Ordered a whole bunch of parts from GFS

[Robert****]

It's a push/pull that does a coil split yes. The volume knob doesn't clean up so well - it mostly reduces volume. I want to behave like my Tele knob but maybe that's how it wired? I don't know enough about wiring these thingamabobs.

[abraxas]

It's a push/pull that does a coil split yes. The volume knob doesn't clean up so well - it mostly reduces volume. I want to behave like my Tele knob but maybe that's how it wired? I don't know enough about wiring these thingamabobs.

Robert, just read your review.

What you want to do with the volume pot is called "treble bleeding" and it's commonly done by wiring a resistor across the two hot terminals of the volume pot. There is a better solution that I've used and can be found here:

http://www.kinman.com/html/toneWorks...htm#volumePots

Hope this helps.

[Robert****]

Thanks a lot Abraxas! I just gotta go find that kind if resistor somewhere. That should fix it. Thanks again - live and learn!

[marnold***]

Is that the way your Tele is wired?

[abraxas]

Thanks a lot Abraxas! I just gotta go find that kind if resistor somewhere. That should fix it. Thanks again - live and learn!

Robert, something important I forgot to mention. Is the volume pot on the 51, logarithmic? Log pots are usually stamped with "A", but sometimes they're not. If not, volume increase/drop will be linear, no matter what.

Those resistors/capacitors can be found in every electronics store.

[r_a_smith3530]

Just as a comparison, I am currently getting genuine CTS pots for $4.50 each. CTS is generally what you will find inside of either Gibson or Fender Custom Shop instruments, and domestic G&L's. Also, genuine SwitchCraft jacks can be had for about $3.50 or so. The original CTS pots in both my old '83 G&L S-500 and my '84 Gibson Les Paul Studio were absolutely flawless, with nary a hint of extraneous noise throughout their range. There are other places where I will cut costs but switches, pots and jacks aren't one.

My recent fretless SX jazz style bass upgrade is a perfect case in point. Taking in the three pots and the jack, I would have saved less than ten dollars by swapping out the noticeably scratchy stock pots for ones that are virtual duplicates. Instead, I got hardware that will outlast the bass in question!

I also did the same recently for my kid's neglected Squire Affinity Strat. Here, I used GFS pickups (the Texas Hots), because I didn't want to throw $150 worth of Duncan pickups into a $150 guitar, but again, to get the most out of those GFS pickups, I went with CTS and Switchcraft hardware, replacing the pots, jack, and 5-way. I ended up with an instrument that I am not embarrassed in the least to hand off to a visitor for a jam session. I've already received several very favorable comments on the guitar.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Thanks for the info Rob. Last night I replaced the strings on my Godin Radiator
and decided to take off the huge MOTS pickguard & take a look inside.

The two volume & one tone pots were all 250K. There was a green capacitor (I assume that is what it was) across the tone pot, but there were no markings on it. Do you have an idea what type of capacitor that might be?

[sunvalleylaw]

Just as a comparison, I am currently getting genuine CTS pots for $4.50 each. CTS is generally what you will find inside of either Gibson or Fender Custom Shop instruments, and domestic G&L's. Also, genuine SwitchCraft jacks can be had for about $3.50 or so. The original CTS pots in both my old '83 G&L S-500 and my '84 Gibson Les Paul Studio were absolutely flawless, with nary a hint of extraneous noise throughout their range. There are other places where I will cut costs but switches, pots and jacks aren't one.

My recent fretless SX jazz style bass upgrade is a perfect case in point. Taking in the three pots and the jack, I would have saved less than ten dollars by swapping out the noticeably scratchy stock pots for ones that are virtual duplicates. Instead, I got hardware that will outlast the bass in question!

I also did the same recently for my kid's neglected Squire Affinity Strat. Here, I used GFS pickups (the Texas Hots), because I didn't want to throw $150 worth of Duncan pickups into a $150 guitar, but again, to get the most out of those GFS pickups, I went with CTS and Switchcraft hardware, replacing the pots, jack, and 5-way. I ended up with an instrument that I am not embarrassed in the least to hand off to a visitor for a jam session. I've already received several very favorable comments on the guitar.

Great information. Thank you. When I do get a guitar for my kid, or a backup for me, I will be looking into that. What is your source for the CTS and Switchcraft parts?

[Tone2TheBone]

Thanks for the info Rob. Last night I replaced the strings on my Godin Radiator
and decided to take off the huge MOTS pickguard & take a look inside.

The two volume & one tone pots were all 250K. There was a green capacitor (I assume that is what it was) across the tone pot, but there were no markings on it. Do you have an idea what type of capacitor that might be?

tOt - a ceramic tone capacitor...probably either .022 micro farad or .047 micro farad most likely the .022

[r_a_smith3530]

Great information. Thank you. When I do get a guitar for my kid, or a backup for me, I will be looking into that. What is your source for the CTS and Switchcraft parts?

