5 Reasons To Change Your Pots

[@DylanTalksTone]

This is A Great pot for a very affordable Price amzn.to/2qq68ZQ , Here is a good pushpull amzn.to/2KFvVnK , and here is a good no load amzn.to/2KJQ9wt

[@raymaybury5337]

Are they damped? I bought some for my strat a few years ago and they work ok electrically, but move a little too freely.

[@ma2perdue]

Hey Dylan!!! The only thing i want to ask - is what kind of jams do you like? Merle Haggard type jazzy country music makes me giggle. Sometimes i like that on a day when i dont have anything else to worry about=)

[@commentfreely5443]

5 reasons to smoke pot

[@1invag]

That great pot for an affordable price has majority of 1 star reviews on amazon?

[@sparkyguitar0058]

I did some research and found 500k work best with humbuckers. My L. P. Studio came with changed pups. 496/500 and 250k pots and garbage wire. I replaced the pots with 550k CTS pots, .11 caps for more treble control to make more use of tone knobs and 22 gauge wire.

[@Partsunknown426]

My Mom hit me once with a pot. she said this should tone you down.

[@vibrationalkeys3320]

🌞

[@destianpatrianagara1119]

😂😂

[@Tjam1]

Underrated comment

[@nickfehrenbach382]

😂

[@fartman1510]

Lmao 👍

[@kandimba]

But where do I get a volume pot that goes up to eleven?

[@pcrem9953]

Do you have a Sharpie? 😁

[@USSLIBERTYREMEMBERER]

wouldn’t it make more sense to just upgrade the pot itself? like, make 10 louder?

[@willcresson8776]

@@USSLIBERTYREMEMBERER whooosh Edit: im the idiot who missed the joke

[@willcresson8776]

Id talk to the louder is more good folks at jhs

[@USSLIBERTYREMEMBERER]

Will Cresson thats almost verbatim how the interviewer responds in spinal tap but alright

[@chrisyoung8062]

Probably should explain that the reason for an audio taper pot is because our hearing is not linear. We hear on a logarithmic scale. Therefor the audio taper actually sounds more linear to our ears.

[@flash001USA]

Yeah you're correct saying that our hearing is not linear but a nonlinear pot does not necessarily match human hearing. That was never the sole intention for the design of a nonlinear pot. I wanted to point that out because I worked in the field of electronics for 45 years until I retired so I've read just about every spec sheet on the most common components out on the market that you could ever imagine. Here's a good example and it is a real world example: A while back I had a mic gain potentiometer that had a bad place on it on a mixing board that I own. It was a linear pot which meant whenever you adjusted it the audio gain or reduction depending which way you were turning it was gradual. I looked everywhere for this particular part and couldn't find nothing but a audio taper pot to put in its place. What I noticed was and what I absolutely expected to happen was adjusting that channel was a little tricky because the mic gain would suddenly go up or go down too fast when adjusting it which made it difficult to set. The saving grace for me was I was using this board as a sub mixer with a digital audio station so for all of the channels I was able to leave them set for a minimum gain due to the fact that the DAW had a decent amount of output gain on it. If I would have had to constantly use that control such as under a live situation or as my main adjustment it would have been annoying to say the least. Before I forget I wanted to mention that they also use nonlinear pots or audio taper pots in other applications that have absolutely nothing to do with audio it all just due to the fact of the way they react when they are adjusted.

[@chrisyoung8062]

@@flash001USA I'm sure there are all sorts of potentiometers for specialized purposes but in the context of this video, which is an audio application, the reason for an "audio" taper is to better match the way we hear and not sound like the volume is only increasing all at the end of the pot's range. This is specifically for volume controls and not necessarily what you would want for tone.

[@flash001USA]

@@chrisyoung8062 You won't get an argument out of me with your reply or even your original reply to this video. An audio taper has a faster attack or "feel" and most guitar players prefer an audio taper over a linear taper so yeah I would have to agree with you that it would be perceived to deliver more of a natural volume curve the way our ears perceive sound but the original pot designs didn't start out with an audio pot in mind. My only point was that in early electronic designs and even today there was an actual need for fast reacting nonlinear pots even for non-audio applications but that the earlier stereo and musical equipment manufactures probably quickly realized that the nonlinear pots were the ticket and much better suited for audio applications and it's probably safe to say that someone pretty sharp sat down and refined nonlinear pots along the way to deliver a better "feel" just for audio applications like musical equipment and stereos.

[@makmcqueen8634]

@@flash001USA Agree I actual prefer close to linear as I like to have usable range from say 2 up some of the boutique "correct taper" actually I cant hear a signal below 5 so not that useful if I want clean dirty and lead in one sweep.

[@spentron1]

@@chrisyoung8062 Tone needs to be audio for a different reason. It is in 2-terminal mode and electrically the influence becomes more linear with a audio pot. Practically, the upper half of the sweep (e.g. 50-500K) affects resistive loading whereas the lower sweep (0-50K) varies the tone capacitor and the damping of the resonant circuit it forms with the pickup. However, controls can be linear when because settings above the 10% resistance of audio taper are mostly used. This is somewhat true of guitar volume except distortion and compression then swing the choice back towards an expanded sweep to compensate.

