Dirty Epi Pots

[ux4484]

I thought I was having an amp problem last week. I noticed when using the neck pup on the Epi LP that there was what sounded like a speaker voice coil going bad in my Fender FM212R. The tone control did not change the sound of the (slightly delayed) buzz, and it was not noticeable on the distortion channels of the amp. I outboarded the speakers to my old cabinet (that had the Fender's original speakers in it as the Jensen's are now in the Fender), and you cold not hear it below "2", but you could on "3" or more. So that left it to the amp or a Guitar problem. No other guitars were doing it, so it had to be the Epiphone. I noticed right off that the jack was a tad on the loose side, but after tightening it, the buzz was still there. Then I started checking the pots. Sure enough, the volume pot for the neck pup was slightly microphonic, and I could change the range of the buzz by tapping on the volume pot (from the rear cavity) when the buzz was happening. A quick shot of CRC cleaner took care of the problem immediately. I might expect this on a years old axe, but not on one that was built in September of last year.

.....I guess that's why the Epi's are so much less $$$.....