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Post subject: left handed guitars - left handed pots (volume and tone )
Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 4:46 am
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hi!
i need a help from you experts to definitively understand what kind of potentiometers does Fender use on left handed guitar.

i had an american standard stratocaster. i still don't know if it had right handed or left handed pots....(of course they were cts 250 type A pots )

guitar in hand to increase the volume (or tone): i had to turn the volume knob count-clockwise ( ­­­­­­­­↓ O ­­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­↑ ).

to decrease the volume (or tone), i had to turn the volume knob clockwise ( ↑ O ↓ ­­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­).

so, watching a clock, the opposite from right handed guitars and the same looking a mirror or playing in front of each other


i have another question...

if i install a left handed ( anti log ) pot, does the way of rotation change???

would i have to roll the volume (or tone) knob clockwise ( ↑ O ↓ ­­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­) to raise the volume

and

to decrease the volume (or tone), turn the volume knob count-clockwise ( ­­­­­­­­↓ O ­­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­↑ ).

or it just change the range-progression of the swell of the pot??

thanx!


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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:29 am
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Hi strato80,

Same pots, just wired different for left handed operation. If lugs 1 and 2 are used for righty, lugs 2 and 3 would be used for lefty. :)

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:46 am
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hi shimmilou. that is what guitar shops do regularly.

but it is not the best thing because the function of the pots became most like an on off switch...

in fact i'm trying to understand what will happen if i put the dedicated lefty pots on my lefty guitar.

i'm afraid to get the reverse swell... i'm used to raise the volume twisting my volume countclock wise and opposite for decrease it


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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:49 am
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shimmilou wrote:
Hi strato80,

Same pots, just wired different for left handed operation. If lugs 1 and 2 are used for righty, lugs 2 and 3 would be used for lefty. :)


This only works with linear (B) pots though.

They do however, make reverse taper or 'lefty' audio (A) pots which your guitar evidently has.

Righty pot: Turning it clockwise raises the volume or treble as applicable.

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:08 am
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in all my guitars , left handed, to raise the volume up i have to turn the knob count-clockwise.

i don't know if i have a right handed pot...
i'm not sure it is a reverse log - lefty pot


probably i have right pots wired on a lefty guitar


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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:11 am
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CCW for increase volume would be left hand wired, that sounds correct. As far as what pots you have, it seems to depend on the model, as to whether the LH and RH are any different. In looking at Fender parts lists, the 250K control pots are all listed as "P# 0013446000 Control, 250K" for both RH and LH in the 57 and 62 RI, Am Std, 50th Ann models, and several others. The only different part numbers for pots between LH and RH that I saw were some of the Am Dlx 1 Meg pots. Those were listed as;

0054027000 Control, 1 Meg, J-Taper (RH Am Dlx)
0054032000 Control, 1 Meg, A-taper (RH Am Dlx)
0055314000 Control, 1 Meg, J-Taper (LH Am Dlx)
0055313000 Control, 1 Meg, Reverse A-Taper (LH Am Dlx)

I didn't look at all of the lists for every guitar, so there may be other models that are different. What model do you have? If you have an Am Std, according to the parts list, the LH and RH pots are the same, simply wired LH or RH. :)

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:24 am
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hi thanx for the search :D
i had - an american standard left handed strat


i'm asking this because i'm ordering a guitar from a luthier and he told me he'll use right handed pots

i'm afraid to get a guitar with pots half-working.

i mean, i know left handed guitars wired with right handed pots have a wrong range of usage of the pot - like a On off pot. this because using a right pot for a left handed guitar is wrong....


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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:48 am
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No problem strato80. Maybe I'm not clear on the terminology, but as far as I know, there is no such thing as a "Left handed pot". There are different tapers, audio tapers, linear taper, and reverse audio tapers, but there aren't different LH and RH versions of each. On the pots with the "indented position", I would guess that the indent would need to be on the other end for LH, but not sure if that is the case.

