Pots and Caps ???

[Al.]

I'm putting together a Gibson scale Tele.Looking for some twang but not too much but still want it to sound like a Tele.I have ordered up a couple SD pickups.A STL-1B Vintage Broadcaster bridge and a
APTR-1 Alnico II rhythm .

I have laying around here some CTS Pots that measure :219, 223 ,230 ,231 and a 478.I imagine I'll use something in the 2's.

The Caps I have are:

Sprague BB's in .015 and .030,
C-D " Tiny Chief " in .01 , .02 and .05

Just a normal 3 way switch.Nothing fancy.

I'm trying to find some steel 3 way non threaded saddles and will most likely be useing 11's or 12's on this.Highly likely useing a wound 3rd.

Any comments or expirences of what you think might work well.Kind of a general purpose Tele that can do anything between country ,classic rock
Blues to Page ????

[Tonebender]

Sounds like you have a cool guitar on the way....

Those pots aren't close enough for the 250K value. I know their is a way to modify the pots closer to 250K but I haven't done it and don't know exactly whats involved. Maybe someone else could chime in.

I think Stewart Macdonald sells non threaded steel but I'd recommend brass saddles since that's what Jimmy Page had on his Tele.

For tone cap value, your .030 would be a good choice. Page probably used the stock cap which was .047 and kept his tone pot rolled back.

[Al.]

Thanks Tonebender,

I have managed to dig up some steel saddles.I have Brass ones also...Ya it kinda bothered me alittle about the pots being so low.... But I bought them through the mail and couldnt check them first.I bot that .03 years ago "just in case" and looks like it may be time to use it.

Thanks for the help.

...Al.

[Teleologist]

It will also depend on the guitar(woods, neck) and amp. If it's ash/maple you might want to start with the stock .047uF - you may be dialing down the tone control a bit anyway. If it's too dark try the .022uF and if it's still dark with that you could even try the 500K for a tone pot. I'd agree that 230K is borderline. Brass saddles will take some of the sting out but some folks prefer steel with alder or dark sounding Teles.

[Al.]

Teleologist,

Yes I have a feeling this will likely be a darker sounding wood combo.Thus far it's not much like an Ash Tele at all.But then again its not built on a normal Tele recipie either....It is a total expiriment.Unfortunatly I am not really up to speed with Fender combinations..So this is quite new to me working with Fender type single coils and what works well for them....It's all a learning expirence.

Spose,

Man I have been away too long...I didnt even know the was a second CD.Are there any left ??.

Hmmmm ... Brian has struck again I see.... I remember many of his posts throughout the years and some did indeed have me seeking relief..but this looks easy enough...I will try that on the 219 and see what happens...I would have never thought of that.Great idea.... Typical Brian !

Thank you guys for the info.Very informative indeed !!

[Teleologist]

Originally posted by Spose
Al, Brian GWN from the LPF has an article about
changing the value of the pot , increasing the resistance by scraping the resistive element. I've done it many times with great success. Getting a 230K up to 250K is easy.

I see a pic, but no article. It'll work though as long as you scrap evenly along the element, otherwise you might mess up the taper. You can also slice through them with an Exacto knife. I made a 2-way blend pot for a Strat once out of a 200K linear that way. As you turn it down in the bridge/middle position it fades out the middle PUP. Halfway down it crosses over the 'slice' and blends in the neck PUP as you continue to full CCW.

Also the CTS elements from almost all 1" diameter pots are interchangeable so a 500K element from a 3/4"bushing/long shaft LP-type pot will fit a 1/4" bushing Strat or Tele pot. Also the plain shaft Tele pots are an exact fit in Rics.

[Jeff]

Scrape the EDGES of the carbon track with an Xacto type knife while you have an ohm meter clipped to the outer legs of the track. You can watch the resistance increase as you scrape. Be careful not to scratch the face of the track.

BTW, you may as well forget about getting dead-on pot values from any supplier - they almost always seem to run too low if anything.

Note that resistance readings will always increase with an increase in temperature. Try taking a pickup outside for a while in the cold, measure it and then again when it warms up. You'll see a difference!