br,
so who is right here...if all the big boys are using pot "A" since the dawn of electric guitars have they been doing this by ignorance and stayed the course? If the article is correct then the correct method is using the "B"...
even within the debate here we are having different opnions here... If the human ear is designed to a logarithmic response (in both volume and frequency) then choice "B" is best..
is it maybe another reason that pot "B" are more expensive the "A" and the big boys are shaving cost here? Whoa, easy there, big fella!
First, there is no absolute right or wrong, but there are stated preferences that enjoy widespread popularity. Keep that in mind as we go along here........
First error: Volume and Frequency are not logarithmically intertwined. Indeed, the famous Fletcher-Munson curves (of 1933) represent what the average ear hears in terms of signal strength over the usual 20-20KHz spectrum of audibility. These have since been updated, and it's best to call them "equal loudness curves". Google for more details, if you're so inclined.
From that, we derive that at certain frequencies, and at certain loudness levels, the ear indeed does respond logarithmically, and for our purposes, this is close enough to make a good start at controlling our tone.
So, did guitar makers stumble upon a good thing, or were they just being cheap, way back when? Nope. None of them were really idiots, they all had more than a smattering of understanding of electrical and electronics theory. Only thing is, back then, tapers (response curves) for pots were labeled differently!
To make a long story short, you and I will simply skip the history, and use today's labeling system - A means Logarithmic (think of it as A for Audio, a very close analogy, as noted above); B means Linear, and I don't know of any easy mnemonic to help memorize that one.
(You may sometimes encounter a taper labeled as "C" - that's a reverse log taper, also called antilog. Again, that's in the "new" style of labelling.)
Next, we have the phenomena of the user attempting to "please the ear" or some such, by virtue of using a log taper pot that allegedly sounds better. When controlling the volume, this is hogwash, pure and simple. (Yes, let the brickbats flow, I'm immune, as you all should know by now.
) That's considered heresy, but the fact is, if you introduce a resistance into the signal path, the volume will drop, there's no arguing against that result. It only remains to be seen how far one has to turn down his volume control to achieve the desired volume drop. For some, that's a critical criterion. I say, mox nix
(machts nichts) - volume down is volume down, and why should anyone care if the control was reduced from 10 to 6 on one guitar, and 10 to 5 on another guitar?
It's the resultant output level that counts, not the numbers on the knob!!!!!!
But when it comes to tone controls, the jury is a bit more undecided. Again, the majority prefers log (A) taper pots, but there are quite a few people using linear for this job. I still say it's the same thing, the numbers on the knob don't care, it's only the resultant tone, but here, the pot interacts with a capacitor, and that can have a decided effect on how the pot responds to your twiddling. You
may find that for your playing sensitivities, you prefer one over the other, and that's fine. Me, I don't care, but I
am in the vast minority, I'll freely admit.
Personally, I prefer higher value pots than the usual, the tone tends to be a bit more pronounced in the treble region. I figure I can tame that by turning the tone pot down, but I can't add back in what's already been removed by the lower value pots. I use 500K linear pots for both jobs (an SSS Strat), and I have yet to have anyone come up to me on a gig and say "Hey there old-timer, did you know that your tone sucks the hind one? You obviously have the wrong pots in there!" ;D
Summary:Long story short, you'll get the least amount of argument from the majority of players/users if you use log pots for both volume and tone controls.
Oh, and cost was never an issue - it takes exactly the same engineering and manufacturing effort to design and produce (and distribute and sell and....) either type. Since both are in high demand for many applications, there's no economy of scale favoring one over the other. (Antilog pots, however, may be a different story - the demand isn't the same, you can guess the rest of the equation.
)
HTH
sumgai
To make a long story short, you and I will simply skip the history, and use today's labeling system - A means Logarithmic (think of it as A for Audio, a very close analogy, as noted above); B means Linear, and I don't know of any easy mnemonic to help memorize that one. 