Dirty Strat pot

Do I need to replace it or is there a sure fire way to clean it?

Try spraying some electrical contact cleaner into the holes on the back of the pot. I use this stuff;

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-electrical-contact-cleaner-150-g-0381740p.html

It's a Canadian store, but any electrical supply store, hardware store or Amazon should have it.

Is it a Fender Strat? If so, did you buy it new? They're guaranteed for life and Fender or the place you bought it from will replace the pot for free, if the contact cleaner doesn't work.
 
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Try spraying some electrical contact cleaner into the holes on the back of the pot. I use this stuff;

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-electrical-contact-cleaner-150-g-0381740p.html

It's a Canadian store, but any electrical supply store, hardware store or Amazon should have it.

Is it a Fender Strat? If so, did you buy it new? They're guaranteed for life and Fender or the place you bought it from will replace the pot for free, if the contact cleaner doesn't work.
Yes it’s a Fender. I never heard about the guarantee. Thx
And I’m Canadian.
 
Yes it’s a Fender. I never heard about the guarantee. Thx
And I’m Canadian.

I bought a new signature Strat from a store in Ohio and I had the same issue with a pot. I contacted the owner of the store and that’s what he told me. I also had a saddle with a stripped screw thread and he said he would order the pot and saddle from Fender and ship them to me, at no cost. He did exactly that.

So you know all about CT, eh? 🇨🇦 😷
 
I use this on scratchy pots:
Amazon product ASIN B0002EHP66.
It's expensive but a can lasts quite a while. It's also safe for plastics, unlike the "regular" contact cleaner. If someone knows a cheaper variant of this, do share - I'm almost out.
 
I also use the Deoxit products. I clean the offending scratchy potentiometer with Deoxit D5 spray and then lube it with Deoxit F100 concentrated liquid. It has worked to restore scratchy potentiometers to like new condition.
 
My amp guy told me almost any pot could be cleaned by just moving it back and fourth- but not for 10 seconds but a full 1-2 minutes... and even when you think you've done it for 1 minute it's probably only been 20 seconds. Try it- with a timer- it works every time. All the way both directions for a full 1-2 min.
 
Use only DeOxit to clean the pot- and only after you have tried working the dirt out by working the pot back and forth for some time.
if this doesn't fix the problem it's time for a replacement.
 
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