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Post by DerAlex on Oct 3, 2018 5:30:33 GMT
Any crackles with those Bourns or Alpha pots DerAlex ? I don't think I have a guitar that doesn't crackle a little bit somewhere on a pot turn. Well, I have them in my guitars for only 2 years so cannot report on long term experience. I like their taper much more to change the tone and also the resistance while turning the knobs is enhanced compared to the crappy ones. Two factors that are highly personal preference.
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Post by DerAlex on Oct 3, 2018 6:01:10 GMT
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dtjesus
Harley Benton Club Junior Member
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Post by dtjesus on Oct 4, 2018 7:42:10 GMT
Same observation here. The tone pots on mine work between 1 and 3. It's a recent model (new logo). Replacing them with linear pots should make it worse, by the way. Halving the resistance value would improve things. Thanks for confirming.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Oct 4, 2018 9:29:04 GMT
Digging further into this, I find that logarithmic ("audio") potentiometers are usually recommended over linear for tone control. I found no explanation for this yet, would have to look up the formulas yielding the cut frequency in relation to that resistance to find out. Maybe I will. It's a complex thing.
Yes, linear pots have a linear sweep (not "uniform", although I guess that's what you meant), but that's the variation of the resistance they control. As users, we care for the variation of the cut frequency it produces and this relation must not be a proportional one to that of the resistance in the pot.
Some further findings were hints at cheap "audio"/logarithmic pots not really being what they say but the mere juxtaposition of two linear stripes or resistive material faking some sort of grossly logarithmic effect.
Now, this might be what we have in our SC-450 Plus, explaining why they don't work the way we are used to in other guitars. I'll admit I was at a loss to explain the situation until I read this. It's probably what I have in my R-458 too, where I observed the same effect. I'll have a chance of finding out when I replace them with push-pull, in case these suddenly behave differently.
Pulling out the tone pots in my SC-450 Plus, I find one to be a A500K (audio/logarithmic) and the other a B500K (linear). They have different inscriptions in different fonts on the back, betraying likely different suppliers. Both work the same bad way.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Oct 4, 2018 10:57:47 GMT
Of course choice of taper depends on how you want to use your pots. My guess is that a majority of players use their pots to set their sound, just like they use tuners to tune their strings. Having a somewhat reliable and fine relation between turns and effect of that turning is an advantage in this case. Then there are the few who use them for effects.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Oct 4, 2018 11:23:34 GMT
That's right, which is why I am not too bothered with this on my R-458. It is not nice, I have to bring more patience than I want to but it's good enough for a cheap instrument and I'll live with it. If I were to play live and have the need to adjust in between tracks or passages, it would be another matter without falling into the realm of effects. I suppose this is when a reliable subdivision of the course of a knob is required, something in effective quarters rather than somewhere to be found between 2 and 4.
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dtjesus
Harley Benton Club Junior Member
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Post by dtjesus on Oct 5, 2018 4:56:37 GMT
Of course choice of taper depends on how you want to use your pots. If you are the sort of player who wants to adjust his volume a tad down for rhythm and up a bit for lead then you want a taper where most of the effect is in the 10-7 range. No danger of going too quiet by mistake. If you are more interested in volume swells then you want most of the action at the 0-4 region. If you like to use your tone control for wah effects then you also may want the maximum change to take place at the top end too in the 10-6 region if you normally play with the tone fully open. If you normally like a nice beefy tone with no top you may find linear gives you a nicer O position sound than an audio taper does...and the resistance will have an effect too. Like all things musical we all have different tastes, styles and requirements so one size will not fit all. Vive la difference. This is a good explanation. Most of the players don't really care and get used to the instrument they have. And it works for them one way or the other.
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dtjesus
Harley Benton Club Junior Member
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Post by dtjesus on Oct 5, 2018 5:20:39 GMT
Some further findings were hints at cheap "audio"/logarithmic pots not really being what they say but the mere juxtaposition of two linear stripes or resistive material faking some sort of grossly logarithmic effect. Now, this might be what we have in our SC-450 Plus, explaining why they don't work the way we are used to in other guitars. I'll admit I was at a loss to explain the situation until I read this. It's probably what I have in my R-458 too, where I observed the same effect. I'll have a chance of finding out when I replace them with push-pull, in case these suddenly behave differently. Pulling out the tone pots in my SC-450 Plus, I find one to be a A500K (audio/logarithmic) and the other a B500K (linear). They have different inscriptions in different fonts on the back, betraying likely different suppliers. Both work the same bad way. I have checked the tapers of the pots in SC-450 plus and they are audio i.e logarithmic.
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Post by DerAlex on Oct 5, 2018 8:37:52 GMT
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