Need new pots, halp?

Stan Kwervo · Post by **Stan Kwervo** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 1:59 am

I have a blacktop JM, which I think are starting to become associated with pots that are either on or off. I think I'm in need of new ones. Problem is, I have no experience with pots.

It has a humbucker in the bridge and single coil in the neck. After looking around the internet I think what I need are 500K audio for the volume and 500K linear for the tone, sound right?

I'm also wondering if someone could point me in the right direction of good quality pots. I wouldn't wanna order some and find out they work just as bad as the stock ones.

Thanks in advance and sorry if this is in the wrong section.

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:37 am

I would get these

They seem like they're good quality and pretty sure they should work in a Jazzy. Plus they're super cheap. You would need to buy knobs for it. You can look around that site and you can find some Jazzmaster knobs that will use the screws on the side.

Either way, I would go with 500k for sure. It doesn't really matter if you use audio or linear, they will both work. They'll just respond in different ways.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:40 am

Order both 500k and 300k pots, then use what you think sounds best.

There are a ton of places to find information on this stuff y'all!

Will · Post by **Will** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 3:22 am

I think Audio gives a more even taper for tone than Linear. Other people think it's the other way around. Pretty much all pots dump all the treble within the last few degrees of their rotation.

But I think Audio responds more predictably.

Alpha (smaller) or CTS (tougher, but may not fit in pre-drilled holes) are the standards.

24HRS2MDNT · Post by **24HRS2MDNT** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 3:55 am

SGJarrod · Post by **SGJarrod** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:06 am

I originally battled this in my Blacktop JM.... you would not need to buy new knobs, the knobs on that guitar have set screws, all you need is a normal 24mm single gang smooth shaft pot in 500K, I prefer linear...that is also what came stock in mine...... buy some alpha pots...great budget pots..Smallbear is where I get'em

I ended up leaving in the original pots, they are full size, soo....and I was just lazy and did not want to rewire it... I ended up putting in a 0.033 orange drop tone cap (0.033 is stock for all JM's including this one)..... and put a volume mod on the vol pot (470pf cap and 220k resistor ran parallel on the ungrounded lugs, OR a .001 cap between the ungrounded lugs) ... I am very happy with the results, the controls are A LOT more usable.

I also put in Duncan JB in the bridge and that did wonders for this guitar, the bridge pick-up no longer seems out of place like the stock one did..The JB is less compressed sounding which matches well with a single coil....... The JB's gain also matches well with the hot single in the neck

Stan Kwervo · Post by **Stan Kwervo** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:59 am

Thanks PW, think I have a better idea of what to look for. That site's pretty cool too.

Order both 500k and 300k pots

shows what I know, didn't know they made 300k

Will- I was going back in forth in my mind about that since the tone pot in my JM is a linear and its the equivalent of an on-off switch.

24HRS2MDNT - Thanks for that, I lol'd

SGJ- you just reminded me i forgot to ask about capacitors, im guessing in the range of 0.033 would work for a BTJM?