Teach me about volume pots.

[Warlord]

can I ask a question (I know that you are going to call me b*st*rd but oh well)?
What is a volume pot? is the the same thing as the knob or this last one is just the controller?

[c2dzmm]

Something else to take into consideration. Not all 500K pots are the same value. When you hook them up to a meter you may get 350, 410, 515, 434, 521, ect. I just recently bought 3 500K CTS pots and they were all below 500K, most were around 420K. I took then back to the music store and traded them for 3 more. This time 1 was 501K, another 508K, and one was 448K. I used the 501K and 508K. I hope this helps.

[StrangeC]

+1 on a CTS and 500k

[kramer.geetar]

I too have a Striker, changed pickups and just recently bought a new volume pot. A Fender CTS 500K. Maybe its just my ears but it felt like it really opened up the sound with the new pot in. I think the old one was kinda cheap. I dunno just sounds tons better now. I also took off the stock volume knob and put on a black plastic barrel knob like on some Gibsons and it looks awesome now.

[GenerationDown]

hey i cant find a volume pot for my baretta that is skinny enough to fit, any help?

[lostinthemasses]

gently route the hole with a dremel

[GenerationDown]

ouch, theres no way to find one besides the bay?

[lostinthemasses]

dude, just use the dremel, be gentle, it'll be fine.

[JosephCaricature]

im pretty excited that this thread exists. All my questions about pots have already been answered. thank you kramer forum!

[metalchurch]

There is some great reading here! This was a good idea to sticky this topic.

[metalchurch]

Question about the 250K.

Do they only bleed off some of the high end, or are there other qualities that they will possess?

I'm thinking about trying one in place of my CTS-500K/Lawrence L500XL, just to experiment a little bit. I found a brand new CTS-250K in my tool box, and it got me wondering what the possibilities were..
I might try that with a treble bleed mod.

I usually use only one 500K volume with no capasitors for passive, and a 25K volume with no capasitors for my EMG's.

I cant leave nothing alone!

Another question:
Does anyone make a push/pull pot that's 250/500K?
I was thinking that would be cool to have both of them at my disposal.

Thanks
-Joe

[kramer.geetar]

You know that would be a cool idea Joe. What I'd be interested in seeing, though it might already exist, is a push/pull 250k/500k pot that changes your pickups too. Like for example if you got a hum in the bridge and a single coil in the neck. You'd have it in the down position for 500k and then pull it up, and it goes into the 250k pot, switches off the bridge and switches on the neck pickup. If this isn't patented yet I could make millions muahahahahahaha!!

[EiBStudent]

I'm getting a custom handbuilt EVH PAF replica pickup wound to like 9k for my striker...I ordered a 1meg volume pot...should I stick with the 500k thats already in it or should I put in the 1meg.

Anybody know what value pot eddie used in the frankenstrat? Because this pickup is modeled after it so it might help me to know thanks!

Justin LaNoue

[71VH-MD]

All my guitars are equipped with just 1 humbucker. I use SD SH11's(14.2k). For 1 humbucker guitars I use 1 meg pots for pups with 8,000-12,000 ohms. 2 meg for 10,000 and up. Above 12,000 I go with 2 meg. The guitar in my avatar has the SD SH11(14.2k) with a 2 meg pot. All are audio taper. and it SCREAMS. Just my .02.

[kramerman65]

Hey Gen Down, i just replaced my volume pot in my 87 Baretta with a CTS 500k and it fit like a glove, no mod what so ever.
What year is your Baretta?

[SGTCLOUGH]

How much of a difference is it from 500kv to 1meg in tone and sound. Have been told this is the quick and cheap way to do some serious sound modification?

[Dave500]

Hi all, I fitted a 500k volume pot to my Baretta without having to enlarge anything. They are the same type Eddie uses- they are available mail order from Farnell. I found no real difference in tone between the 250k and 500k version; just the usable section of the pot was more to my liking. Regards Dave.

[Chucho]

...I liked this article on auditioning tone caps, very clever:

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...apacitors.aspx

[dark_matt3r]

Definitely good read.
Thanks for sharing!

...I liked this article on auditioning tone caps, very clever:

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...apacitors.aspx

[Bradbill]

Are you keen to learn and explore the ways of learning to play guitar? I heard you saying yes, okay, simply visit the site www.guitarbots.com and follow the instructions to unveil ways to learn this melodious instrument

[DarthPhineas]

somewhere on a few other threads around here, someone mentioned something about switching the wires on the lugs of the volume pot in the opposite way that Duncan wiring diagrams show. something about how it will affect the range of the volume adjustments. I've been looking and can't find those posts, so I figured I'd throw down in this thread to see if someone can confirm how that wiring should be and can confirm what it does?... something about just swapping 2 connection, I beleive.

thanks!

[sixstring]

Using the center lug of the pot from the pup hot & outer lug as output.
I can't confirm any difference as I have yet to try but this is the theory.

[DarthPhineas]

Using the center lug of the pot from the pup hot & outer lug as output.
I can't confirm any difference as I have yet to try but this is the theory.

very cool. thanks for the reply.

just swap those 2 and the ground lug stays the same?

[sixstring]

very cool. thanks for the reply.

just swap those 2 and the ground lug stays the same?

Yep.

[DarthPhineas]

solid.

I'm up for re-wiring at least one axe here within the next week. I'll give it a go.

thanks!