Linear or audio taper volume pots?

J

Joejitsu

New member
I know the basic difference between the two. I just wanted to get an idea of what most of you guys prefer for your volume pots? I have to decide soon what I'm going to wire into my les Paul copy with slash pickups, 500k pots and 0.02 caps. I have linear volume pots on the way since that is what Gibson sells on the slash appetite USA les Paul, but I've been second guessing myself tonight.
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

So many people say to use audio, and yet almost every guitar i ever play through an amp has a volume pot that doesn't ramp smoothly from '0' to 10' but has a 'lump' where most of the action happens between 7.5 and 10.

Maybe people think that's normal or useful, but i want smooth control spread evenly between minimum and maximum. The only reliable way i have found is to try more than one type od taper, disregarding the theory and general consensus, and rely only on my own ears. I've had similar issues on amps. Usually changing to the 'other' type will improve the issue.

Maybe i hear things differently to other people. Maybe other people like lumpy pot tapers. But to my ear, this 'use audio taper' is not usually good enough.
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

crusty philtrum said:
So many people say to use audio, and yet almost every guitar i ever play through an amp has a volume pot that doesn't ramp smoothly from '0' to 10' but has a 'lump' where most of the action happens between 7.5 and 10.

Maybe people think that's normal or useful, but i want smooth control spread evenly between minimum and maximum. The only reliable way i have found is to try more than one type od taper, disregarding the theory and general consensus, and rely only on my own ears. I've had similar issues on amps. Usually changing to the 'other' type will improve the issue.

Maybe i hear things differently to other people. Maybe other people like lumpy pot tapers. But to my ear, this 'use audio taper' is not usually good enough.
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Can't speak for the specific pot you're talking about,but "generally" we like to hear the change in volume by audio taper...Maybe the pot tapers on the stuff we use in our guitars,aren't tapered right?

I Know that on my old Pioneer/Marantz receivers of the 70s,I Much prefer the smooth and gradual increase or decrease in volumes via the audio tapers...

Linear "usually" and I use this term lightly,might be better for tone control and other control not actual volume...

Lots of really good guitar pots out there these days..Not sure what you've tryed or haven't though? The EVH pots are supposed to be smooth and built good...I just use early CTS pots...I think the new ones(Like everything else)is made in Taiwan..

Whatever works for you is all good..
 
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Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

I use audio taper almost exclusively, but i do have a couple guitars with linear vol pots. Whatever works for you and feels comfortable is what you should use.
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

GuitarDoc said:
I use audio taper almost exclusively, but i do have a couple guitars with linear vol pots. Whatever works for you and feels comfortable is what you should use.
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And obviously not all audio pot tapers are the same.
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

Welcome to the forum, dlhylton.

On my own instruments, I habitually use audio taper pots for volume and tone.
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

Audio.

I find Linear to be pretty much useless for how I use the controls.
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

Varg said:
for how I use the controls.
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that hits the nail on the head. if you use pedals and a cleanish amp i think audio works best for volume. if you plug straight into the amp and use the volume to control how much dirty is in your sound then i think linear works best since its easier to get more shades of dirt
 
Re: Linear or audio taper volume pots?

it has been my experience that Carvin and Ibanez
use linear volumes and Audio tones

looking through the literature from bourns
searching for a pot for a DC Motor controller at work
I noticed they said that audio taper was a volume thing
and linear was a tone thing

I like the Linear volumes myself
 
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