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Any Pots Better Than CTS?
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=41765		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Stuart Gort [ Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Any Pots Better Than CTS?
After using around forty of them I've found three or four that are scratchy...or rather, the signal is scratchy upon use. That's kind of a bad track record in my book.

I'm wondering...are there are any "elite" manufacturers of pots?
Author:  Chris Pile [ Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
At the risk of PO'ing Filippo, I'd offer Allen-Bradley as a premium potentiometer.
Or Bournes...
Author:  nyazzip [ Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
....you can always used a "stepped" pot, if you want to spend 100 bucks or so on one pot. instead of a wiper, it ratchets through dozens of fixed value resistors of decreasing value....that will definitely solve intermittant contact, or "scratchiness", but it is extreme overkill
Author:  dzsmith [ Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
Do NOT purchase Bourns Pro Audio pots.
I had one with an open wiper, and one hex nut was too thin to tighten - it only had one thread.
Dan
Author:  James T [ Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
I've used Bourne Pro-audio pots on a few , I like them a lot , though a bit pricey
Author:  RandK [ Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
I have not had any issues with the quality of the CTS pots but mostly have used boutique ones from RS for the taper. The WD and Stewmac ones have also been trouble free. Bad manufacturing run or contamination (Deoxit ?)? Have you taken one apart to look at the substrate ?
Author:  Ken McKay [ Fri Nov 01, 2013 5:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
Store do you want him to turn down fast or do you prefer more linear


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Ken
Author:  Ken McKay [ Fri Nov 01, 2013 5:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
Hi my speak and spell wrote your name down as store sorry Stuart


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Ken
Author:  Stuart Gort [ Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
Ken McKay wrote:
Store do you want him to turn down fast or do you prefer more linear


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Ken


Doesn't matter to me...I expect a fellow that does volume swells with his finger would probably want audio pots but fro now...I don't care.
Author:  Ken McKay [ Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
We'll then buy a big lot of pots from all parts. Cts are good but you can measure them. Make a test rig so you can ohm them and match within ten percent. But most importantly chech to see if they are crackly.


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Ken
Author:  RandK [ Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Any Pots Better Than CTS?
CTS and Bourns don't make cheap junk parts, they are ISO 9k and they make parts that meet their specs although we might want parts with better specs. They only know about failures of shipped parts if they come back to them from the distributor.

CTS doesn't spec out noise, Bourns does on their low-end parts, so there's not much to go back on with that. If you've got a pile of them you can't use I'd recommend making sure the distributor knows and maybe something will change. They have a new 450G series with the right shafts, tighter tolerance and several tapers but they don't list a noise spec on those either. http://www.ctscorp.com/components/Datasheets/450g.pdf
Since Bourns and CTS now offer guitar specific products at least there are two to choose from and maybe they'll continue to make better quality stuff with the competition.
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