When I gutted my SG Std of the circuit board pot setup I replaced all the pots with 500K audio taper pots. I immediately did not like the sweep of the audio tapers for my volume. It seemed like it went immediately from 3 to 10 with no in between. So I replaced the volume pots with linear tapers like Gibson uses stock for volume pots. I was very pleased with them. Now I am going to do another one and went to buy some linear taper CTS pots and it says that they are for tone only. I used them for my volume before and had no problem. I dont understand why the site would say that. Its at guitarpartsresource.com. Is there any reason that I shouldnt use them for volume?
Audio taper or linear taper pots
- Thread starter XPAULPITT
- Start date
hermetico
New member
Re: Audio taper or linear taper pots
Pots are pots, how do you wire them makes them a volume or a tone control.
Audio have logarithmic taper and, they are usually the natural choose because this is the way as our ears hear.
Anything little change close to our audition umbral, is clearly heard as a volume increase but, the more we move to our painful umbral, you will need every time more difference in volume to hear the change (when it's loud, it's loud; just if you double the energy of the input sound, you will sense any change).
So audio pots work in a similar way.
By, example (not necesarely accurate), you could get this percentaje of volume for each type (A = Logarithmic, audio; B = linear):
Dial | % A | % B
10 | 100 | 100
09 | 95 | 90
08 | 85 | 80
07 | 70 | 70
06 | 50 | 60
05 | 25 | 50
04 | 12 | 40
03 | 07 | 30
02 | 03 | 20
01 | 01 | 10
00 | 00 | 00
To perceive a clear change in loudness, you need a change of plus/minus 3dB (another logarithmic scale here). Audio volume pots better suit this way of sensing sound.
But, an audio taper will not leave you to lineraly determine the amount of highs you want to roll off and, many people preferes a better control about how its tone control works. This is usually achieved with a linear pot, to avoid going from 100 to near Zero using just a third of the dial (what makes useless the rest of numbers).
To get audio o linear is up to each one, depening on what makes more sense for you but, those are the rules that work the best for most of people: audio for volume and linear for tone.
Pots are pots, how do you wire them makes them a volume or a tone control.
Audio have logarithmic taper and, they are usually the natural choose because this is the way as our ears hear.
Anything little change close to our audition umbral, is clearly heard as a volume increase but, the more we move to our painful umbral, you will need every time more difference in volume to hear the change (when it's loud, it's loud; just if you double the energy of the input sound, you will sense any change).
So audio pots work in a similar way.
By, example (not necesarely accurate), you could get this percentaje of volume for each type (A = Logarithmic, audio; B = linear):
Dial | % A | % B
10 | 100 | 100
09 | 95 | 90
08 | 85 | 80
07 | 70 | 70
06 | 50 | 60
05 | 25 | 50
04 | 12 | 40
03 | 07 | 30
02 | 03 | 20
01 | 01 | 10
00 | 00 | 00
To perceive a clear change in loudness, you need a change of plus/minus 3dB (another logarithmic scale here). Audio volume pots better suit this way of sensing sound.
But, an audio taper will not leave you to lineraly determine the amount of highs you want to roll off and, many people preferes a better control about how its tone control works. This is usually achieved with a linear pot, to avoid going from 100 to near Zero using just a third of the dial (what makes useless the rest of numbers).
To get audio o linear is up to each one, depening on what makes more sense for you but, those are the rules that work the best for most of people: audio for volume and linear for tone.
Last edited:
ItsaBass
New member
Re: Audio taper or linear taper pots
It depends on what you want from your pots. Linear taper expands the adjustment range equally across the sweep of the pot. Audio taper does most of its work between 10 and about 7, then gets much less sensitive. I prefer audio taper for volume, and linear taper for tone. However, I've really got no complaint about linear taper for volume. I do, however, dislike audio taper for tone. Replacing the tone pots with linear taper pots and lower value caps is the first thing I will do when I get a new guitar.
It depends on what you want from your pots. Linear taper expands the adjustment range equally across the sweep of the pot. Audio taper does most of its work between 10 and about 7, then gets much less sensitive. I prefer audio taper for volume, and linear taper for tone. However, I've really got no complaint about linear taper for volume. I do, however, dislike audio taper for tone. Replacing the tone pots with linear taper pots and lower value caps is the first thing I will do when I get a new guitar.
Last edited:
F
Funkfingers
Guest
Re: Audio taper or linear taper pots
Much depends on the type of amplification. I use audio taper pots precisely because they behave the way that they do. Generally, I set my valve amplifier into overdrive then govern the saturation from the guitar's volume pot(s).
Much depends on the type of amplification. I use audio taper pots precisely because they behave the way that they do. Generally, I set my valve amplifier into overdrive then govern the saturation from the guitar's volume pot(s).
big kurka
Active member
Re: Audio taper or linear taper pots
I prefer to use linear pots for the vol and audio for the tone controls. The reason I prefer linear for the vol is because everytime I tried an audio pot for vol and when I would turn the down the just going from 10 to 9 there was to much vol drop. It was like going from 10 to 7 or 6 on a linear pot. Just my 2 cents
I prefer to use linear pots for the vol and audio for the tone controls. The reason I prefer linear for the vol is because everytime I tried an audio pot for vol and when I would turn the down the just going from 10 to 9 there was to much vol drop. It was like going from 10 to 7 or 6 on a linear pot. Just my 2 cents
Re: Audio taper or linear taper pots
I agree with you big kurka. Audio tapers are good if you like to do volumes swells. I prefer the accurate adjusment of a linear pot for volume. I would probably like them for tone also but I usually just crank my bridge tone all the way and kill the tone on the neck.
I agree with you big kurka. Audio tapers are good if you like to do volumes swells. I prefer the accurate adjusment of a linear pot for volume. I would probably like them for tone also but I usually just crank my bridge tone all the way and kill the tone on the neck.