[@MarkJSmith-zh9ve]

This was the best education I’ve had in years! Watch the capacitor comparison video.

[@owre]

I have a Squier strat that I did all this stuff too. It sounds great, but really I did it just to do it. It was Covid time and I got to learn a lot. So, sometimes just do it because you can and soldering is fun.

[@danielhanssen8664]

I also began soldering during the pandemic, so much fun, now I am obsessed. I am also gonna study electrical from the fall as a result of this. 😀

[@paulakapablo1749]

Same here, but I got a tele. The guitar was cheaper than a kit.

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@danielhanssen8664 oh nice!

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@paulakapablo1749 wow, where u get it?

[@Vor_Tex_Sun]

pots make zero difference in tone. It is all the setup and fingers

[@flintdavis2]

So much common sense. I’m glad I stayed up all night watching guitar repair videos. This ones a keeper! Will subscribe!

[@rongarcia0118]

Thanks for sharing this. I like to build bass guitar kits and with every build I post I have people telling me to change the pots because their cheap, and I don’t because I have not been disappointed with the tones they produce.

[@bigdoghat3827]

I changed the taper of the tone pot on my Squier bass and it made a big difference. It drove me mad that it was really bright and then very quickly really dark with not much in between. Now it goes smoothly from bright to dark with changes in tone happening all the way along the turn of the pot.

[@steelman774]

What type of pot did you switch to?

[@csul5961]

how do you change taper? I have same issue.

[@mydearriley]

you went to the taper version? the audio pot?

[@mauricerrr]

Which pot did you change it to? I have this same problem

[@mydearriley]

@@mauricerrr I did two audio (linear) pots. I think the tone settings work fine.

[@lazvt8469]

small pot "gear ratio" analogy is not geometrically accurate if the knob is the same size. A knob turned 180 degrees will turn a pot 180 degrees regardless of it's size, dime or nickel sized. So glad i just discovered this channel....so much fun and educational! Thanks.

[@BRZDR]

Hmm now this has me thinking. The size of the components inside have a shorter throw, like a smaller gear on a bicycle, so there is definitely a different feel, and I presume that's what he's referring to? Would that change how smooth a knob is or its apparent accuracy?

[@lazvt8469]

@@BRZDR yeah, I believe so.

[@Alyks1]

Thank you, Dylan. I was getting carried away reading all those forums. You really snapped me out it. I think you just saved me a bunch of money. Subscribed.

[@BottleneckMoses]

Hey Dylan, just wanted to say thanks for doing what you’re doing. I only discovered your channel recently and I’ve learned so much from your vids. Great stuff - much appreciated!

[@jinjxmusic]

This is great information. I started with single coil guitars though when I got into humbuckers it was on Ibanez Artcore type import guitars. Being used to single coils I came in the habit of keeping the volume of the guitar around 3 and, initially, same with tone. Years later when I had work done I couldn't get over how "muddy" the same pickups sounded. To your point most folks use audio taper pots and that's what's more common at local stores... but for people who use the volume and want consistency the 50s wiring and the linear volume audio tone is more or less what I'm used to. At this point when I have an instrument where we're changing volume I like to make sure the volume is a linear - I can instantly tell when I have the volume half way up if I hear "the sludge" and I hate that more than life. I wish instruments companies were more transparent about a lot of this because I really had to learn this the hard way. Thanks again for your video.

[@ruka5805]

That said, I swapped out my pots only on a $200(Approximate guess, I'm British) epiphone for a set of Bourne's 500k and it did make quite difference to tone, not in it's overall base tone(same pick ups after all) but better response. My best leighman's explanation, was having the tone I already had in HD.

[@ramencurry6672]

Alpha pots are good too

[@johncollins5552]

50s wiring mod is the first mod most all epi phones need. It's easy, try it. Of course if you don't like it, will take ten minutes to undo.

[@bradt.3555]

I agree on using audio taper for all, I do also. I just LMAO when I see people claim how the pots in this 59 LP sound so much better than this new pot. I hate seeing people being taken advantage of because of lack of understanding how something works. I've been arguing with someone over the mis-used terms "handwired" amp and "handmade" guitar. They all are, just different methods of fabricating certain parts. And I've found I really like the way the CTS Emerson Pro pots work. They don't sound any different, obviously, but work really well. You info is very accurate.

[@donrutter6765]

The 59' wiring schematic is different than reissue 59's thats why they sound better. There is no tone loss when you back the volume off.

[@bradt.3555]

@@donrutter6765, I was not referring to the wiring, I was referring to the pot's effect. That comes from it putting resistance in series with the pickup and reducing the resistance to ground, which affects tone no matter where the tone control is connected. Also both wiring's were used in the 50's and thru the years on other guitars. And "better"? That's your opinion,I don't like the other wiring. In the 50's, 60's, 70's & on & on every year had good and not so good guitars. I personally think my PRS Sunburst 22 sounds better than ANY Les Paul I've ever heard, again my opinion. Also with the "50's" wiring the tone controls are less isolated from each other, especially on the center switch setting as they are connected to the output jack and not isolated from each other by the resistance of the volume pot. I agree the two methods sound different. Way to much voodoo & hype on old guitars. Being a musician I tend to get wrapped up in all that nonsense, but being logical and scientifically minded I tend to stay more objective to all of it.

