best vintage type 500k audio pots ?

[electricskychurch]

i'm looking for some pots to replace some in some historic 59' ri les paul's and tried some CTS 500k audio taper through RS guitar works but they measure quiet low (430 to 460 k depending on temperature) and many are quiet hard and slow to turn.
those are the ones he sells as parts , not the ones in kits that might be selected.
i will try his super pots but they don't have a regular audio taper, so i would like to know if i can find somewhere some good quality short shafts 500k audio pots (measuring 500 to 600k ) , that are easy to turn , other than the regular CTS found at RS guitar works ?

[HTH]

I just got a 450-series CTS pot off ebay, it measures 550k.

[Mars Hall]

I got the Dr. Vintage "Early Spec" kit for my R7. My buddy has the RS super pots on his GT and I felt they were a little stiff. This Dr. V kit really opened up the tone of the pu's. What I use to get out of the stock pots on 10, is a 6 with the Dr. V controls, the rest is all tone that was hidden before the swap. They have a nice feel, not tight at all.

http://doctorvintage.com/drv1_controls.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[electricskychurch]

550k and you bought just one !
you are very lucky, unless it was selected, cause they mostly fall between 430 and 460k depending on the temp.
is it easy to turn ?

did you buy it from UK ?

i checked DR vintage but he doesn't seem to sell the pots apart, only in the kits.
90 $ is much money for 4 pots.
also ,it 's not very clear what taper he uses.
i wonder if it's not the same as RS super pots.
at least his pots look the same it seems.
i'd like to find an audio taper but maybe i will try some of those custom pots (rs or dr vintage ) just to see.

[electricskychurch]

550k and you bought just one !
you are very lucky, unless it was selected, cause they mostly fall between 430 and 460k depending on the temp.
is it easy to turn ?

did you buy it from UK ?

i checked DR vintage but he doesn't seem to sell the pots apart, only in the kits.
90 $ is much money for 4 pots.
also ,it 's not very clear what taper he uses.
i wonder if it's not the same as RS super pots.
at least his pots look the same it seems.
i'd like to find an audio taper but maybe i will try some of those custom pots (rs or dr vintage ) just to see.
i like the stock ones in my 96 and 97' les paul 59' ri's but 1 is scratchy.

[Mars Hall]

i checked DR vintage but he doesn't seem to sell the pots apart, only in the kits.
90 $ is much money for 4 pots.
also ,it 's not very clear what taper he uses.
i wonder if it's not the same as RS super pots.
at least his pots look the same it seems.
i'd like to find an audio taper but maybe i will try some of those custom pots (rs or dr vintage ) just to see.

The custom taper is designed to have a more even response. As you turn the pot there is no "hump" in the volume, a sharp decrease or increase in volume. Each number on the knob gets "evenly" louder.

You do get 2 "military grade" PIO caps with the kit as well, along with the bare ground wires.

I have tried the RS Super pots, they are not the same. Each Co. Dr. V and RS have CTS make the pots to their specification. Both advertise their pots to read well over 500k. The Dr.V's have a looser feel to them, comparable to the original pots in my 63 es345, not stiff like the RS.

[yngwie308]

Dr. Vintage...
yngwie308

[electricskychurch]

thanks for your answer.

what i like with the abrupt audio taper is that i can make some volume effects very quickly just with some very little twist on the volume knob, it makes real volume variations .
i could do that very well with the stock gibson ones in my 59' ri's but teh taper of the CTS 500k audio i had bought from RS seems to be different ( my les paul 59's are from 96' and 97' ...).

at least i felt it on the one i installed on my 97' one .
i had bought more than 20 of them from RS and didn't notice that on the other ones (although i might not have used them that way as much as i do on that guitar) .
there might be a tolerance in teh taper as well, i don't know.

maybe i should try to find some older CTS pots with the dish at the back (not like the actual vintage style flat back) like they used in the custom shop at that time.

