Weird pot behavior...

IanBallard

IanBallard

New member
Yeah, that pot.

No, not really. ;)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... I posted that my EVH/Bournes low-fric pot was producing some sound rolled all the way down, weak but there. I lived with it. I checked the connections and it was soldered well and correctly. Recently it started working properly. No significant sound is "leaking" from the pot at all, compared to the behavior of the volume pots of all my amps (which all leak a tiny bit).

Is it possible that it was "not worn in" and once it was, it's working right? Do low-friction pots act a little differently than "normal" ones?
 
Re: Weird pot behavior...

I built several guitars with 3 way Gibson type toggles, 1vol 1 tone(EVH low Friction on all) and 2 Duncans and all have the same "won't go to zero" problem but one has 2 hum DiMarzio's, 1 vol 2 tone(EVH low Friction on all) and was 5 way strat, now 3 way tele switch and it is silent????
 
Re: Weird pot behavior...

Could have been a manufacturing error and some of the carbon trace from inside the pot was still making contact at 0 when it shouldn't have been and over time it just wore away since it wasn't supposed to be in that area in the first place. I use bourns pots (regular bourns GTR series not the artist relabeled cost more for no reason versions) in all my builds and they always go to zero.
 
Re: Weird pot behavior...

The crazy thing is that three that do it are exactly the same, real thin and clean. Same volume and everything. Only difference really is the extra tone and different style 3 way switch.
 
Re: Weird pot behavior...

Must be a manufacturing defect with the EVH pots unless for some crazy reason they're specced that way (which really doesn't make sense). I stick the with bourns B logo labeled GTR series pots in 250K and 500K in split and solid shaft and they never give me any problems.
 
Re: Weird pot behavior...

I've installed 2 new ones and 2 used ones without any troubles. Aren't the EVH and Duncan low frictions all made by Bourns?
 
Re: Weird pot behavior...

ok so a volume pot works by shorting the signal to ground at 0

seems like, as mentioned above, some manufacturing dust or something inside
not letting the wiper (middle leg) make full contact or roll the entire way back

glad it seems to have sorted out
 
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