Super Pot?

[Whitmore Willy]

No...Not that kind.

 

Well, I just got back from what is my last camping trip before the park closes for winter. Time to get back to work.

My first project will be upgrades on my set neck Epi Special. (2-vol, 2-tone)

 

Normal stuff...Tusq nut, Switchcraft toggle and jack, Gotoh bridge, new caps, CTS pots, and new knobs. (same knobs, just imperial.

Not much else to do as the tuners are Grovers and seem to work well.

Also, I will keep the original P90s and see how they sound after the upgrades. (Frankly, they sound pretty good so far....we'll see.)

 

This takes me back to the pots. (Bare with me, this is not a dead horse.)

 

I normally use all audio taper. I see that RS guitarworks has what they call a "super pot".

They are for volume controls and (I believe) are a mix of audio and linear.

 

("Our custom taper gives smooth even response throughout the range of motion. You will not experience any steep drop-offs or uneven taper.")

 

They are expensive..$15 each. http://www.rsguitarworks.net/rsstore/product_info.php?cPath=45_65&products_id=388

 

Before I spend $30 for two pots I was wondering.

Does anyone here have any experience with them?

 

Willy

[Gordy01]

First of all let me say I don't have any experience with that kind of pot.

 

Secondly I would say that I haven't had any problems with a volume pot that "jumps" the volume up or down in a very long time. If this is what the "Super Pot" promises for the extra dollars, they are probably not worth it.

[dem00n]

I have one in my washburn, i think your post to wire it diffrent because if i pull the knob all the way down the guitar volume is still on.

Its louder then a normal pot...but since i dont play anything really high gain on the washburn its not a problem. Ill keep it :D

Also RS pots are the best pots out there you wont find anything better i can promise you that.

[Whitmore Willy]

I haven't had any problems with a volume pot that "jumps" the volume up or down in a very long time. If this is what the "Super Pot" promises for the extra dollars, they are probably not worth it.

Also RS pots are the best pots out there you wont find anything better i can promise you that.

Thanks for the input.

Spotted them last time I bought pots but didn't want to spend the extra money.

I have used RS pots before and I agree they are very good. Their regular pots are only $6. They have brass shafts. (not a necessity but a nice touch) I also like the tolerance of +/- 10%. The last set I bought ranged from 490k to about 525k. Pretty good for four pots that haven't been matched.

 

I was just curious about the "supers". If someone replied and said "yea, greatest thing since sliced bread" I would be more tempted to try them. As it is, the only reason I could justify the extra money now would be to be able to report back if the question ever comes up again. Not sure that's worth the extra $18 as this is the only time I recall the question being posted.

 

Thanks again Gordy and dem00n,

 

Willy

[zanesaddiction]

I purchased the Super Pot a year ago. I did feel silly for spending that much money on such a small part. But $18 isn't that much.

 

I didn't notice any immediate sound difference, but I didn't really sit down and do a real comparison.

 

What I like is that I haven't had to readjust it or anything. It feels very well made and sturdy. That's what I (hopefully) paid for. When I'm about to take a solo and adjust my volume up, I don't want any problems to pop up, especially from such a small insignificant part of the guitar.

 

I don't regret the extra $18, even if there's not that much difference in sound.

[Whitmore Willy]

Zanes,

 

Thank you for your input.

Since the time of this post I ended up buying a couple of high tolerance CTS pots. With what I had around the house I was able to match up a set.

My lowest value was 490k, my highest was 507k. I installed them using a 50's wiring diagram.

I have to say at this point I am quite pleased.

As this is kind of a "hobby project" I haven't been in much of a hurry.

It is now in the final stages and I am currently deciding which caps to use.

(as a matter of fact, I am installing a new nut today)

 

Thanks again,

 

Willy

[zanesaddiction]

What caps are you considering?

 

I'm in the final phases of finishing my project dot and have been browsing for info on them. The three that seemed to be mentioned the most are bumblebee, orange viatamin, and recently russian PIO.

[Whitmore Willy]

Zanesaddication,

 

In answer to your question: I just got some Russian military pio caps today. I will be testing them tonight.

The following is a copy of a reply I put up for one of the members just a few days ago.

 

Some say cap brand doesn't make much difference....some say they do.

Some say cap value don't make a difference if you are always wide open and only come into play as you roll off the tone... others disagree. Caps are pretty cheep. Best you decide for yourself.

 

Most people agree on .022uf for humbuckers. Some like .015uf.(The lower the number the less high end that gets rolled off.)

I've been using Vishay/Sprague Orange Drops for a couple of years now. No complaints. They usually run from $1.50 to $2.50 each depending where you get them from. Mouser Electronics has them for around $1. but I have no idea what shipping to Canada will cost. If the shipping is not ridiculous you might want to get a couple of each value and test for yourself. Otherwise, Ebay has all kinds of them and some of the dealers might be in Canada.

Guitarelectronics carries them. Guitarfetish also has them but they are $4 each and they don't say what voltage they are. Wouldn't be surprised if a local electronics store carries them.

 

I am presuming that you are not looking for original Bumble Bees at $75 each. If however, you are interested in PIO (paper in oil) the replicas are made by Luxe and cost about $46 a set. BUT...here is the deal:

They are Russian military caps that have been cleaned and painted to look like vintage bees. They are then packaged in a "pretty box" with a picture of the original bumble bees on them.

Fact is: you can buy Russian military caps all day long on Ebay for about $6 each.

 

One last thing: Watch your voltage ratings on the caps. Not that it matters with a guitar.

(Anything over a 100V should be more that enough and I have used up to 400V without a problem)

Where the problem comes in is: The larger the voltage, the larger the cap.(600V pio caps can take up a lot of space) Most guitars probably only make use of a few millivolts....don't know for sure but I do know it's not much.

 

Ultra Modern Capacitor Test Kit: (4 wires and 8 alligator clips)

 

Sorry for lousy pics...

One of these days I gotta learn to use a camera!

 

Willy

[SyreCorp]

I have the superpots. In my G400, my Orville and my Explorer. They are, in my humble opinion, the best thing since sliced bread. The only reason they are not in my Washburn, thus in all guitars I use on a regular basis, is that I want a push-pull for that one.