[@KingCrimson82]

i still believe that materials and electrical connectivity is also having a card in sound.

[@jccarter02911]

People have probably started this already but the reason logrythimic pots are preferred is because our hearing is logrythimic. Therefore it tracks with our hearing and sounds better.

[@johnb4024]

I would still go hand-wired for any amplifier. No surface mount components. All-in-all easier serviceability

[@gustavoazevedo9736]

Coincidentally, I've been looking for information about guitar pots this whole week. Good timing, Dylan!

[@uncle_ike]

Something like this has probably already been said... sound levels (decibels) follow an exponential curve, so we generally find audio taper pots so pleasing because that taper follows what our ears perceive to be a measured, gradual increase in volume through the full rotation. Using a linear taper pot for most volume control applications basically limits that full sweep of control you'd have with an audio taper pot to the first 1/3 of its rotation. The rest of the rotation doesn't seem to do anything because it doesn't allow the circuit to produce the exponentially louder signal--more dB's--that our ears perceive as volume.

[@Mike6StringsIn]

Great explanation on pots. Couple decades ago I sought out how to test the range pots give you as you turn up or down on the knob. It was then that I concluded what you said in the just because it's small doesn't make it a bad pot as long as you get the performance results the pot has advertised. Still to this day I read over and over again just as you said, got ride of those small crappy pots and I'll ask, so what did they test at that made them crappy. Great video.

[@Les537]

Cheap pots wear down the carbon strip and become scratchy, or the wiper falls off, etc. Smaller pots tend to be cheaper pots, but not in all cases. If you bought a 200$ guitar you can be sure it's got cheap ass pots, but if they work, they work - until they don't.

[@jeremygibbens7392]

Thanks for the informative videos. I especially like that you try to discourage unnecessary mods. Also, you explain things clearly and thoroughly. I always learn something new. Keep it up!

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: Good sense advice "if you have a guitar, and like how it sounds, don't change anything" Truth of the week. I have guitars I bought 10 years ago that had small pots, and I'll change them when they have trouble.....they are still fine. At the same time if someone wants to change parts just because they want to, I'll provide that service. I only stock Audio Taper pots these days, and you are right, different brands have different Taper rates. Some of the cheap pots have almost no taper, even though they are marked as audio taper. I charge just as much to install a chinese pot the guy got from amazon as I do a quality CTS or Bourns, so the better part is the better value.

[@dongdelacruz1250]

TRUE

[@gladiluchina]

youre quite sure man! if you like how the guitar sounds, just keep it as is, changing things in your guitar can leave the sound pretty bad you should change only if something is broken or out of order! pots , caps wont change a lot if you change for a custom pickups they will speak very wild.

[@ramencurry6672]

Changing the guitar even if there’s no improvements is fun because nerding out is a pleasure and therapeutic.

[@stevevaughn2040]

I gotta tip my hat to the Bourns pot. I worked for Bourns (my division made ICs and we were sold decades ago). They had/have high standards in quality. I trust 'em.

[@mikekelly1771]

Still searching for a pot that goes to 11

[@hammerjohnson4892]

I had an ancient Fender Champ Amp that had a volume that went to 11. I gave it to my girlfriends son to finish graduating when he was talking about dropping out a few weeks before he granulated. He has been keeping me apprised of his adventures in making it work correctly. Most of the capacitors were shot or leaking or even burst. He has learned a lot from that amp and I didn't have to mess with it!

[@jimbrown7812]

DiMarzio makes knobs that go to 11.

[@andrewdenine1685]

Old traynor amps

[@theearthenstar1355]

Mad Hatter guitar products

[@draganblastovicz7487]

Mike Kelly, you’ll find those at the same place your drummer buys his custom made left-handed drumsticks.

[@fideldiazmusic]

first time I change the pots of my guitar for a forum I ended up with a volume that shut ups at 5 haha a great experience! hope I had your videos at that time

[@dulla8469]

this channel, is fucking golden, ive watched this video months again when i didnt understand about electronics, and now im back and feel like ive gained so much more than what i understood before

[@MajRatbag]

I'm not sure what you said about the small pots being more difficult to operate with accuracy unless you put a big knob on them is correct. No matter the size of the pot, one revolution is one revolution. You could have a giant pot or a minuscule pot with the same knob on both and the knob rotation will be the same on both, hence the same level of accuracy (provided the construction is of equal quality). A big pot with a tiny knob will be difficult to be accurate with, just the same as a small pot with a tiny knob. That's not a drawback of mini pots but rather mini knobs. The drawback of mini pots is that the resistance is packed into a smaller track around the inside and so has a lower resolution making it more difficult to be super accurate with but the resolution is plenty high enough for guitar use.

[@michaelmorris7746]

First up. You have taught me much. Thanks for that. Your thinking is in my builds What I do is take guitars that are beginners and use them as a kit. So I already have a finish in the guitar. What I do is basically blueprint the guitar. At the end it is virtually a hand built guitar. Most recently I paired a P90 at the bridge and jazzmaster at the neck. Thinking a position switch would never balance the 2 a blend pot was used as the pickup selector. I used a 500k audio taper blend pot. Bourns. First blend pot went bad on day one of testing. I ordered another with the same results. I have a CTS coming today. You probably have a relationship with Bourns....please give this constructive feedback to Bourns. All the best to you. Thanks for the lessons.

