what to use in place of a 2K audio pot?

[MikeH]

I've had guys tell me i could just use a 1K or a 5K pot instead and it wouldn't make much of a difference. Is that true?

No idea. I'm not familiar with this amp. I don't even know what control you need a 2K pot for. Generally you can use a pot one standard value higher; the control will work but the useful portion of the pot travel will all be crammed to a smaller portion of the pot. If you're really interested in experimenting, try different values and observe for yourself what the differences are. That's the best way to learn.

[joel_ostrom]

No idea. I'm not familiar with this amp. I don't even know what control you need a 2K pot for. Generally you can use a pot one standard value higher; the control will work but the useful portion of the pot travel will all be crammed to a smaller portion of the pot. If you're really interested in experimenting, try different values and observe for yourself what the differences are. That's the best way to learn.

I believe in this amp the 2K pot is for MID control on the clean channel. In my previous thread i posted a copy of the schematic i believe if you want to take a look. I suppose i could try different values and experiment, but I don't know if i want to do that in this amp. I was either planning on throwing in a 5K pot and popping a resistor across the terminals to drop it down or just going with the 5K alone. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna, like, explode on me if i did something different, hehe.

Thanks

[J M Fahey]

Dear MikeH.
Thanks for your good intentions, but you got it the other way.

You make make a smaller value resistor by putting 2 resistors in series (If you don't know, a pot is just a resistor). For example, 10K + 10K in series = 5K.

10K + 10K in series is 20K.
Good luck.

[Jazz P Bass]

Hey, it works with caps

[JoeM]

I believe in this amp the 2K pot is for MID control on the clean channel. In my previous thread i posted a copy of the schematic i believe if you want to take a look. I suppose i could try different values and experiment, but I don't know if i want to do that in this amp. I was either planning on throwing in a 5K pot and popping a resistor across the terminals to drop it down or just going with the 5K alone. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna, like, explode on me if i did something different, hehe.

You can use 5k, you'll have more adjustment range, kind of like replacing the 10k Mid on a typical Fender Twin Reverb with a 25k (roughly)

[Kazooman]

[QUOTE=MikeH;252426] You make make a smaller value resistor by putting 2 resistors in series (If you don't know, a pot is just a resistor). For example, 10K + 10K in series = 5K. Use the calculator to figure out the value you need to strap across the outer lugs. The taper will be a bit off, but should still be usable.

Yikes! You have the right idea, but have a bit of confusion. "strapping a resistor across the outer lugs" of a pot is putting the two resistors in PARALLEL. I suggest going to geofex.com and select FX skills in the menu on the left and then select "The Secret Life of Pots". The answers are all there.

[MikeH]

I believe in this amp the 2K pot is for MID control on the clean channel. In my previous thread i posted a copy of the schematic i believe if you want to take a look. I suppose i could try different values and experiment, but I don't know if i want to do that in this amp. I was either planning on throwing in a 5K pot and popping a resistor across the terminals to drop it down or just going with the 5K alone. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna, like, explode on me if i did something different, hehe.

Thanks

Um yeah, no. No explosions.

[MikeH]

[QUOTE=Kazooman;252447]

You make make a smaller value resistor by putting 2 resistors in series (If you don't know, a pot is just a resistor). For example, 10K + 10K in series = 5K. Use the calculator to figure out the value you need to strap across the outer lugs. The taper will be a bit off, but should still be usable.

Yikes! You have the right idea, but have a bit of confusion. "strapping a resistor across the outer lugs" of a pot is putting the two resistors in PARALLEL. I suggest going to geofex.com and select FX skills in the menu on the left and then select "The Secret Life of Pots". The answers are all there.

Ooops. Thanks for correcting me. I'm mixing up my words there. Parallel is what I meant to say.

[Enzo]

I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable, joel.

