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I think I blew my guitar volume pot

Started by AntKnee, January 30, 2014, 03:31:59 PM

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RobA

The cap shouldn't do anything at full volume even if it's fried. It's a treble bypass cap. Don't pay that much for a pot no matter what. PRS just gets them from someone else anyway. CTS pots are good as are the Bournes guitar pots and they cost much less. And just a note, the volume pot is acting like a variable voltage divider which works to reduce the input voltage. The impedance the input signal sees to ground across the pot stays the same.
Affiliations: Music Unfolding (musicunfolding.com), software based effects and Rockā€¢it Frog (rock.it-frog.com), DIY effects (coming soon).

AntKnee

I'm 99% sure the pot is dead. I already removed it. I doubt I'll mess with opening it up or anything. Just want the guitar working again asap, so I'll just replace it.
Thanks again, everyone!
I build, and once in a while I might sell, pedals as "Vertigo Effects".

Govmnt_Lacky

Food for thought....

Going with a non-PRS pot could lead to some contention during a future resale of this guitar if the buyer is anal-retentive!

My 2..

AntKnee

Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on February 05, 2014, 02:53:54 PM
Food for thought....

Going with a non-PRS pot could lead to some contention during a future resale of this guitar if the buyer is anal-retentive!

My 2..

I'll never sell it. I'll be buried with it.
I build, and once in a while I might sell, pedals as "Vertigo Effects".

pryde

Quote from: AntKnee on February 05, 2014, 02:04:39 PM
I'm 99% sure the pot is dead. I already removed it. I doubt I'll mess with opening it up or anything. Just want the guitar working again asap, so I'll just replace it.
Thanks again, everyone!

If you have a DMM put the leads on pins 1 and 3 to measure total resistance (i.e. 500k). THen put the leads on pins 1 and 2 and turn the pot. getting a reading of 0-500k when turning?


jimijam

if you just want it working asap bypass the pot and wire it directly to the output jack. and put an alpha or bournes pot in it when you get one. no reason for it to cost more than $5
tried lifting weights once....they were too heavy!

Clayford

Agreed - you can walk into Guitar Center and get a Fender with tone cap for 7.95. An AllParts Alpha for $5.95.
head solder jockey, part time cook: cranky&jaded

pryde

Quote from: Clayford on February 05, 2014, 06:31:20 PM
Agreed - you can walk into Guitar Center and get a Fender with tone cap for 7.95. An AllParts Alpha for $5.95.

This. And actually the Fender pot is a CTS brand pot and decent quality.

Clayford

#23
It's even 500k, and this ProLine for $5.99 looks suspiciously just like a CTS as well.
head solder jockey, part time cook: cranky&jaded

AntKnee

Quote from: pryde on February 05, 2014, 06:11:30 PM
If you have a DMM put the leads on pins 1 and 3 to measure total resistance (i.e. 500k). THen put the leads on pins 1 and 2 and turn the pot. getting a reading of 0-500k when turning?
Already pulled it out, but tried this for the heck of it. Between pins 1 and 3, I get a bouncy reading, anywhere from 440-550, mostly, but also up into the 1000s. Between pins 1 and 2 or 2 and 3, I get nothing.

I'll probably just go to guitar center for the part. Ordering a cts from somewhere is not very practical since they all want like 11 bucks for shipping on a small 7 dollar part.
I build, and once in a while I might sell, pedals as "Vertigo Effects".

pryde

Quote from: AntKnee on February 06, 2014, 06:44:51 AM
Quote from: pryde on February 05, 2014, 06:11:30 PM
If you have a DMM put the leads on pins 1 and 3 to measure total resistance (i.e. 500k). THen put the leads on pins 1 and 2 and turn the pot. getting a reading of 0-500k when turning?
Already pulled it out, but tried this for the heck of it. Between pins 1 and 3, I get a bouncy reading, anywhere from 440-550, mostly, but also up into the 1000s. Between pins 1 and 2 or 2 and 3, I get nothing.

I'll probably just go to guitar center for the part. Ordering a cts from somewhere is not very practical since they all want like 11 bucks for shipping on a small 7 dollar part.

You just confirmed the wiper is not making contact inside the pot= toast  :)