[@klausanton5051]

Hey Dylan, my 1988 American Tele has a stock TBX tone control, which I understand stands for Treble and Bass Cut. Would you please explain how these work and what the pros/cons are? Thanks!

[@GJ-yr5jo]

*Edit* : Apologies, Dylan has done a few different videos in this, one on shielding and one on shielding vs tone loss Hi Dylan, have you noticed any difference between foil shielding versus paint for strats? I've noticed some strats come with aluminium/copper foil lining the entire inside of the body, whereas some come with nothing or some come with that gooey gross black paint. Been wondering if theres any noticeable difference between copper/aluminium/paint/none, and what's your choice in your custom guitars?

[@kenrussell1093]

About not changing anything if one likes their guitar, I have recently faced that issue myself. I have begun collecting First Act guitars, since they were cheap and becoming somewhat collectible. One in particular that I have is a black w/ white pickguard Strat copy three single coils, with a neck that is similar to a Gibson, in that the headstock slanted back. I paid $100 for it, brought it home and put it away. Then one day I was doing some fret polishing and re-stringing on my guitars. When I tuned this one up and started to play it, I was totally shocked by the playability, the beautiful clean sound, and how quiet it was when just sitting on the stand. I have a Strat, two Teles, and a 1975 Les Paul, and I swear I haven't picked any of them up since I started playing this First Act strat copy. So of course, I first thought that there must be something I could change on it, but after two months of playing it, I have decided that it is perfect, just like it is. Do you have a Patreon account? I would certainly like to send some cash your way to help you out.

[@henrykobee]

I think I saw one of your videos two years ago… and then you disappeared from my feed. Glad I could get back, now I wonì’t miss any other vid man, you’re one of the best here on YT

[@richclayton5785]

Good explanation and good advice. Size in and of itself is only important when space is a consideration-as you said. If I change a pot its not working properly or - big or: if the feel is loose, wobbly or lacks torque feel.

[@interpolagent9]

I recently bought a '98 Epiphone Korina Flying V. The seller said it had upgraded pickups, new pots, totally rewired by his "guitar tech" and "professionally" set up. I tried it briefly at his place of business, so I didn't feel I could give it a proper workout. Got it home, plugged it in, and realized that I had NO volume until 5 on the dial, and from 5 - 10 had a marginal increase in volume. The tone didn't work at all. He had a phase/out of phase switch installed, which I think is what is causing the problems. I'm no tech guy by any stretch but I watch a shit ton of videos because I enjoy learning about guitars, amps, etc. Anyway....the guitar is now at a reputable guitar shop, hopefully being restored back to stock. The guy I use worked on my JCM900, so I trust him. Thankfully, the pickups are worth more than what I paid for the guitar, so I think I am still ahead, even after the repair bill comes in. I enjoy your videos a lot. Cheers

[@EvilDragon666]

Awesome video, Dylan! I didn't know about "no-load" pots, that sounds like a really useful thing to have on a tone pot!

[@DylanTalksTone]

Thank you

[@brianbarrett5987]

I just changed out the pots in a mid 80's Americans strat. The previous owner had put a push-pull tone pot in there and had a little different wiring from standard. I don't think the values I put in or any different then what was in there before all 250k. I did the wiring perf Ender American Standard spec. The only difference was the capacitor which instead of a 22 which it had before I replaced it with a 44 orange drop. For whatever reason the signal seems to have a lot more gain coming through than it did before and I have no idea why. Any thoughts? I wouldn't think the capacitor would have cause to add more gain.

[@jereltoliver6668]

Hi Dylan, How are you? I really trust your opinion on all things guitar. I have just purchased a D'Angelico Bedford Premier guitar with the modified F hole and noticed that the pickups lack attack and clarity. So, should I put new pickups in or check the tolerance of the pots and just change them? Also, what mod or upgrades would you suggest? Thanks in advance, Jerel.

[@morrisalanisette9067]

my guitar sounded so cool with my vintage 70s pot and guitar tech replaced it with a new one which i didn't ask for. i kinda miss what it used to sound like. it had such a unique tone now it just sounds like a normal guitar. when i turned it to 10 before, it would make crazy crunchy sound it was awesome

[@mikecorey8370]

Good video. Learned some things. You should get that facia painted before bad weather gets here.

[@jamiemorgan4146]

Should I change the pots in my 59 Burst ? LOL or in my 60 DC Special ???

[@StringThing68]

Thanks for this vid, Dylan. I've learned so much from you. I recently bought a PRS SE and changed the pots because one of the Alpha pots had a frustrating flat spot. CTS and Switchcraft are my go-tos, but now I want to try Bourns.

