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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 21, 2006 17:41:30 GMT -5
I have a problem with the tone and bridge vol pots on my guitar. They work fine but if I play and adjust them there is this scratching sandpapery sound that comes from it. More so on the tone than the volume. My neck volume pot is just fine, its just those two. What is the problem/how can I fix this?
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Post by ChrisK on Jun 21, 2006 18:07:34 GMT -5
Go to RadioShack and ask for a spray can of control (pot) cleaner.
Follow directions.
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 21, 2006 21:40:16 GMT -5
ok.... sounds easy enough
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Post by RandomHero on Jun 22, 2006 7:22:06 GMT -5
It may be more beneficial and even economic to simply buy new pots. I've seen far more cases of scratchy pots that were irreparable for whatever reason than ones I could clean with my $15 bottle of cleaner. Stock pots are more often then not "lowest bidder" fare as far as the manufacturer is concerned, so you'll be getting a quality upgrade and the entire life of a new pot out of replacing them.
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Post by ChrisK on Jun 22, 2006 17:27:41 GMT -5
Or, do like I do and just go buy (yet) another guitar. ;D ;D
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 22, 2006 17:33:57 GMT -5
sounds like a plan Chris!
to prevent any clutter, just send me the ones with the scratchy pots.
i'll gladly pay the shipping costs.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
unk
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ltb
Rookie Solder Flinger
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
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Post by ltb on Jun 23, 2006 8:41:11 GMT -5
"Go to RadioShack and ask for a spray can of control (pot) cleaner.
Follow directions. "
Try to get some contact cleaner with lubricant. Pots need lubrication also as contact cleaner removes all dirt and lubrication.
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Jun 23, 2006 13:10:49 GMT -5
"Go to RadioShack and ask for a spray can of control (pot) cleaner. Follow directions. " Try to get some contact cleaner with lubricant. Pots need lubrication also as contact cleaner removes all dirt and lubrication. Yeah, go for the good stuff. I don't know about the "$15 can" that somebody mentioned, but if I was going to shell out anything near that amount, it wouldn't be for plain ol' RadShack stuff. One that I've seen very highly recommended is CAIG DeoxIT®. They also make string cleaners they call AxeWipes, so somebody there must be into guitars. That little bottle of FaderLube with the needle applicator looks like it'd be pretty good for getting inside potentiometers and such. www.caig.com
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 23, 2006 15:09:38 GMT -5
1: I am not buying a new guitar. Mine kicks butt (Randy Rhoads) 2:I could just pick up two new pots from the store for a good 8 bucks
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 23, 2006 15:26:47 GMT -5
1: I am not buying a new guitar.... drat! and i had the money for the shipping charges ready too. how 'bout you Chris? got scratchy pots on any of your guitars? ;D
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 23, 2006 16:35:23 GMT -5
...They also make string cleaners they call AxeWipes... are they on a roll? lol
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 23, 2006 16:47:46 GMT -5
They make guitar cleaner called Skank Remover. All the dust and grime that gets on the exterior of your guitar over time is called skank. Hopefully the skank remover is dual use... if you know what i mean Also Unk, I have had my eye on that faded cherry SG in guitarcenter. Its only 600 bucks. But I have no where to put it. You may be getting a Jackson coming your way soon .
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 23, 2006 17:24:26 GMT -5
...Hopefully the skank remover is dual use... if you know what i mean... yeah i do. i had a skank remover in the form a divorce attorney. lol as far as the rest of it goes ... unfair dude, this ain't the lie thread. now that you said it, you gotta send it ;D
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 23, 2006 23:44:40 GMT -5
What happened to the lie thread.... I coulda sworn this was it.
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Post by sumgai on Jun 24, 2006 13:56:00 GMT -5
ltb, WRONG!
Do not use anything with a lubricant in it - that just attracts more crud, much more quickly. The next thing you know, you're spraying out your pots once or twice weekly, then you're replacing them anyways...... Radio Shabby stuff is OK, but better to get the Caig products, they're good bang-for-the-buck, pots will last much longer.
sumgai
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 24, 2006 16:27:54 GMT -5
Lube? what would that do anyway. The pot has no problem turning it just makes noise through an amp.
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jester700
Meter Reader 1st Class
Posts: 94
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Post by jester700 on Jun 25, 2006 8:45:52 GMT -5
Caig's DeOxit is good, and has no lube. Their FaderLube (used to be called CaiLube) is the one with lube in it, and is supposedly for pots as well as faders. I think theirs is not supposed to attrack gunk, and is well respected, but I use DeOxit on my pots, FaderLube on my faders.
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Post by sumgai on Jun 27, 2006 15:15:59 GMT -5
Lube? what would that do anyway. The pot has no problem turning it just makes noise through an amp. In essence, you're correct, you don't need to lube anything that doesn't need it in order to reduce friction. The idea here is, if you make the slider (wiper) of the pot travel more easily across the resistance element, then you shouldn't be wearing away the element, or at least, not so quickly. The problem comes in with the fact that anything that is petroleum based (and not all lubes are) will just attract dirt and dust right of thin air! And of course, since the lube is sitting directly on the element, that's where the dirt collects, and when the wiper slides across it again, POOF! There goes yet another tiny but not insignificant piece of the element, worn away before it's time. Now, that said, I prefer to avoid all lubricants, but there are some out there that are not petro-based, so in theory, they should be acceptable. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think I'll be the guinea pig for that one, thanks just the same. My think is, if the control worked just fine when it was built, then there's no point in trying to make it work even smoother, is there? Of course not. You can be sure that no pot leaves the factory with any kind of lube on it, so why would one try to "out-fox" the factory? (Yes, I have not bought *every* pot available to mankind, so there may be some high-priced spread out there that does indeed include a lubricant on the element. But are we likely to find such items on our guitars?) HTH sumgai
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 27, 2006 15:50:25 GMT -5
the main focus seems to be on cleaning the carbon track.
IMHO, just as important is the cleanliness of the metal wiper.
oxides that form there, can be chemically reduced,
or they can be dissolved by acids, as part of the chemistry of the cleaning process.
but the now clean metal is now vulnerable to oxidation.
lubricants can slow down the process dramatically.
unfortunately, since the abolition of Freon-based compounds, we no longer have Freon 113 available.
it was an excellent degreaser,
and with some help from other chemistry to mitigate the oxide problem, was a great first step.
this was followed with a light lubricant/preservative.
one common formula today is a one-step, comprised of isopropanol and mineral oil. mildly effective at best.
there are better choices than that, but they can get quite expensive.
it makes one yearn for vintage cleaners. lol
unk
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 28, 2006 23:44:42 GMT -5
or they can be dissolved by acids, as part of the chemistry of the cleaning process. So basically... throw some salsa on there, wait, then WD-40 it up! Just kiddin. I would never do that to my guitar... I'd use coca-cola instead.
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 29, 2006 9:15:31 GMT -5
ew, the sugar in Coke gets sticky when the Coke dries up.
Diet Coke!?
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darkcyde
Apprentice Shielder
Posts: 47
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Post by darkcyde on Jun 29, 2006 11:15:51 GMT -5
The problem with lubricant is that it does over time attract dirt. I know some people that have gone so far as to build (using an old match box) a cover for the 5-way to keep dirt out and also to allow them to shield the switch by adding copper around the box. There are so many ideas on the subject but I have seen where anything with a lube added to it has attracted dust bunnies and have acted as an abrasive. again though, there are two sides to every coin.
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Post by vonFrenchie on Jun 29, 2006 20:32:27 GMT -5
hmm... put some cardboard around your pots and switches. Not a bad idea man.
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