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Old 10-11-2014, 02:21 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Default Potentiometers anyone?

Does anyone have any preference to brand of Potentiometers (pots)? CTS, Alpha, Bourns, etc? Or does it matter to you?
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Old 10-11-2014, 02:28 PM
Jeff Scott Jeff Scott is offline
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Clarostat CP.
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Old 10-11-2014, 03:21 PM
Acoustic_Stevo Acoustic_Stevo is offline
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My Rory Gallagher Relic Strat has got Irish Tour pickups by Bare Knuckle Pickups. It was a pre wired pickguard fitted with Custom Audio Taper 280k CTS pots.
To be honest, they could of fitted anything, I wouldn't have a clue. We're getting into Eric Johnson territory here.
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Old 10-11-2014, 03:37 PM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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Mechanically, the CTS pots are way higher quality than the tiny little things fitted in most import guitars. They're also easy to get hold of.

Just the same as cables - I go for the physical integrity, and I don't believe it makes one iota of difference in sound.
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Old 10-11-2014, 03:50 PM
clintj clintj is offline
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I like the big bodied CTS ones because they feel like they have finer control for dialing in a certain sound. Plus, if you're that far into a wiring job, why not spend the extra couple of bucks for quality parts?
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Old 10-11-2014, 03:52 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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I've read great things about CTS pots. A couple of bucks more than the Alpha but they seem to be worth it.
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Old 10-11-2014, 06:45 PM
SupremeDalek SupremeDalek is offline
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Depending on the guitar, CTS pots can be had for $5-ish per piece. I would go with a CTS branded pot (and plan to shortly on a recent build), and recommend them to anyone shopping for pots. They are great quality at a reasonable price.
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Old 10-11-2014, 07:06 PM
BTF BTF is offline
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+1 For CTS pots. I like them because they can be disassembled if damaged and the spares can be used to create custom double and triple CTS pots.
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Old 10-12-2014, 01:04 AM
el_kabong el_kabong is offline
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Sort of off-topic, but so long as we're talking potentiometer esoterica, anyone here bother with installing a treble-bleed mod? Does anyone make one with the circuit already installed?
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Old 10-12-2014, 08:28 AM
BTF BTF is offline
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I install treble bypass capacitors in all my guitars. The trick is to choose a natural-sounding value for the cap that doesn't leave the guitar sounding harsh when turned down. I usually go no larger than 470pF or 680pF and try to go silver mica.

I don't use a resistor as in several of the bleed mods. Pick the right cap and all is well.


Hope this helps! Bill.
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:26 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SupremeDalek View Post
Depending on the guitar, CTS pots can be had for $5-ish per piece. I would go with a CTS branded pot (and plan to shortly on a recent build), and recommend them to anyone shopping for pots. They are great quality at a reasonable price.
That's roughly what I found, at least in the US. A little tougher to order them here in Canada for a decent price when you throw in shipping.
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Old 10-13-2014, 12:35 AM
el_kabong el_kabong is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BTF View Post
I install treble bypass capacitors in all my guitars. The trick is to choose a natural-sounding value for the cap that doesn't leave the guitar sounding harsh when turned down. I usually go no larger than 470pF or 680pF and try to go silver mica.

I don't use a resistor as in several of the bleed mods. Pick the right cap and all is well.


Hope this helps! Bill.
Great, thanks for the help Bill.

cheers, scott
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Old 10-13-2014, 04:55 AM
BTF BTF is offline
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Good Luck, Scott!

I ride the volume constantly with my valve gear, and I've found that either of those values work very well with a 250K or 500K pot.

Regards, Bill.
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Old 10-13-2014, 05:13 AM
BTF BTF is offline
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PS:

If you can't find silver mica caps easily, ceramic discs will work fine. Silver mica are mainly for when you're playing with cork sniffers!
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Old 10-13-2014, 07:18 AM
redir redir is offline
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Always use the best quality electronics you can get your hands on. They really are not that much more expensive then the cheaper ones but they are way better. Factories make money on the cheaper ones because they are producing thousands of guitars but for small builders and DIY'rs get the good stuff. That would be CTS (with brass shaft) for pots and Switchcraft for jacks and switches.
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