difference between guitar pot lugs?

[chcjunior]

Anyone know the difference between the left, right and middle lug (assuming the knob is on the top)? I see where the hot comes from the 3 way switch to the right lug of the volume pot which is also tied to the middle lug of the tone pot. The middle lug of the volume pot drops out to the jack. Both left lugs of the volume and tone are grounded out.

What's the difference between the middle and the right lug?

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

You can (theoretically) see the pot as two resistors that connect the 3 lugs, one between left & middle, one between middle and right, when you turn the pot, you change the value balance of the two resistors (i.e. on a lin 100k pot, 5 would be 50 from the mid to both left & right. Now when you'd turn it it would be like 30/70)

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

Anyone know the difference between the left, right and middle lug (assuming the knob is on the top)? I see where the hot comes from the 3 way switch to the right lug of the volume pot which is also tied to the middle lug of the tone pot. The middle lug of the volume pot drops out to the jack. Both left lugs of the volume and tone are grounded out.

What's the difference between the middle and the right lug?

Think of the middle lug as the OUTPUT of the pot and the lug that the pickup/switch is connected to as the INPUT.

If you were to ground out what you're calling the "left" lug and use the "right" lug as the input the pot would work backwards and you'd turn it "down" instead of "up" to increase the volume...wouldn't work well though because the audio taper would be wrong. They're designed to use the way you already have it wired.

Lew

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

wouldn't work well though because the audio taper would be wrong. They're designed to use the way you already have it wired.

Lew

Assuming you have log and not lin pots in there

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

Assuming you have log and not lin pots in there

Right. But virtually every guitar has audio taper volume pots...some use linear taper for the tone, but that's unusual.

Lew

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

Right. But virtually every guitar has audio taper volume pots...some use linear taper for the tone, but that's unusual.

Lew

That's true too of course :laugh2:

 

[ErikH]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm

Read this. It explains it all.

 

[chcjunior]

Re: difference between guitar pot lugs?

Thanks for the info!