Gibson Historic potentiometer....

[Scumback Speakers]

rooster, is this the pot you're referring to?

http://emersoncustomguitars.bigcartel.c ... uct/pots-4

[img1000]http://images.bigcartel.com/bigcartel/p ... 1000/4.jpg[/img]

[rooster]

Jim, yes.

[Scumback Speakers]

Allparts has them, too.

EP-4186-000 CTS No-Load 500K Pot

[rooster]

Jim? Allparts does not sell the Emerson pot as far as I know. The part number you listed is not anything Emerson. Am I missing something?

[Scumback Speakers]

Jim? Allparts does not sell the Emerson pot as far as I know. The part number you listed is not anything Emerson. Am I missing something?

It's a CTS 500k no load pot with the same specs, I believe. List price of $7.20. I think it may be the same pot without the Emerson name. Stew Mac lists the Emerson pot as made by CTS, it's 500k and is a no load design.

Or did I confuse the specs, or the link at SM with something at Allparts?

[rooster]

Well, a couple of things here. A 'no load' pot is a pot that has a break in the carbon trace at the end of the path. This is intended for a tone pot, not a volume pot. For example, the early Tele wiring is such that you flip on the bridge pickup and the tone control is bypassed (no load from the tone pot), and the pickup is actually louder with slightly more highs. This is where the idea of a no load pot comes from, this and Eddie Van Halen running just a volume pot and no tone pot. OK?

So Allparts does not sell the Emerson pots. Go either to StewMac or Emerson directly. The part numbers you see on these pots are just the manufacturers code for CTS and a date - not the same thing The Emerson pot actually says 'Emerson Pro' right on it.

[Scumback Speakers]

Oh, got it. Well, I went with the vintage pots to replace in my replica. I'm afraid the RS Super Pots are too stiff for this guy, and these "vintage" CTS pots feel nice right out of the box. Link here:
http://www.allparts.com/EP-4386-000-CTS ... _1426.html

Couple that with the four Bumble Bees (two .022/400v, two .015/400v) I found in with my extra tubes and it's a good reason to rewire it.

I'm sure the .015/.033 400v Black Beauty 160P caps sound great, but since I've gone all anal vintage homo on the correct parts on this thing, I may as well try the real deal .022/400v Bees in there, too.

Ahh...it never ends, huh?

[rooster]

Jim, I hear you. Those pots you ordered will be easy to turn, yes, because that type base is typically quick. This said, I do wish you would reconsider the Emerson pot. The Emerson has brass shafts/brass sleeve vs. the aluminum/pot-metal sleeve ones you ordered. Plainly the Emerson is physically just a better pot. But then there's the carbon trace. Allparts is just a generic taper and the Emerson is anything but generic.

You make such great speakers!! Buy some great pots!!

[randalp3000]

I just put a set of these in my les paul custom. 30% taper and 7% tolerance.
http://www.mojotone.com/guitar-parts/CT ... kEBQ7-riUk

the taper seems very nice and they turn super easy. I just ordered 20 more.

[redshark]

I forgot about this thread. Actually I just bought a 62 Gibson ES-125 tdc with original wiring (centralab pots and sprague black beauties) and I can testify what Glen K. has been saying all the time. The old centralabs have a tad slower taper than the new gibson historics. I know because even though this is a hollowbody guitar with no centerblock I can use my express and the pots are that good that is easy to control feedback. I would challenge anybody to play an express with a hollowbody using modern pots!!!

[vibratoking]

I want to chime in again, because many seem to miss the point of this thread. The Centralab or 'good' pots are not 30% taper. 30% taper is NOT what you want if you want to replicate the behavior of an old Gibson or widen the clean portion of the pot. What you do want is 10% taper. This means you do not want the Mojo CTS, RS Superpot, and most other new pots. The Gibson Historic pot is the only new pot, that I know of, that comes close and it has a SMALL issue at the extreme low end at turn on.

There are new pots available that turn easy and that are 30% taper. But those pots have the wrong taper for opening up the cleans with an Express, for instance.

[redshark]

Vibratoking is correct. You want your pots to be at 10% of the value when they are at HALF of the trip......Consider tolerance of 20%. that means around 50k (measuring with a multimeter) when the guitar volume is on 5.
A long time ago we wrote charts with readings of diferent pots including CTS, RS superpots, vintage centralab, Gibson historic(CTS), and others

[geetarpicker]

I want to chime in again, because many seem to miss the point of this thread. The Centralab or 'good' pots are not 30% taper. 30% taper is NOT what you want if you want to replicate the behavior of an old Gibson or widen the clean portion of the pot. What you do want is 10% taper. This means you do not want the Mojo CTS, RS Superpot, and most other new pots. The Gibson Historic pot is the only new pot, that I know of, that comes close and it has a SMALL issue at the extreme low end at turn on.

There are new pots available that turn easy and that are 30% taper. But those pots have the wrong taper for opening up the cleans with an Express, for instance.

Nailed it 100%!
GK