Post
by Brad H » Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:49 pm
That's because volume pots are "audio taper" (A1M) rather than "linear taper" (B1M). It has everything to do with the way we hear. Your tones are linear (except for bass). If you take a pot (unwired) and measure across one of the outside lugs and the middle lug, you will get the resistance reading (since a pot is just a variable resistor). The lower the setting, the higher the resistance, until you get to zero, which then the resistance should be almost exactly whatever size pot you have (ex. 25k), and vice versa, at full open the resistance should measure almost zero. An audio taper will change very slightly until you reach about 80%, then it will increase all at once. A linear changes evenly. Easy way to tell is to take the pot to half, and measure. A linear will measure exactly half of your pot size (ex. 25k pot, reads 12.5k at half). An audio will read more like 19 at half.