[@richardmueller5117]

I have an MIM Deluxe Strat in which the previous owner installed a Shawbucker bridge pickup. This guitar came from the factory with the push-push switch located between the two tone controls knobs. I plan on installing an S-1 switch in the volume knob and rewiring it to make the guitar into the equivalent of the American Deluxe HSS Shawbucker Stratocaster, with the little push-push switch selecting "humbuckers only" no matter where the 5 way switch or the volume S-1 switch are. The wiring diagram for the American Shawbucker Strat shows 250 K's for both tone pots, with .022 caps and N3 pickups. However, the factory tone pots in my MIM Strat are 1MΩ connected to vintage noiseless pickups and no .022 caps. I'm wondering why such high resistance pots? Is it because there are no capacitors on them, or is it something to do with a difference between vintage noiseless and N3 pickups? Should I ditch the 1 MΩ pots and put in the 250s with .022 caps? Thanks

[@sschario60]

I feel smarter after watching your videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and offering your wisdom, Dylan.

[@bilalnachabeh]

5:00 I have a squier strat from the 90's that have those tiny pots. They work perfectly fine after 26 years I only cleaned them with electronic spray cleaner

[@wriglarzzz]

You were very clear and profressional and to the point. Nice job and thank you.

[@peterschmidt9942]

Spot on Dylan. They all do they same thing. Unless the pots faulty, it's way out of spec, or as you said has a weird taper no need to change them. The only thing with cheaper pots is they might die quicker, so change it to something better when it dies. But it's amazing how much time you'll actually get out of cheap pots if you clean it with lube/cleaner occasionally when you hear them getting scratchy.

[@andrewgewirtz8476]

The info in this video makes sense to me, so here’s my question. I have a 1980s archtop with a floating pickup and the volume and tone pots are attached to the pickguard. Because the volume/tone knobs are on the pickguard they are small knobs with no numbers (for a visual of the style think D’Angelico New Yorker). I get no noticeable response from the volume pot until I turn the knob to what would be the equivalent of a “6” on a numbered knob. After the volume kicks on there’s some increase in the volume from that point until the pot is fully open but not much. First, I assume that this situation is indicative of a linear pot and doesn’t necessarily suggest a problem. As for my question, if I change to an audio style pot I assume that my ear will notice some gradient of volume increases from 0 to 6 that I don’t have now but is it possible that because the current pot is 40+ years old that a newer pot will also increase the overall volume available from my pickup when fully opened?

[@jorgecasadob]

Hi Dylan! I got a SD Dimebucker bridge and a SD Invader neck for my Ibanez Gio budget guitar. I’ll be installing a Mallory .022 uF. Which log pots would you recommend? Thanks men 🙂

[@truebadix_rosenflo]

I have a problem with my strat (or myself 😅) and I’m wondering if you can do a long-distance-diagnosis: High-E string and B-String always sound significantly more silent (to my ears and others) than the others although action is quite low and they’re height above the single coils is even closer than it should be according to setup guides I read and watched… I‘ve done loads of adjusting and setup but nothing seems to really solve it. Also I did a „screwdriver test“ on the magnets and they seem to be fine. My question: could it be due to wiring or potis not working properly or are my pickups just fucked (although it’s in any switch position) or is it a thing of setting it up properly (like nut-depth, bridge and so forth)? I’d like to know before I start soldering and swapping things out 😅 Cheers, love your channel ❤️

[@patrickpalmer3374]

I just bought a walnut telecaster body so now I need a neck and all the other things , so this is the best lesson. I have no idea what walnut will do, but know that for what I want to do to this guitar it's beautiful. I'm goig to French polish it after some inlay work maybe, it's a work in the making that needs a neck strat or Tele. I'm not sure how heavy it is it arrives Fri 16 the body is unfinished so I was thinking about sanding a lot if it is heavy. I would really like your opinion on this, I didn't see any body cutouts on it, there were like 4 of these all for 35+- dollars so I grabbed one fore the experimental value, inlays a body that's not a factory fender but something to experiment with in some color tinting acquired as an oil painter as an artist, that and glazing etc working with depth layering over glazed images etc. I'm wondering about pickups wiring pots all that good stuff to compliment the walnut and what will be a stock fender neck with a dark fretboard, all maybes I do know this from watching you in other videos it's a give and take to get the best tone in a build. Good night

[@randysnell9218]

Good info. Doing a Frankenbass Vol, Blend,.Tone on a J-bass circuit.

[@the_nondrive_side]

Try series parallel on a P bass pickup push pull and the no load tone. Parallel P bass does Jazz Bass tones really well

[@Ratria1]

Hey Dylan can you speak about the Fender TBX tone pot . l am new in case you already have .

[@BRZDR]

I like a good pot and not just the kind yer talking about! Just bought my first guitar on sale, a white Fender Strat vintera 60's modified and a monoprice 15w tube amp, it's a bunch of fun. Don't plan on modifying it any time soon, lol after all it already is? Your videos have been super helpful about understanding guitars and pickups. I am carefully learning how to setup my guitar the way I like it and love watching your videos on my lunch break.

[@ryanstark2350]

This is a great channel. You eliminate the BS. I bought an old 1996 Korean Epiphone G400. This was a surprisingly great guitar for the cost. Pickups were not great so I changed those. I also changed the pots and selector switch. The new larger pots were not as good as the original small ones which fitted the knobs better anyway. I put the old ones back in. There was crackling but it turned out that this was the caps. The small pots work perfectly fine. There is tons of BS about all this stuff, especially pickups. Yes, obviously some pickups are better than others but you can put the same pickups in one guitar and they are great but then put them in another guitar and they are not so great.

