How to Make a No-Load Volume Pot

[@fuckenps3]

Thank you very much for this informative tutorial. Everybody on the web was getting into arguments about how it couldn't be done and you're over here with a simple and effective solution.

[@RobMods]

Thanks mate. Glad you like the video!

[@seanedwards773]

This is such a cool mod especially for people where access to fancy pots like no load and push pulls is limited. Thanks for the video!

[@howardklopak628]

I really like the option of getting maximum top end out of basses & guitars (you can always take it away later) and find less pot load make a noticable differece. A favortie mod I do for Les Pauls is split coils, flip one magnet & wire that PUP out-of-phase, single tone control and a bass cut tone, plus what we call "Blast Thru" from a pull switch on one of the tone controls, which gets rid of everything except the PUPs and selector switch. The Blast Thrut adds a sublte high top end that can be really nice with cleaner tone and gentle chord pick raking or funky stuff. I have a 74 Fender P bass that I installed an additional bridge P pickup into about 45 years ago. . . so it has 2 x orignal era P-Pickups. In a perfect world my P-Bass would be: - No load volume pots on both PUPs for max top end (Love this idea). - Switch to make PUPs go in Series (pull on Neck Volume) which is an amazing sound IMO (I have done this to every passive J Bass I own). - Tone hi-cut (normal) and also a low-cut (bass dump). .hopefully when you pull the tone pot switch it becomes a Bass Dump control. . . . all be done without more than the 3 controls (like a J). Can it be done? This is going to make my head hurt. Am I crazy?

[@MatsOrbation]

Great video, and explanation. If you ramp up the no-load on both tone and volume it's like "directly out" from the pickups. However, my incentive for a no-load vol, would be kind of different, and I have to ask you the following: 1. How much resistance mechanically is there to the dent you made in the wafer travel? I am thinking of using that no-load VOL to equip my Strat (regular) with it. The vol knob is always placed too close to the bridge and strumming area. I've for years yearned after som knob or something that LOCKS the pot in the max position, because I always inadvertently strum the vol knob out of position. And I only strum loud when I have the guitar vol at max. So if that little dent is enough to NOT KNOCK IT OUT OF POSITION I would be all ears. I am just touching it ever so slightly but it's enough to knock it down to 6-7 of a 10 max. And if it is - on top of that - doing no-load as well it is as loud as can be. It's actually so much that I don't care about no-load TONE controls at all... 2. or if the resistance/mechanical is too small, could you make the dent "stronger"? Like in those preamp pots with a center detent. I love to make volume swells with my pinky, so the resistance can't be that huge for the rest of the travel. It has to be smooth.

[@EvLoutonian]

Nice one!

[@wysiwyg2489]

I am building a dual stack pot Jazz bass. Do you know where to find circuit improvements to this design? I've heard that adding a couple or resistors may eliminate the cross talk issue of the design. Any assistance is appreciated, thanks!

[@RobMods]

Have a look on the Talk Bass Pickups forum. I've written posts about this in the past, and also posted a few wiring diagrams. The original circuit had the vol pots wired as standard, and had two 220K summing resistors. This is not a great circuit. The reissue had the vol pots wired with the pickup hot wires on the wipers (like the now standard VVT wiring.) The issue with this is that the tone pots are interactive. Personally I don't really see a huge problem with that, but if you want a little more independence, you can use a couple of small resistors, say 10k to 22k, to sum the signal from the two clockwise volume pot lugs.

[@wysiwyg2489]

@@RobMods Hello Rob, thank you for the quick reply. I will check the forum. I am not an electrical engineer and not sure what are the wipers, etc. but will figure it out. Thanks again!

[@waynegram8907]

EVH eddie van halen wah its said that he opened up the wah pot and carved his own Curve into the resistive element. How can you Carve your own curve into the resistive element?

[@RobMods]

You can't. It sounds like one of those old roadie's tales to me... :)

[@gregorwalton]

Couldn't you just cut the track on a single gang 250k pot? What's the advantage of putting another track in series?

[@gregorwalton]

Sorry, just realised it's volume and not tone and they are wired differently

[@MatsOrbation]

But I do wonder why these are not readily for sale, finsihed and made like that from the start on, just like all no-load tone pots out there. Couldn't be that hard. And if they would be made like BOURNS pots, with polymer, or ceramic travel they would never scratch or have to be sprayed.

[@RobMods]

I guess this is really more academic for me. Realising that a no-load volume pot is possible. But TBH, a lot of pickups will sound quite strange without the loading from a pot or two. The other issue is that the treble response will change more depending on the input z of the amp or pedal or whatever you are plugging into. It's a good project and worth trying, but it won't suit many I'd think.