The best pots for the best pickups

[Steve Conner]

Mike is implying that CTS just changed their pots to a cheaper design. Pots in guitars you get for repair would still be the old design.

I'm also surprised to see what look like the cheap Alpha pots for sale under the Bourns name. Bourns also make premium pots for guitar: I've tried a couple and like them. The log taper one is noticeably more "log" than your average volume pot, though. And, there isn't a pull switch version.

[David Schwab]

I haven't tried the CTS pots from Stew-Mac, but their Alpha pots seem to be lower quality than the ones you can get elsewhere. I stopped buying pots from Stew-Mac a while ago when I was getting new pots that were scratchy.

So what Mike was saying is that these are a cheaper CTS line that Stew-Mac is carrying.

You can also get CTS pots from Mojo and WD Music Products. I haven't tried any of them so I can't comment on their quality.

[big_teee]

I haven't tried the CTS pots from Stew-Mac, but their Alpha pots seem to be lower quality than the ones you can get elsewhere. I stopped buying pots from Stew-Mac a while ago when I was getting new pots that were scratchy.

So what Mike was saying is that these are a cheaper CTS line that Stew-Mac is carrying.

You can also get CTS pots from Mojo and WD Music Products. I haven't tried any of them so I can't comment on their quality.

I use the Mojo CTS Pots in my loaded PickGuards.
They seem to work fine, and the Strat Community seem to identify to CTS.
The Only complaint I have is they have the larger 3/8" Shaft Bushing.
Unhandy for imports.
Also some of them are hard to turn at first, but they do loosen up after a while.
T

[Jim Shine]

The Strat community identifies with CTS because that is what Fender has used the most, though not in the key years. Before 1965 they were Stackpoles, which are no longer made.

A common problem I see with all pots these days is people spraying them out way too much. There is a dampening grease inside ( most recent ones I have seen have very, very little) applied during manufacture that gets washed out, or into the areas of the pot that doesn't get touched by the contacts. This causes them to feel weird and crackle worse as there is no lubrication and the dirt and dust has a bare surface to cling to. It only takes a couple minutes to pop the back off, give it a manual cleaning and a healthy dab of fresh dampening grease to get it back in shape

[Greenmachine]

PEC aka Precision pots. Made in Canada, military grade and expensive ($11-14 each). Beee-utiful pots.

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

PEC aka Precision pots. Made in Canada, military grade and expensive ($11-14 each). Beee-utiful pots.

compared to some of the other stuff out there that isn't too bad, actually.

[Bruce Johnson]

I've been using PEC pots exclusively on my basses for about 12 years. I've never yet heard of one failing or getting scratchy or doing anything bad. They are stainless shafts, bronze bushings, stainless shells, and completely sealed. I don't want the owners of my basses to ever have to replace the pots. The down side is they are only offered in limited ranges (mostly linear taper) and limited mounting styles. They are also larger sized, about 1 1/8" diameter. I like them enough that I've designed my pickup systems around them. I buy them through DigiKey for $8-$10 each. Well worth it.

[Possum]

The problem with the push pull pots is they are basically like mini-pots, the same stuff you throw away on import guitars, the carbon trace is silk screened on plastic board. The Alpha's are really bad. I have a Koll custom built Nashville Tele and he put two trick push pull pots in there, I took them out and rewired the guitar stock and there was a very amazing improvement in treble response. The push pulls did some weird kind of unmusical scrambling of the high treble that went away after I dumped them. If I was seriously going to do a good transparent phase or coil tapping switch in my guitars I'd drill an extra hole and put a good quality toggle switch in. For P90's you can get away with the push pulls without messing up your tone, but buckers and Fender pickups, not a good idea. In general, CTS pots vary alot depending on whom you buy them from. Mojos are really good and they sell ones that are lower DCR which is good for bridge pickups, RS CTS pots are high DCR great for neck pickups, didn't like their Super Pots at all and took them out but maybe on hand wound buckers they might work. Buy them from every source and see how they work, they're not all the same.

[salvarsan]

I think the important point about getting potted is about what you like. I'm pretty partial to this cheap Australian shiraz I'm sucking down.

Oh.

Pots.

Nevermind.

[Mike Sulzer]

I think the important point about getting potted is about what you like. I'm pretty partial to this cheap Australian shiraz I'm sucking down.

Oh.

Pots.

Nevermind.

That Aussie Shiraz is a good deal if you do not over do it. Pots? Well the Aussies make some nice solid state transmtters; Aussie pots I do not know about.