[@bobbyroberts5964]

New subscriber just wanted to say I've been binge watching your content and love the channel love learning about all this stuff very informative and very intelligent can't believe you only have 20k subs

[@DylanTalksTone]

thanks man. feel free to share.

[@darkinertia2]

+1 on the push pull pot, ive had them break on me because i cheaped out, granted i was doing some weird experimental wirings but you can break them easy

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Musicians are usually curious at to what happens "if" they do some-thing else to their instruments (Electric instruments) and some just like experimenting even if they are happy with the sound they have. Thanks for your help, we need to know why this stuff works. I do hsve a question; "Are potentiometers meant to have a magnetic pull )? The pots in my combo amp(Fender deluxe) had attracted a loose screw which stuck to the Midrange pot. Be good if you could explain.

[@deanallen9660]

I've had pots of all brands vary a lot in capacitance. I almost never use treble bleed but some need it. My Les Paul has 300k linear volumes and it's so easy to control on stage. My 335 has 500k audio. Different but nice too. The one thing more expensive pots often beat the cheap ones is capacitance.

[@rickknowlan8949]

Thanks for a logical, scientific explanation. Well done, Dylan.

[@mattb9371]

I have a ‘71 les Paul custom..rhythm vol pot crackles…but wondering if replacing would adversely effect the value?

[@naciremasti]

This channel is waaaaay to underrated. You should have 100k plus subs.

[@DylanTalksTone]

Thanks so much man. Feel free to share us around.

[@naciremasti]

@@DylanTalksTone ,I always do. You're very personable and knowledgeable. It's because of your videos I've grown into a better guitar tech.

[@7IceCommando7]

Hi Dylan. Great video. Loved your explanation. I recently bought a guitar from Hagstrom. It came with tiny CF pots. The guitar sounds phenomenal, but people have been telling me to change these pots and get larger, more well-known ones just because. They seem to work very well, and after your video, I think I'll keep them.

[@fredzep01]

Thanks Dylan for all this information, I now ready to get stuck into tackle an upgrade on my guitar.

[@duncansbuddy]

This video was really good. Well presented and articulate in presentation. Thank you for sharing.

[@dcaudio1]

Dylan i have a question. I did the unforgivable and changed out all my pickups for fun and experiment. I had a stock MIM fender stratocaster and really liked the gloominess of the ceramic pickups, but just needed a little more top end (HSS) btw. I decided to go with a set of Dimarzio pickups Area 58/61/ and the Dimarzio vintage Humbucker (unwaxed) and changed all the pots to 500k (not sure on brand) and now i have to much top end and the Humbucker is much louder than the single coils. I do have a resistor on the Humbucker tone as well. My goal is to tone down the treble in all three positions especially the humbucker which i now play on 3/4 instead of wide open like i used to. The pickups sound great just want to tone them down a bit. Im thinking 300k maybe....your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[@Ppuffdiddleydangdoof]

Superb video Dylan! So informative. And I do have a question: I use a fairly high gain tone via Pod Go, then ride my volume pot to clean it up. I am not a tone tweaker, crafting lots of different patches for my Pod Go. Much more of a caveman who just wants to plug in and play. Is there a type, brand or style of pot that provides the greatest flexibility & clarity for this? Thanks again for a great video.

[@usynthesis4749]

Love the video, extremely insightful. I had no idea there was such thing as "no load pots". I think that could be useful for people who rarely use the tone pot at all, except on occasion for something very particular. I have to admit, I also thought the little pots were just cheap. 😝

[@420inportland]

Tone Vs Volume pot breakdown would be sweet. Thanks man...

[@MikeCindyWhite]

Great video man, Thanks for all the great vids! I have a pot/pickup question... I have a small guitar repair shop in Mass. and I have a customer with a few of those Dean ML guitars (Big Pantera fan) And I put a new set of Bill Lawrence pups in his #1. So he gives me his #2 and says he thinks somethings wrong with the bridge pup (Seymour Duncan) So I take my multimeter and start checking just by plugging a cable in the output jack and putting clips on the +and - of the cable. His neck pickup reads 7.25k but his bridge pup only reads 4.3? Almost like it's only using 1 coil. So I told him that and he shows up at my shop with another ML! But this was a bolt on neck MLX, (I guess the cheaper version) So I checked those pups the same way and 8.5 on the neck and 9.2 on the bridge, ok excellent, swap pups with his #2, Easy peasy... But when I was getting ready to do the job I was rechecking the resistance on the dead pup and it was up to 6.5 from 4.3? W.T.H.? Lol. At this point I think I'm loosing my mind, Lol so I wen't to double check to make sure the volume pots were up all the way and the bridge pot was only on around 7/8. So I turned it back up to 10 and the resistance wen't back down to 4?? That was yesterday... So today instead of just replacing the pickup I'm going to throw a new mini pot (Dean does use those mini pots, thank god because those cavity's are small!!) And change everything... I know when I pull the pup I can check it the right way (out of the guitar) but what do you think is causing that? Bad pup or pot or both? I only ask cause you said you love talking about this shit! Lol. But I'm puzzled??? thx. again bro............... Mike (Ipswich River Guitars).