[yngwie308]

thanks for your answer.

what i like with the abrupt audio taper is that i can make some volume effects very quickly just with some very little twist on the volume knob, it makes real volume variations .
i could do that very well with the stock gibson ones in my 59' ri's but teh taper of the CTS 500k audio i had bought from RS seems to be different ( my les paul 59's are from 96' and 97' ...).

at least i felt it on the one i installed on my 97' one .
i had bought more than 20 of them from RS and didn't notice that on the other ones (although i might not have used them that way as much as i do on that guitar) .
there might be a tolerance in teh taper as well, i don't know.

maybe i should try to find some older CTS pots with the dish at the back (not like the actual vintage style flat back) like they used in the custom shop at that time.

Just email Dr. Vintage, he knows more about pots than anyone else I know of including RS, you name it. He studies all the types of pts, rebuilds old ones, catalogs them and measures and matches them, ect.
Dave

[Mars Hall]

thanks for your answer.

what i like with the abrupt audio taper is that i can make some volume effects very quickly just with some very little twist on the volume knob, it makes real volume variations .
i could do that very well with the stock gibson ones in my 59' ri's but teh taper of the CTS 500k audio i had bought from RS seems to be different ( my les paul 59's are from 96' and 97' ...).

at least i felt it on the one i installed on my 97' one .
i had bought more than 20 of them from RS and didn't notice that on the other ones (although i might not have used them that way as much as i do on that guitar) .
there might be a tolerance in teh taper as well, i don't know.

maybe i should try to find some older CTS pots with the dish at the back (not like the actual vintage style flat back) like they used in the custom shop at that time.

Just email Dr. Vintage, he knows more about pots than anyone else I know of including RS, you name it. He studies all the types of pts, rebuilds old ones, catalogs them and measures and matches them, ect.
Dave

Sounds like you want the volume spike to manipulate the pot as an effect. In that case the the "custom" taper pots won't be for you. My issue with the original pots, on my R7, were when turning down to clean up the sound, if I went to far I would drop out of the mix.

So what is it about the stock pots you don't like? Are you just looking for something > 500k? Dave is right, there is no one more knowlegable about the old Gibson pots than Dr.V. Contact him, he may be able to point you in the right direction. Here's some of his research.

http://doctorvintage.com/electrics/gib_electricals.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[electricskychurch]

i like the stock pots of my 96 & 97 les paul 59' ri's but one volume is scratchy so i need to change it.
the new ones CTS 500k are too low ( 430 to 460 k) and are quiet hard to turn , at least when new.

i will contact him.

[TONGA]

Ok getting ready to do a build and some retro fitting to another guitar. What is all this talk about this brand of pot or that brand of pot, is there really that big a difference? I always thought that if a pot measured in the range you wanted and it was quiet then one was the same as the next??
And while we are talking about pots, dose any one know where I can get a pair of pots for my old TO crybaby stereo/wha/volume/distortion pedal?

[Tone Slinger]

I think they are called "Pro Line", the cheapest pot's at Guitar Center. Anyway's, I've got them in a couple of guitars and have had no issue's. I get what I need when turning the knob. I measured my last one, it read 480k. They are about $3.97 or there abouts. They look and react about like the Dimarzio pot's I used in the 80's.

[HTH]

550k and you bought just one !
you are very lucky, unless it was selected, cause they mostly fall between 430 and 460k depending on the temp.
is it easy to turn ?

did you buy it from UK ?

i checked DR vintage but he doesn't seem to sell the pots apart, only in the kits.
90 $ is much money for 4 pots.
also ,it 's not very clear what taper he uses.
i wonder if it's not the same as RS super pots.
at least his pots look the same it seems.
i'd like to find an audio taper but maybe i will try some of those custom pots (rs or dr vintage ) just to see.

Here's the auction... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 740wt_1082" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The 450 series have a 10% tolerance, meaning you could get a pot anywhere from 450k to 550k.

I'm sure they would select one out for you with a certain measurement if you asked (and paid a little extra).

The one and only time I emailed Dr.V, I was told he will not sell single pots (and he was actually quite rude/sarcastic).