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Pot Luck!

jamisonlps

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May 30, 2005
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I've often wondered..

Do different brand pots sound "different"? I'm not talking 250k vs. 500k vs. 550k, etc. I mean would three pots of exactly the same value make your pickups sound any different, say Alpha vs. CGE vs. CTS?

I.E. does the signal actually travel down/through the trace so that the pot affects the signal in an audible way?
 
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bigtomrodney

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Nov 7, 2009
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No electrical component behaves as a perfect example of what it is supposed to be; resistors can show inductance, inductors show capacitance and so on.

That said, if anyone here claims to hear a difference I will be ready to laugh them out of existence. Let's just say it was even conceivably possible...the difference in value from one pot to the next is already all over the shop before you even leave one brand. Your typical +/-10% pot - which is a decent tolerance - is anywhere from 450K to 550K in a nominally 500K example. That's a far more immediate concern to me.
 

jamisonlps

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May 30, 2005
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Your typical +/-10% pot - which is a decent tolerance - is anywhere from 450K to 550K in a nominally 500K example. That's a far more immediate concern to me.

I understand how pot values affect tone, I've experimented enough and rewired my fair share of LP's. But I've never used anything but CTS until recently and was just wondering.

There is a certain "boutique" pickup winder that we all know and love who recently told me "x" brand pots sound horrible. And I don't think he was talking specific values...but in general, they sounded "bad and/or harsh" compared to "other" brands.
 

bigtomrodney

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Taper, maybe. Actual mechanical faults causing problems...sure. An inherent sound? Let's just say I'd be having a long objective view at his products after that comment. Snake oil.
 
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