So I'm unhappy with the pots on my 2007 USA Std Strat, especially the volume pot.

Not happy with the taper at all - between 0 and 2/3 there is almost no sound, then it very gradually increases up to about 6/7 and then seems to work properly. The tone pots are better but just aren't as clear, open, responsive as I'd want.

I've only just started relying on the volume pot heavily recently and I can't deal with this. The pots on my Gibson LP are much better at all stages.

So I want to change them on my Strat and also my MIJ Fender Jaguar:

In the UK Alpha pots and CTS seem like the only ones available. Would it be worth changing these or are they not much of an upgrade from the ones already fitted?

If not then is there anyone else you would recommend that I could get in the UK. Price isn't really an option but I would rather not spend too much.

Thanks for your help
Nix

I don't know what pots Gibson uses, but I believe that Fender uses CTS audio taper pots in their US models which behave exactly as you describe (Mine do. I don't find it to be a problem.). Unless you went to another brand pot (which I have no experience with) I doubt you will see any difference in replacing the pots.

As far as the tone controls go, if you bought the guitar new, it came equipped with a .022 uFd tone cap. You might want to look into using a different value cap, maybe something around .015 uFd for a brighter tone or a .047 uFd for a darker tone.

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Bill

Hi Nix_Kant,

To me, the taper that you described is the best (and typical) for a Strat. An alternative taper would give very loud volume at 2 to 3 on the pot, and barely change up to 10 (yuck!). When you say "properly", the taper that you have described is proper for a Strat. The way that a Gibson acts is not necessarily proper for a Strat. Any new pots will not be an "upgrade" over the CTS pots that are there. But, the best way to get a different taper would be to change the pots. As to whether or not the change is worth it, do you want a different taper? If so you have to change to different pots. I would use the CTS over the Alpha, but both work well. There are many different tapers, not specific to any brand though.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Right. My Gibson has linear volume pots I believe. What I've found on this is that it means I can roll back the volume control to 'clean up' a fuzz/distorted sound, and then roll it up for when I really want to let rip.

On my Strat if I tried to do that this is what would happen:

10 - fuzzed up
8/9 - fuzzed up but slightly cleaner
7 - volume drop
5/6 - cleaned up enough but I can hardly hear the thing

Is that really what is proper/best on a Strat?

What I want is something more like the Gibson, as in, when I roll off a bit it will clean up but will not drop to being so quiet that it's pointless.

Do you think there's maybe something wrong with the pot, or a cold solder joint somewhere. I can't quite believe that would be normal on a Strat.

My Jag is also the same, between 10 - 8 it's normal and then volume drops off completely to the point of being unusable.

Cheers
Nix

Yes, that is normal for a Strat. And, you are comparing a hum-bucker circuit with 500K ohm pots, and .047 uF caps on tone pots on a Gibson, to a single coil circuit with 250K ohm pots and .022 uF caps on the tone pots on the Strat, not the same reaction between the two, and an unfair comparison. Your Strat sounds like it is perfectly normal, and I doubt that you have any solder joint, pot or connection problems. I can back mine off to about 7 to get the clean sound without losing much volume, but it also depends on how distorted the sound is to begin with.

Maybe you might like the Strat better with 500K ohm pots instead, some people do. The volume pot would certainly give you a different response, even with the same taper. Get a couple of each (500 and 250) with the taper that you want and try them, no harm in experimenting. It would be nice if you would post your findings afterward.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Thanks shimmilou,

Your advice has been really helpful. Good to hear I was just being unfair in the comparison. To be honest I don't know too much about pots except about the differences in value.

I think I'll experiment with what I've got for a while and then see what I want to do. I'll see where I can place things without too much volume loss and get used to it. I think the problem is I'm more used to using the pots on the LP (I keep the volume permanently on about 6/7 so I've got leeway either way). Once I get properly used to what I have in the Strat I think I should be alright.

I think the 1meg pots on my Jag need to be swapped out for something higher quality though. I'm not sure the MIJ Fenders use electronics of the same quality as the MIAs. I say that because the standard pickups were pretty horrendous.

Thanks again
Nix

Cool! For me the problem that I have when switching from Fender to Gibson, is the difference in the feel, like the different neck width and profile, and the shorter scale length on the Gibson. It takes a while to get used to the different feel from one to the other. And the differences in the controls locations sometimes throw me off for a minute too. Easy solution, keep all pots at 10 and rock out!

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Yep. That's exactly how the volume pots on all my guitars work.

If you want similar performance in your Strat to that of a Gibson, there is nothing that says you can't swap the audio taper volume pot in the Strat for a linear taper one. Some people actually prefer that. CTS makes linear taper as well as audio taper pots.

_________________
Bill