Tele pots

[Brad1]

I'm confused. I removed some EMG pickups from my Tele, and installed some Texas Specials. I also bought two CTS 250K pots...(number weird if looking up..."0835" seems to be 500K CTS?), and a Fender 3-way switch to replace the 5-way one.

Measuring from one outside lug to the other, I get appx. ~250K.

When I wired the whole thing according to the James Burton Standard scheme on the Fender site...something ain't right.

I have very little control on the volume...it goes from full to abruptly dropping out. Same with the tone.

So, I decided to wire the lugs backwards from the diagram. Now, it seems to work OK...but the knobs are turning backwards.

I measured the center to outside lugs (nothing connected) on each pot, and they did measure lopsided with pot about 1/2 turn...about ~20K on one side, and ~220K on the other.

Any ideas? Did I get sent the wrong pots? I'm fairly certain I've wired it just like the Fender ""Burton" diagram.

Guess I could just get used to working them backwards, and watch other folks get confused if I let them play it...but, I'd rather not because I'll pick up one of my other Tele's and confuse myself.

What am I missing?

Brad1

[David Schwab]

Did you buy audio or linear taper pots? They should have an "A" or "B" on them.

[Brad1]

I can see no A or B on them. I see 250K 0835 CTS, and from under the solder globs that I managed to clean off not completely... is a P, and looks like a 0, not sure about the 0.

I dunno. The music store had these packaged as Fender-replacement pots.

Brad1

[Brad1]

Well...I'm fairly convinced that they sold me reverse-taper pots meant for a lefty. They work just fine wired up backward, and no amount of experimentation has made them work the other way. Gonna just wire them up and use them backward until I can order some proper ones.

Brad1

[Brad1]

Update: "D'OH!"

OK, I was stupid and missed something that should have been...FAIRLY obvious. I'll post my admittedly idiotic "assumptive practice" so that someone else may benefit if faced with the same type of symptoms.

I didn't like the EMGs. Didn't sound very good. A friend (the infamous Curt not mentioned for some time by me) just up and gave me a set of Texas Specials. I was happy.

I first tried to install them with a 5-way switch for some fancy switching schemes. Didn't sound good, and the pots would only taper smoothly while wired backward. Dinked around for awhile with that, trying different things to no better result. Something just didn't sound right. installed a 3-way, and wired exactly like the Burton Standard. Still not right.

Meanwhile, took my Strat to rehearsal, plugged in...and it BLASTED! "Huh? Those Texas Specials oughtta be able to BURY those stock Strat pickups."

(Scratching head)..."what have I replaced, and what HAVEN'T I replaced?"

Changed pickups, 5-way to a 3-way switch, pots...

Well, I used the original shielded cable that went to the jack, which was actually a switching jack. Checked continuity...good. Replaced switching jack with regular jack. STILL no good.

(Scratching head)..."check cable between hot and ground? D'OH!" 2400 ohms!!! Should be NOTHING! Inspected cable each end, no visible problem. Cut cable and redressed. Still resistance. Replaced cable with regular wire.

No problem. Sheesh. Volume pot even works properly. Something that stupid. I knew SOMETHING wasn't right, and still don't understand how it passed a consistent, although attenuated and dull, signal...and why the pots would only provide something near smooth taper wired backwards?

I'm thinking that's ONE of the reasons I really hated those EMGs, though I have no way to be sure if I would have liked them or not, anyway.

Note to self: "In the future, check the ENTIRE signal path before assuming ANYthing!"

Anyway, it's now the fantastic-playing, killer-sounding US Tele that I knew it should be when I bought it used.

Brad1