I'm sure this has been discussed and addressed, but for weeks my guitar has been sounding different (like a slightly bad cable or connection somewhere) then I noticed my (not brand new) EMG volume pot was crackling when i turned it. So first chance I got I sprayed it through the openings with contact cleaner. Problem seemed to be solved. Soon after I started noticing bad intermittent tone again (like bad cable or connection) then on one gig my guitar just went quiet while playing, I realized it was the volume pot, luckily I had my spare guitar. I guess my point is, bad or cheap or whore out volume pots can definitely be a sound/signal sucker. I replaced the volume pot asap and all is well again. But, I have noticed on some brand new cheap guitars I've had the volume pots are sometimes crackly and dirty sounding even when brand new. So, would I consider upgrading the electronics on a cheap guitar? Yes, if I really like that guitar but just wanted better more reliable electronics.

[@61854425]

I am using a Squier TELE and I recently switched my 250's k to 500's k pots. And i have grounded everything properly. There never use to be any noise before with the 250 pots but now there is ground noise. I have re soldered again the ground but its still having that noise when i remove my hands from the guitar.

[@flyawayhorses]

I rarely do anything with my tone pots, and I'm thinking of building a lap steel just for kicks. Can I actually build one with just a volume pot, and no tone pot?

[@helmanfrow]

I just put new CTS pots into an 1995 Strat Squier series. Log taper 500Ω for volume and linear taper 500Ω for tone to match the original values. The capacitor is a Sprague orange drop. 047f. The problem is that now the taper on all the pots is way off. The volume pot does does almost nothing from 1-5 and suddenly kicks in from 6-10. The tone pots

[@JaffaRoad]

Some pots require more force to turn others are very loose, I like it a bit tighter, is there a way to tighten up the pots that spin easier or this baked into the pot?

[@primtones]

I'm thinking about changing the pots in my Tele Deluxe reissue from 250k to 500k. It sounds muddy. For some reason they put 250k pots in a humbucker guitar.

[@ben-yu3mh]

same exact situation

[@ben-yu3mh]

did it make a difference ?

[@primtones]

@@ben-yu3mh Oh I didn't bother and sold it instead. But now, listening to recordings I did, I kind of like the tone. At least better than the cheap Les Paul copy I got instead.

[@land.1368]

@@ben-yu3mh i think 500k makes a huge difference if you play metal and want that super crisp and harmonic heavy tone. But if you are stuck with 250k you can always try to make up for it with the equalizer.

[@bh8365]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. The tone pot on my low end priced guitar purchased for a nephew no longer functions. I'm trying to build up the courage to replace it. You probably have vids on that subject.

[@drvon81]

Funny thing I use Bourns pots in voltage and speed controls on older generator controls for work. They're reliable and good quality for sure.

[@raimondspadaro8211]

What a great video on Pot!! Very instructive and I learned a lot. I always thought that if you are happy with the pot you got, then you will use it a lot. Never get it too hot, or it could smoke a lot. I heard that you can get pot online. Could you recommend a good dealer? I'm looking for something with a nice audio-visual type taper. Thanks, love your channel!!

[@stanburtt]

Thanks for your no nonsense approach and content based on fact , not opinion or “tradition”. Could you please do a vid on the pros and cons of passive vs active pickups, and the interchangeability between them - going from active to passive and vice versa. Also why a higher percentage of basses vs guitar are active. Cheers

[@abhinavguitar]

6:08 best advice ever! Thank you for such great, content rich videos Dylan!

[@rsty138]

Yes video on Tone vs Volume pots. Both Fender and Gibson plus why add capacitors??

[@andyt6191]

Yamaha push/push pots were awesome silky smooth! Tap it does coil split tap again full humbucker!

[@brokemanfishing6413]

Just picked up a hot mess of a used guitar. The push/pull time knob has a lot of play. Ive tried tightening the nuts but it still has slack. It works, but is it living on borrowed time?

[@DocArthurTX]

I have found that push-pull pots have crappy taper. Even Bourns. Why is that?

[@allanwhittick2930]

I agree completely Dylan, if you like what you have, don't change anything, some of the best advice I've heard in a long time. I use dimarzio pots, love the taper but, I do believe bourn's or cts makes them for dimarzio.

[@frankscassi4960]

I never thought about how the diameter of the pot affects the dialing precision. I never had problems with small pots, and always thought about using bigger knobs for more accuracy (if needed), but your point is 100% right and I never thought about it. Thanks!

[@BigEdWo]

it's 100% wrong. the diameter of the pot affects nothing but the diameter of the knob everything.

[@frankscassi4960]

@@BigEdWo it's easier to choose the exact position on a longer piece of material with the same resistence

[@IamtheWV17]

@@frankscassi4960 this is not true.... both circles have the same infinite number of points.... those infinite points relate perfectly to the paired infinite series of points on the knobs rotation.

[@frankscassi4960]

@@IamtheWV17 of course, it's just easier to dial the exact point you want. Have you ever drawn an angle with a protractor? 1 degree with a small diameter protractor is not that easy to draw, much easier with a larger one. It's simple geometry: the circular arc of a 1 degree angle of a circle with a 1 inch radius (0.0174 in) is smaller than the circular arc of a 1 degree angle of a circle with a 2 inch radius (0.0349 in)

[@IamtheWV17]

@@frankscassi4960 still wrong, you're drawing with the knob. 1° of sweep on the knob = 1° of sweep on the pot, regardless of pot size.

