Centralab Pots Are Being Reissued (Update: Don't Buy Them)

[NickiC]

@ReWind James Good information and examples. I wouldn’t have
hade a clue what to look for.

 

[Big Al]

ViPots have been out for only a couple years ..good to hear you’re back to playing with that intensity

Yep. Cause I'm an old idiot, pumped full of drugs and get confused, I had the wrong pot. I remember getting a few sets, the were expensive as hell and we couldn' t solder anything to the case 'cause they were steel or sumptin. I do remember they had three letters but obviously not VIP, and they didn't have that fancy engraved logo on the back, so when I saw that I knew my memory was f'd up. Chemo brain sucks.

I can't remember the name. I'll check with Nick, he helped me solder the ground, as I was flippin' out trying to do it. He used a common ground to connect them. They are still in the guitars and are real nice, but the taper is not Centralab. They were recommended by one of the old MXR designers and worked at Whirlwind. Sorry, I'm a mess, but even if I have to remove one, I'll find out.

I cannot play anymore. I cannot do much at all, except have surgeries. The dude I was died.

 

[garywright]

I’m sorry to hear that Al

 

[NickiC]

The best to you, Al

 

[Dave P]

Similar, but the Bourns pots are a little different, mechanically. These are all different options from Bourns....

They are similar, and my experience with both Bourns, Alpha, and also CGE has not been great. The old sealed Bourns pots from yesteryear were really nice, kind of stiff to turn though.

 

[Big Al]

OK, the potentiometers I meant to reference, and was confusing with the VIP pots are PEC brand. They apparently are no longer available, which is a shame, as these very expensive, mil spec pot has been the best I've used. I did post about them back when though. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

 

[Dave P]

OK, the potentiometers I meant to reference, and was confusing with the VIP pots are PEC brand. They apparently are no longer available, which is a shame, as these very expensive, mil spec pot has been the best I've used. I did post about them back when though. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

Alessandro was having PEC make knurled shaft pots for him, they were $40 a pop. PEC is still around, though.

 

[Big Al]

Alessandro was having PEC make knurled shaft pots for him, they were $40 a pop. PEC is still around, though.

Those are the ones, Mr Mayor.

 

[NickiC]

Pots from, Art Of Tone?

 

[Wound_Up]

It's a Chinese Alpha pot.

They will put whatever logo you pay for on the back. China doesn't recognize trademarks.

HOWEVER - the one in the photo the OP posted is Photoshopped. Look at the "R in a circle" at the end of the text. It's going right over the rounded over edge of the pot and perfectly straight and crisp, not to mention higher resolution than the actual image of the pot. Just photo editing. Pretty sweet use of Photoshop's "emboss" feature.

Either that or wherever these WD pots are from. They look exactly the same. Same radius on the front of the 'wafer', same trapezoid lugs. Looks quite close to me. It'd be quite simple to photoshop that clean and do what you said with the emboss feature(not saying they used this exact pic, obviously).

The WD pot also doesn't have the notch at the top like the Alpha pot does, but it's at the bottom like the pot in question. Even the wafer appears to be the same color. The lugs also, have the same hash marks across the bend like the pot in question. Though they could be reflections. Probably not coincidence that they also share another feature lol.

Also, if you compare the wafer on the Alpha to the Centralab and WD, the Alpha wafer sticks out quite a bit past the lugs where the other two have a wafer that ends basically at the lugs. It doesn't extend far past them like the Alpha pot.

I did a reverse image search and WD was one of the first results it showed. I'd say it's a match.



Vs



Vs

The Alpha pot. Look at the two corner pieces of the wafer, how they stick way out vs the WD/Centralab that doesn't.

 

[Wound_Up]

Finally, if those are WD 550K pots that the Centralabs are made from, if they actually exist, then those pots from WD POSSIBLY come from CTS. They worked together with CTS specifically to develop their 550k pots. But CTS has different lugs. So who knows?

With all of the evidence, it appears that they may possibly just be CTS pots with a different back cover/photoshop job/whatever.

The WD 550k pot is a potentiometer that was developed by WD Music Products in collaboration with CTS.

Edit: nevermind. The 550k WD/CTS pots look like normal CTS pots so who knows what those other WD pots are. Oddly enough, the WD/CTS pots use the same stated 9% tolerance as those new Centralabs are supposed to use. I've never seen that on any others except what's been posted here. Coincidence? Possibly.

 

[NickiC]

Last order of RS superpots I bought were all over 550k.
Ask and they’ll send you above 565k-570k+.
*Long & short shaft CTS

 

[fender69]

VIPots are still in business.

 

[garywright]

Here’s the problem

 

[ADP]

"Supply" "Chain"

 

[fender69]

 

[bern1]

Good news, I hope it happens. I’m sure mine will last a little longer….

 

[Gregeatworld]

It looks like the new centralab pots are out now. Has anyone been able to try them out yet?

https://jacksonelectronicluthier.com/

 

[Subliminal lanimilbuS]

I wonder how well the composition of the resistive disc will be copied. Somehow I feel it will be like other electronics that have been reissued and be just Centralab in name. Will have to try, though, in case they are still a good pot.

 

[Tone Ranger Audio]

Looks like the Centralab pots are for sale now on Reverb. Was tempted to snag some, but referred back to this thread and said no way Jose.