Tone control doesn't do anything until I tap on it

Dave Merrill

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
EJ strat I've had for a couple years, bought used. Recently it's fairly common that when I take it out of its case, the bridge pickup tone control, which I keep at about 7+ mostly, isn't doing anything. If I don't remember that this is a thing, I find myself thinking all my presets are too bright. I tap the top of the control, sometimes more than once, and it kicks in like normal. It's getting worse -- more common, less likely to be fixed by a single tap, and more likely to go back to non-functional again after that while I'm playing.

So two questions:
  • Gut level, my guess is that it's more likely the actual pot than a loose connection. Do you agree? Underlying question is whether it's a complete waste of time to take it apart before I have a replacement here.
  • Is there some sneak way to get inside there without throwing away the strings that are on it?

In all my years of playing, this is a new one for me.
 
Probably just a dirty pot. Get some DeOxit spray cleaner (I like the F5 spray for pots and faders), pull the knob off and spray a few blasts down into the pot between the shaft and bushing. Rotate it back and forth a few times to spread out the cleaner and you should be good to go. One can lasts a long time an is good for many cleanings of all your electronics controls.
 
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I have some D5 here. Is that a reasonable choice?

When you say "pull the knob off and spray a few blasts down into the pot between the shaft and bushing", do you mean from outside, without taking the pickguard off, just remove the knob? There's access to the pot's innards from there?
 
D5 should be fine for carbon pots, which most guitar pots are. F5 just uses a less aggressive solvent that is more gentle on plastic parts and conductive plastic pots and faders.

Yeah if you pull the knob off you can spray it down between the end of the pot shaft and its bushing. The pressurized solvent works its way down in there. I use a short little piece of tubing pushed over the end of the pot shaft and bushing and pinch the spray can's application straw in the other end to force the spray down in there without it blasting all over the top of the guitar. If the pot shaft and bushing are a tight fit, you can also spray some into a small cup and then drip it down in there with a toothpick or small straw. Add a little and work the pot shaft back and forth and repeat. If that doesn't cut it, remove the pickguard screws around the pots and pick it up enough to see the underside and you can usually get the little straw into a hole in the back of the pot and spray it in that way without having to remove everything. There's usually a gap in the pot's back cover right under the pot lugs.

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My experience with pots that cut in and out, is that they can't be saved by spraying them. It's common on CTS pots, and replacing them is usually the most viable option.
 
Probly time for new strings anyway, but you can sneak the pickguard on a Strat out by loosening them and pulling up on the bar while lifting the pickguard out....
 
guitarnerdswe said:
My experience with pots that cut in and out, is that they can't be saved by spraying them. It's common on CTS pots, and replacing them is usually the most viable option.
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CTS is probably what's in a Fender, right?

It's weird that I haven't literally ever had this happen in a guitar before. Consoles, other stuff sure, but never a guitar.
 
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Joe Bfstplk said:
Probly time for new strings anyway, but you can sneak the pickguard on a Strat out by loosening them and pulling up on the bar while lifting the pickguard out....
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Yeah could be time, maybe. But they're Elixers (my first set actually), and I don't go through strings very quickly anyway, so I'd rather not throw them out if I don't have to. Especially twice, so I'll get a replacement pot before I crack it open, if the strategies from outside don't pan out.
 
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Dave Merrill said:
CTS is probably what's in a Fender, right?

It's weird that I haven't literally ever had this happen in a guitar before. Consoles, other stuff she, but never a guitar.
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Yes, they should be CTS in that guitar from the factory. Sadly, the quality of CTS has gone downhill. I've had the exact same issue you describe on a couple of them in recent times. I've even tried disassembling them and fixing them, but it never turned out well.
 
guitarnerdswe said:
Yes, they should be CTS in that guitar from the factory. Sadly, the quality of CTS has gone downhill. I've had the exact same issue you describe on a couple of them in recent times. I've even tried disassembling them and fixing them, but it never turned out well.
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Is there something I should look for instead of CTS if I do end up replacing it?
Back in the day I tried Bournes, highly respected in studio gear at the time, but I hated the resistive feel, and they were scratchy out of the box, which surprised me. Expensive too.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Is there something I should look for instead of CTS if I do end up replacing it?
Back in the day I tried Bournes, highly respected in studio gear at the time, but I hated the resistive feel, and they were scratchy out of the box, which surprised me. Expensive too.
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Alpha 16 mm (mini) are actually really good. They're in Music Mans, Tom Anderson etc. That's what I would put in a new guitar. They're really consistent, no dead spots in the sweep, good tolerance etc. CTS pots have a fairly big dead spot in the first 1/5 of the sweep.