[@Matthew-e3u7r]

I love the way you explain things. This is going in my Dylan Talks Tone folder.

[@stephentower8632]

I used 500 pots and orange drop .47 cap on 59 Seymour Duncan Les Paul re pro pick up alone in a single pu 57 Epi Junior re pro with one bridge pu( p 100 crap). And its great, fantastic tonal range, tganks!!

[@hamma4276]

I have a question about push/pulls. I have a late 80's BC Rich ST III which is a strat shape that came with an HSS configuration, Master vol, Master tone & 3 (on/off) mini switches, giving every possible pick up configuration, which I originally liked. The problem is that I'm the type of player who likes to use all my tonal options, & certain combinations (like neck/middle to just the bridge) can be tricky especially when preforming (body movements, lighting, singing backups etc...). So.... Ultimately I refurbished it a couple of times over the years, & in the end I swapped out two of the mini switches for a three way toggle, & wired the 3rd as a kill switch, which I prefer. I also removed the middle pup at one point as it died on me. As the guitar sits today it's in an HS congratulation with a push/pull on the volume knob for coil tap, & a 3 way toggle. So my question is this: if I put a middle pup back in & replaced the tone pot with a push/pull pot, can I wire it so that the push/pull acts like a mini switch (on/off) for the middle pup so that I can get all of the pup combinations on the fly with easier switching? That being said I'm perfectly fine with the HS configuration & a 3 way toggle, but wouldn't mind having the option of using a middle pup when needed.

[@crabejoss]

I think I have a question, people made decision about brightness of their pot individually but never consider the global load of their circuit. I don't know if there is a way to calculate global Kohms for instance 2 vol and 2 tone or 1 Master, 2 vols and one global tone. Another question, when you choose one pickup only, is there a loss / or a load from the vol and tone of the other inactive pickups (but connected by the ground to the circuit) ??

[@CyclopsGuitars8642]

I’ve been using Bourne for 10 yrs now.I like em too,very smooth & they don’t cut out on you

[@artistled]

Hey Dylan! Which resistance amount would you suggest for split coil volume and tone pots, 500k or 250k?

[@maakatipa4613]

Just bought a squire affinity Tele HH. First thing i did was check that it actually had 500k pots, which it does, Mini's. it also has a circuit board type of three way switch. Going to change the three way switch because they just aren't as good. But also going to change the pots because they are very scratchy. They feel like they have been sitting in sand for a month. Was disappointed to see that you are no longer making the replacement control units. But i do understand. Can you tell me who else makes a complete control unit that is worth buying.??

[@kcir3r3av3r]

what about the two tone knobs on strats? what pickup do they control, or maybe which pickup?

[@nicholaswilson598]

My problem is I have a guitar that made in Korea in the late 80s early 90s. One day I was playing with the gain on my pedal and the bridge humbucker went out. How do you know if it is the pot or the pickup. I've been playing for over half my life now, but I'm just now getting serious about modding and setup. Please advise. And thank you for this video too helped tremendously on the understanding what the pots actually do.

[@vincentborrowdale3093]

THE BETTER INFORMED WE ARE ,THE BETTER INFORMED WE ARE ,FORWARNED ,FORARMED .FIGHT THE FALSE FORCE. THANK YOU DYLAN.HEART OF GOLD TO YOU , STAY PURE.

[@spencerfreed6947]

Thanks for the info and great video!! Totally confirmed my issue with my PRS semi-hollowbody. The volume pots do nothing...not much... not much...cut out! And it sucks as I'm trying to get better about utilizing my guitar controls especially with my overdrive and fuzz pedals. Do you have a good recommendation for electronics I should switch too? Running 2 custom McCarty humbuckers with the typical 2 tone, 2 volume and 3-way toggle switch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Love the pickups and the tone knows sweep pleasantly enough but the volume pots.....ugh!!

[@LeeShcolnik]

Thank you DTT! That was succinct and easy to understand.

[@J.C...]

I thought the same until this last time. Swapping CTS pots in to replace fullsize, crackly Alpha pots made a HUGE difference. And it wasn't related to resistance specs. The Alphas were all 505k-536k while the CTS were 477k-505k. Its louder overall, much clearer, and just generally sounds better. No idea why. I used polypropylene caps and 50s wiring and I'm pretty sure it was already 50s wiring.

[@JustaMessOfficial]

Dylan (or anybody), I put a hot dual humbucker inside my jazzmaster (bridge). The tone is still not where I want it to be (want more heavy). Is there anything I can do (maybe change out pots)?

[@FingalPersson]

i considering changing pots on my squier and on my fender. I guess i have to buy 3 tone/volume 500K pots for the Fender strat and 2 for the Squier Telecaster. I have a Dimarzio chopper for bridge pickup in the Squier tele, and the bridge on my strat is a Seymore Duncan Hot rails!

[@bluesmonkey4463]

Dylan is a wealth of knowledge and information and this man makes sense to me so much other bullshit on the internet and if I want answers I listen to Dylan he's a Legend !