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Post subject: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 5:26 pm
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In my ongoing '76 Strat rehab project, I've gotten to the point where I'm testing the existing pots with my multimeter - volume and tone are fine (one is reading 240k and the other 260k; I assume that's within an acceptable deviation) but the third is reading 190k.

I'd rather not trash it, as it's the original pot but anybody got any ideas what I can do about it (I've already cleaned all three using DeOxit). Or is this not even worth worrying about?


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 8:26 pm
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That is about 25% out of tolerance, but the "open" end of the pot is not grounded.
Basically, it will simply sound like the tone is rolled slightly down from 10.
Measure and see what tone setting the "good" pots measure 190k, my guess is it would be around 8 or so, not too much of a change.

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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 7:08 am
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Great idea, Rich - thank you. Yeah, if your logic is right then I can live with a tone pot that only backs off ~80% - I think I'd rather keep the original pot in there then swap it out for a new one to gain functionality I'd probably rarely, if ever use.


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:33 am
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...On the other hand, you confessed being OCD in another topic...

So (asking innocently):
If you're OCD enough to measure those pots, will you ever be satisfied knowing that one of them is that far from the nominal value? :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:40 am
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Swap it out and keep the original. You will still have the original but the guitar will be right.

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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:54 pm
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ChrisJScott wrote:
In my ongoing '76 Strat rehab project, I've gotten to the point where I'm testing the existing pots with my multimeter - volume and tone are fine (one is reading 240k and the other 260k; I assume that's within an acceptable deviation) but the third is reading 190k.



I bought many Fender original pots over year and they often read like yours.


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 6:47 pm
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jmattis wrote:
If you're OCD enough to measure those pots, will you ever be satisfied knowing that one of them is that far from the nominal value? :mrgreen:
LOL!!!!

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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 5:25 pm
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<LOL> Believe me, the choice is somewhat torturing me!

I'm trying hard to keep as many original parts on this thing as possible (it started as a mutt, so some stuff is new out of necessity). My logic re. this "keeping an 80% functioning tone pot" is that I don't use the tone knobs all that much in the first place and, even if I do, I'm not turning 'em all the way down, so I think I'll be OK.


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 6:02 pm
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ChrisJScott wrote:
My logic re. this "keeping an 80% functioning tone pot" is that I don't use the tone knobs all that much in the first place and, even if I do, I'm not turning 'em all the way down, so I think I'll be OK.
Except... that's backwards.
When the tone knob is all the way down, it is reading zero ohms between the terminals with items soldered to them.
When the tone knob is all the way up, the value of the pot is what isolates the pickup from the capacitor that bleeds off the highs.
So a 190k pot compared to a 250k pot will sound like the 250k pot turned down to 8.

OTOH, if you tend to think the pickups are like ice-picks, then you'll probably like it.
:twisted:

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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 12:32 am
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One way of getting an fully functional guitar but preserving the original vintageness (is that a word?) is to load it with new electronics & pickguard and keep all original parts safely stored for possible later restoration.

BTW, when you say it's a 'mutt', do you mean the originality is already gone?
How about a little more background (& pics, please)? Might help us help you better.


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:47 am
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If your truly OCD, you could rebuild the pot. There's plenty of how to vid's on the Tube, I'd replace it as John said if it's a regular player though.


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:11 pm
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I bought this guitar in the... mid-to-late '90s. It was sold as a '75 hardtail Strat but had a replacement, unidentified bridge pickup, replacement bridge and replacement Schecter neck.

I decided to strip and refinish the body because I love the weight of the Northern Ash but the polyester coat was stifling (yes, I know this is sacrilege so please don't bother to harangue me about it - I've owned this guitar for a long time and I want to put in the effort to make it really "mine"). I'm in the midst of that refinishing process now and, while I was at it, figure I'd try to get it as close to stock as I reasonably could.

To that end:

    * the original bridge pickup, which was included but not functioning, was sent off to Tom Brantley
    * I've bought a replacement '70s neck from fender.com
    * I've bought a replacement bridge from Callaham (as Fender never reproduced the '70s bridge)
    * I've bought new, all-white plasticware from fender.com to replace the 3rd-party stuff and am currently mounting the guts to the new pickguard now, thus my inquiries about the pots.

The dates on all of the hardware is a bit goofy, too - the body is a '75, two of the pickups are '76s but the one that needed repair is a '78, tone pots are '76, volume pot is a replacement and the selector switch is a 5-way (which didn't get introduced until '77).


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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:44 pm
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Given all that....

Replace the pot.

Now to really hammer your OCD aspect....

Any part from '76-'79 would have come with black plastics, including the pickup covers and knobs. I think it was 1980 they went back to white :twisted:
But ya, short story, there is no value lost in replacing the pot in that "mutt". Any value that would be impacted by replacing the pot was lost with the original neck.
If you bought a replacement '70s neck for about $400, it does not have the correct truss rod nut or 3-hole mounting hardware. It also has the incorrect finish and fretboard radius.
If you bought a replacement '70s neck for about $200, it does have the correct finish and radius, but the truss rod nut is only similar, not identical. The original had a much more gradual taper, more like a rifle bullet, while the new one is more rounded like a '45.
Oh ya... and the $200 neck is MIM ;)

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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:15 am
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You are right, it is an absolute mutt.

With so much replaced or refurbished I can't see the point of stopping at replacing the tone pot....unless you are pulling our legs.

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Post subject: Re: tone pot not reading properly - salvageable?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 5:17 am
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Rich:

You've convinced me - new pots it is!


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