Bourns are good too (nice sweep, good tolerance), but I don't like the super low friction a lot of their guitar pots have. They do have pots with more friction though. They use some kind of lubricant or paste to control the friction, while many other brands use the construction itself to determine that. I don't know about their longevity though, since I didn't keep them.
 
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I would still stick with the CTS. I think you have been unlucky with it but they are massively better than bourns and Alpha. Start with the switch cleaner and then if no luck and I suspect you won't get it reliably working replace it with another CTS. don't bother buying a so called premium one unless you like lower friction but I think a tone pot that stays where you put it is an advantage.
 
guitarnerdswe said:
Alpha 16 mm (mini) are actually really good. They're in Music Mans, Tom Anderson etc. That's what I would put in a new guitar. They're really consistent, no dead spots in the sweep, good tolerance etc. CTS pots have a fairly big dead spot in the first 1/5 of the sweep.

Bourns are good too (nice sweep, good tolerance), but I don't like the super low friction a lot of their guitar pots have. They do have pots with more friction though. They use some kind of lubricant or paste to control the friction, while many other brands use the construction itself to determine that. I don't know about their longevity though, since I didn't keep them.
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They only use Alpha in active setups because you can't get small quantities of odd value pots from CTS . They both use CTS whenever possible.
 
Andy Eagle said:
They only use Alpha in active setups because you can't get small quantities of odd value pots from CTS . They both use CTS whenever possible.
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Andersen has used Alpha exclusively for quite a long time (I spoke with Tom about it a couple of months ago). Both he and John Suhr have noticed the decline in quality from CTS. John only keeps using them because people expect CTS in a high end guitar, even if it breaks within a year. I've lost count of how many times I've changed the CTS pots in my Suhr. I think I go through 2-3 volume pots per guitar a year.

Music Man doesn't use any odd values as far as I know. Never seen anything else than 25, 250 and 500 k from then. They do use CTS in some guitars, Alpha in others.
 
Most Andersons I see are not the latest so maybe . I've never seen an Alpha in a high end guitar in 250k or 500k. I still would chose a CTS over a garbage quality Alpha ( all of them.) Anderson gets his hardware from OEM budget suppliers these days so saving a few dollars on electrics is likely now I suppose. Musicman only put Alpha in import stuff. I'm not saying CTS is perfect by any means but the basic spec in build is WAY above other common makes.
 
Andy Eagle said:
Most Andersons I see are not the latest so maybe . I've never seen an Alpha in a high end guitar in 250k or 500k. I still would chose a CTS over a garbage quality Alpha ( all of them.) Anderson gets his hardware from OEM budget suppliers these days so saving a few dollars on electrics is likely now I suppose. Musicman only put Alpha in import stuff. I'm not saying CTS is perfect by any means but the basic spec in build is WAY above other common makes.
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Music Man uses Alpha in all of their active guitars, which includes the Luke, Majesty/JP, Jason Richardson, Valentine etc, plus their basses.
 
guitarnerdswe said:
Music Man uses Alpha in all of their active guitars, which includes the Luke, Majesty/JP, Jason Richardson, Valentine etc, plus their basses.
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That's because they aren't 250k or 500k. like I said originally . If you need a 50k or something Alpha is easy.
 
Andy Eagle said:
That's because they aren't 250k or 500k. like I said originally . If you need a 50k or something Alpha is easy.
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The tone pots are passive (usually 500 k). The 250 k split shaft is the only one on their shop that looks like it's not an Alpha.
 
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