally use a 250k no-load tone pot in my Les Paul Jr in conjunction with a P90 pickup. The 250k pot helps to curb a little bit of the trebly high end harshness from the pickup. But when the tone pot is in position 10 I get all the pickup has to offer and nothing is filtered coming from the pickup. This is a setup I recommend on Les Paul Jr’s and SG Jr’s since they have limited options for tone variation from the guitar. It will give you a little more diversity from your Jr. Guitar Sauce gives you the option of No-Load Tone Pots when purchasing our LP Jr and SG Jr wiring kits.
Still not sure?
If you still have questions or need help deciding if a no-load tone pot is right for you, then feel free to shoot me a message and I will be happy to help out.