volume pots for lower gain

[tom18222]

are there any pots available that are like...good for rolling off gain. most of the ones i noticed, when you roll off its almost the same sound until the last 1/8th turn.

 

[Micter]

That's gonna be the amp's issue not the volume pot. If you are using a distorion pedal in front of the amp that could cause it as well.

 

[Guitarer]

A tone bleed would help your volume pot have more effectiveness in that area, but I don't think a new pot will help much, if at all.

 

[Ford Van]

This will help with a little understanding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

The taper will effect how your volume is turned down, as well as the ohm of resistance as I recall.

 

[crazydoc]

are there any pots available that are like...good for rolling off gain. most of the ones i noticed, when you roll off its almost the same sound until the last 1/8th turn.

I don't know what your application is, but it could be the pots you are concerned with have the wrong taper. Our loudness perception is logarithmic, so generally gain control pots have a logarithmic (aka audio) taper, as opposed to linear taper.

Read the articles below for a further explanation. You may want to replace the potentiometer in question with one of the same resistance, but a different taper.

http://sound.westhost.com/pots.htm
http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/volumepot.shtml

Also, some pots that are called audio taper are poorly manufactured (see articles above) so in fact may not be tapered correctly. You could just try upgrading the pot with the same taper, but a different, higher quality manufacturer

edit: I see Ford Van beat me to the taper question while I was slowly hunt and pecking my response.

 

[pohaku]

When I had new PUPs put in my LP, my tech also recapped the guitar with what he said were "orange drop" caps and I believe also added a resistor to the volume circuit. Now the volume pots actually do roll off more smoothly as opposed to the "cliff" roll off that you described, and the mod significantly improved the tone control as well. The volume pots were not changed - so apparently this can be fixed by tweaking the electronics. Talk to your guitar tech. I think this is the mod that he did for the volume pots:

http://www.mojomusicalsupply.com/item.asp?pid=573981&pg=13963&id=2113347

I know that there are volume "upgrade" kits that replace the pots as well, but you might want to chat with your tech about your options.

 

[Light]

are there any pots available that are like...good for rolling off gain. most of the ones i noticed, when you roll off its almost the same sound until the last 1/8th turn.

That sounds like a linear pot. Audio taper pots shouldn't sound like that, and MOST guitars have audio taper pots.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Light]

A tone bleed would help your volume pot have more effectiveness in that area, but I don't think a new pot will help much, if at all.

Ah, no, not even kind of right.


If your pot is a linear taper pot, it's not going to roll off smoothly. Changing to a audio taper will make a big difference. A treble bypass cap will just keep your guitar from loosing highs as you roll of the volume (and make your guitar brighter in the first place - which is why I'm not that fond of them).

Oh, and for some reason a lot of `70's Gibson's came with linear taper pots. I've never heard anyone explain exactly why, but they did.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Guitarer]

A treble bypass cap will just keep your guitar from loosing highs as you roll of the volume (and make your guitar brighter in the first place - which is why I'm not that fond of them).

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Oh, my bad. I just remember someone suggesting one to me when I was looking at a single channel amp (to turn down my guitar's volume to get a clean) and I figured that and gain would be somewhat related.