Guitar Tech not knowing the 550K pots :/

[vinchester]

Last week I gleefully went to a local guitar shop to get my BKP installed into my axe. I brought a set of pots and caps I got from Tim as well. When I talked to the tech that I want to "upgrade" the stock pots... here's the conversation;

Me : these are 550k pots I got.
Tech : *looks at the pots* No these are 500k.
Me : Well I ordered it from BKP. They ARE 550K CTS pots.
Tech : There is no such thing. Pots come in 250k, 500k, or 1meg.
Me : okay.. just put them in would you?


So here's my doubt that why these CTS pots have NO LABEL or whatsoever on them that states its value. Maybe these are really 500K pots? But our man Tim wouldn't make such a mistake! It's so clear in the order that I wanted 550K pots. ...

Also I am a little surprised that an average guitar tech doesn't know 550K pots exist :/ This has happened to me on more than a few occasions!

[hunter]

Last week I gleefully went to a local guitar shop to get my BKP installed into my axe. I brought a set of pots and caps I got from Tim as well. When I talked to the tech that I want to "upgrade" the stock pots... here's the conversation;

Me : these are 550k pots I got.
Tech : *looks at the pots* No these are 500k.
Me : Well I ordered it from BKP. They ARE 550K CTS pots.
Tech : There is no such thing. Pots come in 250k, 500k, or 1meg.
Me : okay.. just put them in would you?


So here's my doubt that why these CTS pots have NO LABEL or whatsoever on them that states its value. Maybe these are really 500K pots? But our man Tim wouldn't make such a mistake! It's so clear in the order that I wanted 550K pots. ...

Also I am a little surprised that an average guitar tech doesn't know 550K pots exist :/ This has happened to me on more than a few occasions!

Either they are selected CTS pots or especially manufactured for that value. But does it matter as long as it sounds good? Selected I say because from my experience they can vary quite a bit, so I have seen pots measuring 550K also in the standard 500K range.

You could also just use a multi meter and measure them (so could have your guitar tech by the way, he might just have done it rather than be that arrogant pr**k to you).

[Keven]

a lot of guitar techs only have skills to read a schematic and solder parts togheter. same thing alot of people can do. 'cept they get paid for it. :P

[Twinfan]

They can't know everything, and the BKP 550k pots are a sepcial order/unusual, so I wouldn't be quite so hard on him.

He wasn't very open minded though  ;)

[vinchester]

Ah I get it. So the 550K are the rare variations of the 500K pots.

The tech guy was nice though.  8)

[Ratrod]

To be honest, I didn't know they existed either. But there are so many different pots you can't know them all.

It's simple enough to check 'em with a multi meter.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Getting a multimeter out and reading the value of the pots would have revealed the truth to him

Yes - the 550k ohm pots are a special order that Tim placed on CTS and specified everything from the value to the taper of the resistance curve to the stiffness of the shaft.

It would be unfair to expect every tech to know about them unless they hung out on the BKP forum or ordered a lot online from BKP where you might see the listing for these pots

I keep them in stock and use them all the time - they are lovely
It is a shame that the casing doesn't say 550k though.....