So, to be clear, the Am Std Strat has the exact same pots in the LH and RH versions (as do most Strats), just wired according to which "hand" is needed. If the new Strat that you have ordered is using Std 250K or 500K pots like most Strats use, the pots are the same for LH or RH use, just wired differently. If you think about it, a linear taper pot is the same in either direction, RH or LH, and not many Strats have any taper on the pots. 8)

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:08 am
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thanx ;) it is not a strat. it'll be a sg with 250k logaritmic right handed pots.
i was talking only about type A pots-log pots

my question is..

wouldn't be a wrong procedeure to use a right handed log pot wired on a left handed guitar?
wouldn't be better to use reverse log- anti log pots and wire them properly for a lefty guitar?

then if it is the same installing a R or L pots why there are reverse audio tapers - left handed pots? :) i read they are made also for left handed guitars

it's hard for you right handed guitarist to understand us lefties... :(

you'd have to pick a left handed guitar ( from a friend or in a shop ) and hear-try-listen the sound & way of reaction of the pots moving them up and down. their response is different from yours (right handed guitars ).

on a lefty guitar equipped with right handed pots, you have the knobs that works in a limited range. opening the volume in the CCW direction you have almost the maximum volume at the beginning of the knob travel and a limited variation from half travel to the maximum.
an example could be making volume swells... on a lefty guitar it is quite impossible to do it well.

on right handed guitars it it different! there you have a constant and fluid usage of the knobs. both for volume and tone.

in a left handed guitar with righty pots it is like having quite a on-off knob

(if you search on the web you can find other lefties guitar players with mysame poblem-doubts. never solved :( )


it's hard for me to explain since i'm not English speaking :)
it's hard to explain that to a tech in my language too - many techs have no experience on lefty guitars :roll:


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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:49 am
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Ah, I see your point, that makes perfect sense. Then yes, the audio (log) taper and the reverse audio taper, would each be better suited for either a RH or LH guitar, you are correct. I guess that you are saying that an audio taper is for RH and the reverse audio taper for LH? You are right, trying to think lefty hurts my brain. :lol:

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:54 am
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DANG! yes :)

on high end guitars too, factory install right handed pots on left handed guitars.
this is quite strange :(

the point is that now i'm common raising the volume in a count-clock wise motion and clockwise to close the sound.

i'd like to know what would happen if i put Left handed pots / anti log pots / reverse pots.

would the turning motion change?


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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:26 am
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strato80 wrote:
...i'd like to know what would happen if i put Left handed pots / anti log pots / reverse pots, would the turning motion change?


No, the turning motion would still be determined by the way it is wired, LH or RH. CCW will still turn volume up if it is wired LH. The different taper pot would only determine the amount of volume at a given point of adjustment of the pot. If the same pot wired RH had 30% output at 5 on the volume, then wiring it LH would give 70% output at 5 on the volume knob. :idea:

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:29 am
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ok, so as far as i have to make the luthier build my guitar....what should i have to tell him?

to use reverse pots or right pots adjusted for a lefty guitar?

this is the big question! :lol:

the finish line!

EDIT

i want it to be adjustable and simple. low sound when it is barely open ...let's say at 1% -5% and louder at 80% 90% 100% of its travel.
i don't want to have the full volume on 2 or 3 of the knob travel, of course the more i open the pot the more volume i want.
so i want the maximum volume near 10. not at 3,4 or 5.


Last edited by strato80 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:43 am
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If I understand correctly, you are saying that the audio taper pot when used on a LH guitar sounds like basically "on/off" (not much usable range). In that case, then you would want a reverse audio taper pot, wired LH. That would give you CCW to increase volume, with better usable range. :)

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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:46 am
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edit

yes i meant that :D this because the "law" is different, not meant for a lefty pot connection. it could work, but badly.. :evil:
in fact on my guitars with right handed pots wired for a lefty guitar i have the max volume at 2 3 or 4.. and the same level from 5 to 10

i'm afraid to ask my luthier tech the wrong connection ... being not a tech i could ask for something wrong and be disappointed one time the guitar arrives in my hand..

that's where my paranoid comes from and why i'm writing here :P


Last edited by strato80 on Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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