New to Pots! After assuming I had the right standard Fender Pots (250k Splitshaft) my buddy gave me a set of CTS Brass Short 250k 10% audio taper pots. This whole time I’ve obsessed over pickups. So I don’t go down a rabbit hole of options, what is a good 250k pot to put in all the Fenders I have? Is it not doing the pickups proper justice if you don’t get a certain kind? Thanks!
Doing pickups justice with Pots. New to it!
- Thread starter Jpodesz
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Supernautilus
Active member
Fender pots are fine. They put them in there for a reason. But the most popular aftermarket brand seems to be CTS. Get a set of those for your guitars and you will be happy. 
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
I like optimizing the pot set up. It can add a lot to the experience. In my opinion, the make of the pot isn't that important. What you want to consider is the value, the taper, and the feel.
Values for volume are available in 220k, 250k, 300k, 330k, 500k, 550k, and 1 meg. The higher the value, the more of the highs from the pickup will be let through.
For tone I prefer to simplify and always use a 250k no load. This way you know it's max bright on 10 since it's out of the circuit, but then it starts tapering well when you turn it down.
Tapers are linear if you like it to take a while to turn down, or audio if you like it to turn down faster.
Then there's the feel of how the pot turns. I prefer more resistance because I don't like it to feel all flimsy, but some people prefer that since it turns faster.
Values for volume are available in 220k, 250k, 300k, 330k, 500k, 550k, and 1 meg. The higher the value, the more of the highs from the pickup will be let through.
For tone I prefer to simplify and always use a 250k no load. This way you know it's max bright on 10 since it's out of the circuit, but then it starts tapering well when you turn it down.
Tapers are linear if you like it to take a while to turn down, or audio if you like it to turn down faster.
Then there's the feel of how the pot turns. I prefer more resistance because I don't like it to feel all flimsy, but some people prefer that since it turns faster.
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If you like the feel of "fast" pots with very little resistance I find the Bournes pots to be excellent.
Whether you use CTS, Alpha, DiMarzio, Bournes, or other brand, it's really not as important as the other factors that Clint mentioned.
A thing to remember, however, is that different brand pots will require different knobs (the number of splines is different). If you want to keep your existing knobs, stick with the Fender pots.
Whether you use CTS, Alpha, DiMarzio, Bournes, or other brand, it's really not as important as the other factors that Clint mentioned.
A thing to remember, however, is that different brand pots will require different knobs (the number of splines is different). If you want to keep your existing knobs, stick with the Fender pots.
Yes, the Bournes pots are the ones I pick. I think the SD YJM 'Speed Pots' are made by Bournes, and I use them for both volume and tone.
Wound_Up
New member
Those 2 things are 1 in the same. There's no reason to replace CTS pots with more CTS pots
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
A great many pots that are hard to turn will start to spin freely if you give 'em a shot of deoxit and twist back and forth a couple times. Also a fan of fast, easy turning pots.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Pretty sure Fender pots are CTS?
*EDIT* Oh, I see someone beat me to it.
DiMarzio pots are also CTS, BTW. I think Gibson too?
*EDIT* Oh, I see someone beat me to it.
DiMarzio pots are also CTS, BTW. I think Gibson too?
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PFDarkside
of the Forum
What do the Seymour Duncan pots offer, and who makes them?
I’m interested in trying the EVH pot, I think it’s a Bournes?
I’m interested in trying the EVH pot, I think it’s a Bournes?
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Bournes make the Duncan pots.
Mikelamury
New member
I've found that in my experience the audio taper pots are the ones that go through the whole taper if you want it to roll off really fast I've always found that linear tapers roll off most if the load between 10-6.
Supernautilus
Active member
Oh sorry, I didn’t know that. Thanks for the correction.
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
Uh no? Linear turns down directly proportionally to sweep of the knob. Audio turns down quicker.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I've tried Duncan pots before, and they were alright. Every bit as good as CTS.
I honestly don't worry too much about pots. I mainly use active pickups, and whatever comes with the pickups is always good enough for me. I don't think it's CTS or Bournes, because the knobs I have to use with them is usually just Epiphone-sized stuff.
I honestly don't worry too much about pots. I mainly use active pickups, and whatever comes with the pickups is always good enough for me. I don't think it's CTS or Bournes, because the knobs I have to use with them is usually just Epiphone-sized stuff.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
My understanding (from CTS) is that Gibson got their own tooling and took over making their pots in house. But it's based on and identical to CTS. CTS does make Fender - they just stamp Fender codes on them. When I had CTS make particular pots for me, they had to do drawings and the part number of the drawing became the pot code stamped on them.
The big things that differ between pots, and it's not necessarily different by brand but more by spec, the tolerance and the cycle life of the pot. I'd get as low a tolerance as I could afford and pick the brand that has the highest cycle life.
I'm not sure about the DiMarzio pots, it's possible that they are made by CTS (I don't think they are just rebranded CTS pots), but they have always seemed just a little bit different than CTS...a slight different rotational feel and the knurls seem a bit different too.
Artie
Peaveyologist
I like CTS and Bourns. I also prefer the smoother "damped" feel. The Bourns Sean Silas pots are sweet. (Mentioned here: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/for...l-new-pots-bourns-sean-silas-pots#post6048223)
Note also that many "log" pots, especially cheap ones, are actually two joined linear tracks. Good article here: https://sound-au.com/pots.htm
Note also that many "log" pots, especially cheap ones, are actually two joined linear tracks. Good article here: https://sound-au.com/pots.htm
I am not sure, either, but I always liked DiMarzio-branded pots.
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