Usually, I get stuff from Torres Engineering, but sometimes from Allparts. I also get stuff from my friend Steve.

Torres Engineering

Allparts

My friend Steve, a.k.a. Guitar Pro Shop

BTW, if you are in Illinois and need some really high class work done, Steve is your "go to" guy. If I broke a headstock, Steve is the only guy (outside of Dan Erlewine) that I would trust to make it right. I have seen Steve put Humpty Dumpty back together again numerous times!

[kerc]

You can get CTS pots (and a LOT of other stuf) from Guitarpartsresource.com. Quick service and easy to deal with.



I put CTS pots in my First Act ME501 and it did wonders for the sound..."Opened" up the tone. It already has nice Alnico humbuckers, so this axe is sounding pretty good.

[sunvalleylaw]

You can get CTS pots (and a LOT of other stuf) from Guitarpartsresource.com. Quick service and easy to deal with.



I put CTS pots in my First Act ME501 and it did wonders for the sound..."Opened" up the tone. It already has nice Alnico humbuckers, so this axe is sounding pretty good.

Thanks guys. I have bookmarked all yourlinks in my Music bookmarks folder. Will have to split that folder up soon due to how full it is getting.

[Robert****]

Are the CTS pots much better than the GuitarFetish pots? I don't really know what the difference is.

[F_BSurfer]

right now the only differance between the GFS and Cts pots is cosmetic and not functional have not test any of push pull pots from GFS will soon as far as there 250 k and 500 k pots though they all have been more than acceptable they have a narrower shaft and longer shaft

[r_a_smith3530]

right now the only differance between the GFS and Cts pots is cosmetic and not functional have not test any of push pull pots from GFS will soon as far as there 250 k and 500 k pots though they all have been more than acceptable they have a narrower shaft and longer shaft

Time is the judge of a great pot, and CTS has stood the test of time in countless guitars and amplifiers. Come back in twenty or thirty years and repeat that statement about there being no functional difference between CTS and the Alphas! Alpha pots are not of the same quality as CTS. There is a visible difference in the assembly quality, and if you take the two apart, you will see the difference inside as well, with better quality bushings, reostats, and wipers in the CTS product.

There is a reason why CTS pots are spec'd for top end guitars, and also why they are the pot of choice for the top luthiers in the country. If you look into the control cavity of an old Fender Tele, or the control panel of a silverface Twin Reverb, you will find CTS.

My 1984 Les Paul was getting ready for a refret job, but its original CTS pots were working as well as on the day it was new. Similarly, my '83 G&L S500's CTS pots (all 1981 date codes) worked just as flawlessly. I can also say the same for my '85 G&L L-2000 bass, as its pots, per Leo's specs, are CTS.

Anyway, YMMV, but that extra dollar is cheap insurance against the sound of static as I adjust my volume or tone. For that reason, I choose CTS.

[Tim]

I put 500 K CTS pots in my Tele Custom. I loose a lot of volume and frequency when going from 10 - 8 on the volume dial. Anything below 8 really affects the tone. By the time I turn down to 4 or 3, I only have a flat response signal. I am using a .022 cap on the neck pup and a .047 cap on the bridge. Is this normal response to the CTS pots?

[duhvoodooman***]

I put 500 K CTS pots in my Tele Custom. I loose a lot of volume and frequency when going from 10 - 8 on the volume dial. Anything below 8 really affects the tone. By the time I turn down to 4 or 3, I only have a flat response signal. I am using a .022 cap on the neck pup and a .047 cap on the bridge. Is this normal response to the CTS pots?

Tim, sounds like you should try that "treble bleed" technique described in the Kinman link in Abraxas' post further up this thread....

[tot_Ou_tard]

I put 500 K CTS pots in my Tele Custom. I loose a lot of volume and frequency when going from 10 - 8 on the volume dial. Anything below 8 really affects the tone. By the time I turn down to 4 or 3, I only have a flat response signal. I am using a .022 cap on the neck pup and a .047 cap on the bridge. Is this normal response to the CTS pots?

Tim,

Not that I know what I'm talking about, but were those linear or logarithmic tapers?

I'm looking for strat-style saddle intonation *Screws & Springs*. I don't need new saddles only the adjustment screws. I couldn't find them at guitarpartsresource.com, nor at Stewart Mac. Anybody know where I can get these? I should probably email those sites, I'm sure that they *must* have them.

[Johnny Z]

Oh yea they do a good job at GFS. I picked up some tele parts and a tele type staggered Humbucker for the neck, sounds wonderful, now I can finally play decent jazz on my Tele. I'll be getting a few parts for a Hard Tail Strat I'm building.