should I upgrade the pots and caps?

[littleredguitars2]

Just changed the pickup in a 30 ish year old es335 and it sounds good but not great.  And it's a pickup I'm very familiar with so I know it should sound a bit more alive. I'm not sure what pots are in it now but the fact that they are 30 or so years old makes me think they need an upgrade regardless if they are 500k or not.   Thoughts?

[King Zog of Albania]

Are any of the pots and caps actually broken or do you just want 500 different kiloOhms to the 500 kiloOhms that are in there already?

Can anyone really hear the difference between one manufacturer's microFarad and another manufacturer's microFarad?

[littleredguitars2]

did you even read what i wrote?

[Telerocker]

Could be the pots and/or a bad connection. I would check that out. It's in general good to replace the pots when they're that old. I would be replace them with CTS ( good, but a bit stiff), Gotoh- or BKP-pots. I have them changed every three years, but I gig a lot. I know replacement is a bit of hassle in an ES335. It might be worth it.

But first I would use some contactspray to remove dust and dirt and turn all the pots a dozen or more times to get the spray in every tiny spot. See what happens. If there's is no change I would also check if the pickup is ok.

 

[littleredguitars2]

yeah i figured just the fact that they are so old would warrant a change regardless of the brand i used. i'll be buying some bkp for another guitar soon so i guess i should pick some up for this one while i'm at it. i doubt its a connection thing because my guitar tech is very good and i doubt he wouldve noticed. he first suggested changing them before i even played it.

[Dave Sloven]

I actually like the 'stiffness' of the CTS pots.  I have big hands so I don't really notice that, it just feels very positive to me.  Also the taper on them is nice.  I'd recommend getting a full vintage style harness with CTS pots, new caps, switches, etc if you can and placing your original harness in a shoebox somewhere.  This has two benefits: (1) you still have the original harness if you end up trying to sell the guitar; &, (2) you've eliminated a whole nest of potential gremlins.

[King Zog of Albania]

did you even read what i wrote?

Yes it sounds "good but not great" but does that mean it sounds dull? Weak? Crackly? Intermittent? Buzzing? Lacking treble or bass? What pickup did you change from/to?

If they are the original pots then it's fairly safe to assume they are 500k. If you're not sure then check them with a multimeter. If they crackle then squirt some contact cleaner in them.

[littleredguitars2]

I actually like the 'stiffness' of the CTS pots.  I have big hands so I don't really notice that, it just feels very positive to me.  Also the taper on them is nice.  I'd recommend getting a full vintage style harness with CTS pots, new caps, switches, etc if you can and placing your original harness in a shoebox somewhere.  This has two benefits: (1) you still have the original harness if you end up trying to sell the guitar; &, (2) you've eliminated a whole nest of potential gremlins.

yeah i put a cts pot in one of my strats and i like it except for the fact that it feels pretty "loose" in the sense that it can easily go from 10 to 1 if i bump it. slides very easy. the BKP in my other strat doesnt do that but it has a good quality to it.

did you even read what i wrote?

Yes it sounds "good but not great" but does that mean it sounds dull? Weak? Crackly? Intermittent? Buzzing? Lacking treble or bass? What pickup did you change from/to?

If they are the original pots then it's fairly safe to assume they are 500k. If you're not sure then check them with a multimeter. If they crackle then squirt some contact cleaner in them.

dull. but even with the original pickup that was in it, it sounded a little dull. i switched it to a seymour duncan that i had in 2 other guitars and i loved how it sounded in both of them. and at no point did it sound so flat.

[Telerocker]

I can see Mules working very well in this guitar.

[littleredguitars2]

I can see Mules working very well in this guitar.

yeah someone, maybe it was even you a month or 2 back suggested it. if i ever did decide on changing them again, i might go with the abraxus. i like the vintage tone but my heart always goes with the hotter pickups so i think that would be fun. but i still need to finish my les paul finally with some rebel yells and then get working on the stockholm/trilogy suites for one of my strats. then maybe i'll think about the 335. but that could be a long time from now.

[Telerocker]

Abraxas would work fine too, it's just a hotter Mule with a tad more mids, but enough vintageflavour for an ES. But everything at it's time.