Are CTS Pots that hard to turn? What about Burns Pots?

[NateCordova]

Hello.

I'm thinking of replacing the Alpha volume pots i have on my guitars with CTS Log Pots, because i saw a online comparison of the two tapers and the CTS is just amazing, it's really natural unlike the Alpha Log, and i can get a bigger range of tones.

However, i like the feel of my New Alpha Pots i bought, they are not too easy or too hard to turn, they're just right, i can go from zero to 10 in one swell, i use the volume a lot.

Are CTS Pots that much stiffer and harder to turn than Alphas? Will it be unpleasant for me?

And what about Burns Pots? They have a similar taper to CTS.

[Lucas]

I think we`ve seen the same comparison when I was thinking about changing my old Alpha pots.
Now I have 3 CTS (BKPs) audio tapers and one Mojotone push-push pot.

And I`ll tell you what, what statement that CTS are really stiff is an exaggeration. Yes, I find them a little bit stiffer than Alpha ones, but in a good way. As you mentioned yourself, Alpha ones are too easy to turn, while CTS are in that case just right.

When it comes to Burns, loads of people were complaining about their poorer quality comparing to CTS. That`s why I went CTS and cannot complain at all. Great stuff.
 

[littleredguitars2]

to be quite honest, the bare knuckle pots, to me, are pretty slow turners. and i also dont really like the split shafts. i feel like my screw -on knobs screw on better to the solid ones

[Dave Sloven]

I have Mojotone CTS 500K pots and really like them.  Not too stiff, just firm enough.  They have a really nice taper.

[metale]

When I had the four BKP/CTS pots installed on my LP, I noticed that they were much stiffer than the EMG pots they were replacing.

They are much better to fine-tune though, so I can live with the trade-off.

[Lucas]

Ok, Im just after checking how stiff CTS/BKP and Mojotone push-push are. I can compare them both while having both of them in my Dean. CTSs are a little tiny bit stiffer than Mojotone but still they are just firm enough and very comfortable to use for me.

And by the way Mojotone pots are made by CTS too, as CTS makes pots for brands like Mojotone or Dimarzio. I wrote to Mojotone and they have confirmed that their pots are made by CTS.

[Dave Sloven]

I have the Mojotone regular pots and their push-push pots and the push-push feels very different from the regular ones, no where near as firm. I prefer the regular one.  I only have the push-push as a master tone, as I wanted the two volume controls to feel the same

[Lucas]

So I suppose regular Mojotones will  be more like CTS in terms of stiffness then.

[Dave Sloven]

They are indeed the same, made by CTS.  Where they differ - from what I was told by Tim Mason, the guy who sells them here on ebay - is that Mojotone have a lower tolerance in terms of variation relative to 500K.  To quote Tim:

CTS Mojotone potentiometers are made within 10% tolerance ensuring you get the correct resistance (standard CTS pots are 20% tolerance). We then measure your set within 10k of one another so you get tight specs with a matched set!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Matched-CTS-Mojotone-Pot-500k-Short-Split-Custom-Audio-Guitar-Potentiometer-/251313013575?pt=AU_Instrument_Accessories&hash=item3a836c4347

The ones he sent me for my Explorer were all at the high end of the scale, around 510K, as I had said I wanted to brighten the guitar up.  But if you bought random regular CTS pots I guess they could vary between 400K and 600K ...

[Lucas]

I bough it directly from Mojotone

http://www.mojotone.com/guitar-parts/guitar-and-bass-potentiometers-500k/Mojotone-500K-Audio-Taper-Push-Push-Short-Shaft-Guitar-Potentiometer#.UtqzQ7TLfV9

shipping costs to the UK were much much higher than the pot itself but thst was the only place where I could find 500k push push

[Dave Sloven]

Well yeah it wasn't cheap.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mojotone-US-Spec-Push-Push-Potentiometer-500k-Short-Shaft-Guitar-Pot-/261304547501

I did have to enlarge the holes in my Epi to fit these, just as Tim says

[Lucas]

I did have to enlarge the holes in my Epi to fit these, just as Tim says

I had to do the same thing even with BKP pots. They all are US spec and all Korean, Chinese ect made guitars will have that problem. It can be very easily and quickly solved so no big issue after all.

[Dave Sloven]

to be quite honest, the bare knuckle pots, to me, are pretty slow turners. and i also dont really like the split shafts. i feel like my screw -on knobs screw on better to the solid ones

I wouldn't use split shafts on a Fender or any other guitar with screw-fit knobs. Mojotone sell a solid shaft version of most of the CTS pots.  Split shafts are for Gibsons and others with push-fit knobs, and you adjust how tight they fit on by spreading or closing the split slightly.

I used one of the sanding drums from my Foredom Flex Shaft but apparently you can open up Asian spec holes to fit US spec pot shafts using a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a pencil (if you are patient and dextrous enough).

[Lucas]

apparently you can open up Asian spec holes to fit US spec pot shafts using a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a pencil (if you are patient and dextrous enough).

I wouldn`t be that patient, I`ve enlarged my pot holes with drill and drill bits. You in that case you have to be careful and precise checking quite often  if the enlarged size matches the pot already.

[Dave Sloven]

I used a 3M purple ceramic sanding band on a Foredom A-SD326 rubber sanding drum mandrel (3/32" shank). I can't remember what grit.

I tried doing it with just my fingers as I was being careful but it was taking ages so I put it in the collet of my H.8 handpiece of my flexshaft and just used the treadle on its lowest speed setting (around 500rpm), gently increasing the size of the hole by touching the sides lightly, being careful to keep it even.  Basically when all the paint was sanded off it was about right.

It was pretty much the sandpaper around a pencil method but a bit more precise and required less patience.  I already had the equipment for other purposes so it wasn't like I ran out and bought it for guitars.