Both blenders are passive. The A/C blend type has the advantage of having very smooth blend, but the disadvantage of lowering the output a bit. The M/N blend type has the advantage of higher output, but the disadvantage of the blend sounding a bit jumpy around the center detente.

The standard Blend pot we use is the M/N version. On an M/N taper blend pot there is zero resistance for both pickups when control is in center. We would consider this full output for both pickups. However there is an insertion loss when putting the M/N in center. This has nothing to do with the blend control. It is the impedances of the pickups combining.

Let’s say you have two 8ohm pickups. When M/N blend is centered the two pickups sum in parallel to 4ohms. It is a small but noticeable drop in volume when the impedance shift happens. This is the exact same thing that happens when you turn both volumes all the up on a dual volume system. It really has nothing to do with the blend. It is what happens when you use two pickups and connect them fully. We can work around that by using a different blend type, A/C. The A/C blend both pickups are actually slightly attenuated in the center position. This makes the transitions around the center sound much smoother, but the disadvantage of the A/C is it has lower output overall compared to the M/N.

Slide a 1/4” brass conversion sleeve over the top of the shaft. The top that is exposed is 3mm. Grind the shaft down to that point and the concentric knob should fit perfectly.