Hi guys,
I have a 63 Strat which is all original. However, the volume pot is goofy, it scrapes, and the volume goes up and down when I jiggle it. Sorry, can't think of a better way to describe the issue...
Any tips on how I can fix this? Replacing the pot or even unsoldering it is not an option, considering that it would degrade the value of the guitar. Any help is greatly appreciated!
thanks in advance /Tommy
Have you tried cleaning it with contact cleaner? The pots in my '63 Silvertone guitar were very bad (a couple were even seized). Contact cleaner took care of it.
Keep in mind that the pot may be gshot and need replacement in which case you'll have to decide if the monetary value of the guitar makes it worth being unplayable.
Hi Don and thanks for the quick reply! Hopefully I won't have to replace the pot, but if it's the only option then that's what it'll have to be... :-(
I'll give it a try with contact cleaner. Any special brand that I should get?
many thanks /Tommy
Try working the pot back and forth numerous times (like hundreds of times) and see if this helps at all. A lot of times, carbon deposits will build up on the wiper of the pot and moving it back and forth scrubs the deposits off. This doesn't always work, but when it does it is typically the best way to go about it. If it doesn't work, then the electrical contact cleaner should do the trick. I've seen many pots from the 50's that still work fine after this technique.
I don't recommend the contact cleaner right off the bat because it will remove any original lubricants within the pot at the same time. You'll end up with a clean noiseless pot, but one that will get scratchy again a lot easier and sooner. I've seen relatively new pots that act noisey because contact cleaner was used when it probably shouldn't have been.
If your pots were routinely cleaned with contact cleaner over the years, chances are you'll need to keep using it often from now on, or it's time to change that pot if you want the problem 'fixed for good'.
Do Not try to use any type of spray lubricant inside of the pot to replace the original lubricant. This will really mess things up for you. The spray lubricants (being wet) will attract dust and that dust will stick and gum up. That's how you wind up with seized pots over time. The white graphite lubricating paste is what you would want to use, but this requires disassembling the pot (not something you can do effectively, especially if you're not inclined to unsolder and remove the pot).
POO DAT!!!
Yes, there is a special brand you should get:
DeOxIt by Caig. Don't trust your guts to anything else. (MF carries it, so I assume you can get it at GC.)
DeOxIt will not do what Mesotech describes (and he's right, that cheap alcohol-based "yak piss" they sell at Radio SHack will do what he describes). It cleans, de-oxifies AND resurfaces the contact... actually makes stuff you thought was working okay sound better than it did.
Hope you get that pot working!
Hypothetically - what's worth more? A guitar with an original solder points and a non-functioning pot, or a guitar with a replaced pot + the original pot in a baggie?
You beat me to it, GT.Originally Posted by grandturk
An otherwise-playable instrument becomes a mere unserviceable "wall-hanger" in that circumstance. Repair if possible or replace if necessary but let that Stratocaster perform the mission for which it was intended.
My dos centavos' worth, YMMV.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Hi guys,
yes of course I will, if there is no other way to fix it, however I hope that's not the case!
I'll keep ya posted... :-)
And many warm thanks to all of you for the tips! I'm gonna start trying them out as soon as I can, starting by being a "human tremolo" for an evening, as Mesotech suggested (right after I order some DeOxIt)... thanks again! :-)
If you are handy, you can fix a pot. Get another pot of the same brand/type/period (maybe a few to get it right, and replace the bad "disk" that is inside. Clean the wiper while you're in there.
The can will open by prying the locking tabs up, the cover will slide of and expose what you need to fix. It's tricky and you'll need to squeeze some force fit parts apart and re-spread the holding bits with a center punch or chisel. It can be done if you are really set on having an original pot. If you're really good you can leave much of the wiring intact. If you'll have to get that grounded tab of the can.
Hi again, I've been hunting for DeOxIt on the web and of course there are a bunch of options... here are the 6 products that are on the GC website. Which do you reckon is the most appropriate for this particular case? Thanks again!!!
CAIG DeOxit Liquid 25mL Needle Applicator
CAIG DeOxit Liquid 7.4mL Brush Applicator
CAIG DeoxIT D5S-6 Spray, Contact Cleaner / Rejuvenator, 5 oz.
CAIG DeOxit Gold G5 Mini-Spray 20mL
CAIG DeoxIT FaderLube Lubricant 5 oz.
CAIG DeoxIT Gold G5 Spray Contact Conditioner 5 oz.
This is what to do.
...and I wish I'd done it on a 40 yr old one's vol pot one time, instead of replacing the pot outright.
Pry it apart and swap the insides without touching the soldering. That way it keeps the old casing and the '63 numerical code.
That's the stuff.
The spray even has an adjustable spray nozzle, so you can choose whether the flow is light, medium or heavy. Very handy when cleaning small parts.
hi.i have had this problem many times over the years with pots i was advised not to use switch cleaner by an electronics engineer who spent most of his life at marconi he told me to use wd40 and thi s does work . but somtimes a replacement is neaded. regards.
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