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Log or Linear?
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=38288		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Colin S [ Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Log or Linear?
What is the concensus for volume and tone pots. Log for volume, linear for tone?

Colin
Author:  Chameleon [ Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Log or Linear?
Most people like one or the other, not a mixture of both. How you wire the pots also matters, being two main ways of doing it (google vintage vs modern wiring). I like logarithmic. I know a lot of Les Paul guys will love linear however. It's a subjective issue, and when you find out which one you like better, you can explain why to your customers and they might like it too.
Author:  Stuart Gort [ Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Log or Linear?
Any factory Gibson for the last three decades is linear for volume and tone. It sort of depends on how much a player wants to develop a sound by mixing pickup outputs...but for those that do...linear volume would offer more control I believe. For players doing volume swells with their right hand...audio would offer a better effect.

Honestly...I don't care. I mostly do recording and never touch the tone control. The volume pretty much stays full and I develop my sound downstream with my gear. If I was particular about it I'd go linear on volume and logarithmic on tone. I haven't found the tone controls to have a smooth dynamic on any Gibson. On my Les Paul it more or less seems off or on with the tone. If it was logarithmic it might offer a smoother range...but I don't know because I've never tried this.

My first guitars didn't even have a tone control...just two volumes. I'm going to switch over to a linear volume and a log tone but It'll be a little bit of a learning curve for me.
Author:  nyazzip [ Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Log or Linear?
...you could always rig up different pots with alligator clips, externally, and "A/B" test them...
i have a cigar box chock full of potentiometer pulls and i'm pretty sure every one is audio taper
Author:  Colin S [ Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Log or Linear?
Thanks for the answers, this is for my second CS336 build, it uses the standard wiring that Stew Mac shows for the LP. The first one I made used linear on both and the guy that has the guitar absolutely loves it, his band mate has asked me to make him one as well so I'll probably just stick with the linears again for both. I did find that the tone with them was reasonably progressive, and yes we just stuck the volume at or near the top end and left it there. They play Chicago style blues, so don't really go in for volume swells.

As a matter of interest this was version one.

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Colin
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