Guitar Pots with a Wreck

[martins3325]

So I was wondering the other night..being that Wrecks are so good at cleaning up with volume roll back without losing a ton of volume..I wondered if anyone does/tried using Linear Taper Volume pots in a guitar with a wreck..if I understand taper right, a Linear taper pot rolled back would have a very subtle effect until the last 1/4 turn or so...this made me think it may be kind of cool for a volume on a guitar used with a Wreck as you might get acces to alot more shades of Clean to Gain. Whereas it seems with an Audio taper pot, unless you are a master of working your knobs while playing like Geetarpicker, it seems kinda easy to overshoot/undershoot where you were trying to rollback to. Might be a dumb idea..but thought might really open up a whole spectrum of degrees of distortion. Thoughts?

[jjman]

I think a linear pot in a guitar would yield the opposite of the desired result.

[martins3325]

I think a linear pot in a guitar would yield the opposite of the desired result.

Really? According to a graph I was looking at Linear is 50% at 1/2 Volume, whereas Audio is down to about 15% output at 1/2 Volume..which made me thing a Linear would clean up much more slowly through the pots rotation..then have a real quick drop off in the last 1/4 turn.
http://sound.westhost.com/pots-f4.gif

[Lonely Raven]

I use a small capacitor on my volume to help retain the treble when I dial the volume down. It wasn't a huge improvement until I started playing with Trainwreck styled amps. Now I can't live without it!

In fact, I'm looking to upgrade all my guitar pots since I'm actually using them. On past amps, I typically just left them all at 10.

[sliberty]

I tried the treble bleed cap on my guitar too, but wasn't satisfied. The mod that made all the difference in the world was when I replaced all of the electronics with new stuff and wired it according to the "50's wiring" scheme. It was like lifting the blanket off the apeaker cab, and now, rolling down the voluem retains the highs without a bleeder cap. Make sure the pots you put in are close to 500K measured value. Lots of the new production pots are very low (near 300K).

I use a small capacitor on my volume to help retain the treble when I dial the volume down. It wasn't a huge improvement until I started playing with Trainwreck styled amps. Now I can't live without it!

In fact, I'm looking to upgrade all my guitar pots since I'm actually using them. On past amps, I typically just left them all at 10.

[geetarpicker]

I find that 250k pots in Fenders are still decent these days. Even the cheap pots in my mexican JV strat work very well with the Trainwreck and have a nice taper down on the bottom of the dail where you need it to get the clean tone easily. However with PAF type humbuckers and 500k pots things these days are a totally different animal. I've tried the popular currently made aftermarket 500k pots for Gibsons and nothing worked out for me taper wise. Nobody these days can get the audio taper as gradual on the low end of the pot as the old pots. Audio taper pots are not all the same and I've found nothing, and I mean NOTHING has a smooth a taper as the 50-60s 500k Centralabs used in old vintage Gibsons. Modern audio taper pots all come on too quickly making the TW amp clip almost from the get go. I discovered this while trying to get my historic Les Paul to be as controllable with the Wreck as my vintage burst. I gave up on all modern pots and found some original Centralabs for my Historic too. They are expensive, but I got lucky and found an original set from '61 for $120 on ebay. I don't run any treble bleed circuits on my guitars, though I do run 50s wiring and oil caps in my historic. The caps don't make much difference though, most of the control is in the wiring spec and definately in the pots.

www.myspace.com/glenkuykendall

[billyz]

Geetar Picker,
Did you try the Allesandro (PEC) pots? I hated every pot I tried in my Nocaster, until I broke down and tried the Allesandro's and a Black beauty cap I had. Now it feels Like my 1957 Strat.
Yeah , they are too expensive. but cheaper than vintage. I have not tried the 500k's , but a friend put them in his Collings I35 and DC290. He loves them.

[geetarpicker]

Are the PECs easy to turn? My only experience with PEC pots is some volume pedals have them. That said Allesandro probably specs them out nicely.

The old Centralabs turn like butter if they are cleaned out with some decent spray lube/cleaner. For example on my Gibsons (with Centralabs) I can easily roll BOTH volumes or tones all the way down with one quick sweep of the side of my hand. And that's not even with barrel knobs, that's with the vintage hat shaped knobs.

[mlp-mx6]

I think a linear pot in a guitar would yield the opposite of the desired result.

Really? According to a graph I was looking at Linear is 50% at 1/2 Volume, whereas Audio is down to about 15% output at 1/2 Volume..which made me thing a Linear would clean up much more slowly through the pots rotation..then have a real quick drop off in the last 1/4 turn.
http://sound.westhost.com/pots-f4.gif

You're confusing resistance with volume. Yes, the linear is at 50% resistance at the center point of the pot travel. However, our hearing is NOT linear. Do a little more research. There is a very good reason that the non-linear pot is usually called an "audio taper."

[billyz]

The Allessandro PEC pot is easy to turn, Very Smooth actually. And a nice vintage taper. I get better wah effect too with the tone pot as well.
Bonus , you can solder to the backs of them too. They are a little different construction than the 2 watt ones.

I guess that answers my question if you had tried them.

[Tubetwang]

Have you tried mini Alpha pots?

Twang

[billyz]

I use the mini Alpha pots all the time, but mostly in effects pedal that I build.
I don' t really like them, but they fit. I have had more than one feel funky, not smooth at all. Tapers seem to vary quite a bit too. I am constantly replacing them in guitars from the orient as well. But, they are CHEAP.

[jjman]

I think a linear pot in a guitar would yield the opposite of the desired result.

Really? According to a graph I was looking at Linear is 50% at 1/2 Volume, whereas Audio is down to about 15% output at 1/2 Volume..which made me thing a Linear would clean up much more slowly through the pots rotation..then have a real quick drop off in the last 1/4 turn.
http://sound.westhost.com/pots-f4.gif

You're confusing resistance with volume. Yes, the linear is at 50% resistance at the center point of the pot travel. However, our hearing is NOT linear. Do a little more research. There is a very good reason that the non-linear pot is usually called an "audio taper."

Same with the tone pots in my '63 Epi w/minibuckers. I put in a linear replacement a while ago (before I knew to care) and it was like a tone on/off switch.