I mentioned that this was a spillover from another thread for a reason. In this thread, you asked if you could replace a 2k pot with "something else" in an "old Fender amp." Why did I? It MATTERS that the amp in question is the M80. It matters also that it is the mids control. It is a solid state amp, and they often work differently from tube amps. ANd the average soul here will assume "old Fender amp" means a tube amp until told otherwise. In typical tube amps, controls are largely voltage dividers, but in solid state amps they are often feedback elements. The value of a feedback control sets the gain in an op amp circuit. In this case, the tone stack is laid out the same as the tube amps, but no one would know that without the amp model being specified. I was trying to save my colleagues from spending time on things that did not apply to your amp. In my own clumsy way I was trying to help YOU. To all appearances you are asking about this control in the context of your own amp.

I also pointed it out because in the other thread we had already determined the 2k controls WERE available, making it moot. Well unless you WANT to use a different value as a project.

I realize that didn;t answer your specific question, so I apologize. Yes, you can make other value pots act like something you want by addition of external parts. There is a fine artical over at Geofex on the secret life of pots. SO if you want to install a 10k pot and parallel a resistor to bring it down to 2k, go right ahead. Moreover, in this specific instance, you could simply install a 5k or 10k pot and leave it at that. In this amp, that pot is wired as a variable resistor rather than a voltage divider, so at the very least, you can turn it down and only use the last 2k of its range. But as tone stacks go, increasing the value might give you potentially a bit more mids availability.


And not to belabor it, but well, that's what I do, You don;t unsolder and remove the controls to clean them. You would spray cleaner into them where they sit. Two minutes for the whole row, tops. And that can of nice cleaner would last you the rest of your amp fixing days.

And lastly, if you want to install a row of generic 16mm pots, fine. I guess it was in the other thread, but I think someone pointed out that in many Fender amps, those support brackets on the pot are part of the grounding system. Instead of running a ground trace here to there, in places they run a trace to one side of the bracket, and another trace from the other side continues on. Eliminate the backet, and you break the ground connection. SO jumpers would be needed in those cases.

[joel_ostrom]

I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable, joel.

I mentioned that this was a spillover from another thread for a reason. In this thread, you asked if you could replace a 2k pot with "something else" in an "old Fender amp." Why did I? It MATTERS that the amp in question is the M80. It matters also that it is the mids control. It is a solid state amp, and they often work differently from tube amps. ANd the average soul here will assume "old Fender amp" means a tube amp until told otherwise. In typical tube amps, controls are largely voltage dividers, but in solid state amps they are often feedback elements. The value of a feedback control sets the gain in an op amp circuit. In this case, the tone stack is laid out the same as the tube amps, but no one would know that without the amp model being specified. I was trying to save my colleagues from spending time on things that did not apply to your amp. In my own clumsy way I was trying to help YOU. To all appearances you are asking about this control in the context of your own amp.

I also pointed it out because in the other thread we had already determined the 2k controls WERE available, making it moot. Well unless you WANT to use a different value as a project.

I realize that didn;t answer your specific question, so I apologize. Yes, you can make other value pots act like something you want by addition of external parts. There is a fine artical over at Geofex on the secret life of pots. SO if you want to install a 10k pot and parallel a resistor to bring it down to 2k, go right ahead. Moreover, in this specific instance, you could simply install a 5k or 10k pot and leave it at that. In this amp, that pot is wired as a variable resistor rather than a voltage divider, so at the very least, you can turn it down and only use the last 2k of its range. But as tone stacks go, increasing the value might give you potentially a bit more mids availability.


And not to belabor it, but well, that's what I do, You don;t unsolder and remove the controls to clean them. You would spray cleaner into them where they sit. Two minutes for the whole row, tops. And that can of nice cleaner would last you the rest of your amp fixing days.

And lastly, if you want to install a row of generic 16mm pots, fine. I guess it was in the other thread, but I think someone pointed out that in many Fender amps, those support brackets on the pot are part of the grounding system. Instead of running a ground trace here to there, in places they run a trace to one side of the bracket, and another trace from the other side continues on. Eliminate the backet, and you break the ground connection. SO jumpers would be needed in those cases.

No harm no foul man - and thanks for the info. This is the kind of stuff i like to learn about. If you can't use a certain resistor in a certain position i like learning why. I feel like it'll enhance my knowledge of the tools that i'm using. I think there was a lot of banter here that was a result of poor communication and meanings being lost in translation. No hard feelings whatsoever. And thanks again for your input and advice.

Cheers!