Crackle, crackle, crackle...

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

So I wired up some new pickups in my SL2H. I used the original volume pot and a new volume pot in the tone pot hole. Wired it all up, and I notice that when the volume is up all the way, and I wiggle the knob around, I get a slight crackle. I also get a slight crackle when I turn it down from full volume just slightly. It has gold metal knobs on it, but it's not just when I am only touching the knob (i.e. grounding the guitar through the knob) it happens even with my hand on the strings.

I suspected a bad potentiometer but I checked all my connections and couldn't find anything wrong, so I gutted it, desoldered everything, and took a brand new CTS pot out of the Allparts shrinkwrap and wired it up again, this time with just a single volume.

I have the same problem.

What the hell? Brand new potentiometer out of the package is dirty/corroded? :think:

[Nightbat]

Have you checked the amp and/or cables?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yeah, I tried a different guitar and I don't have the problem.

[Trussrod]

Have you tried cleaning the pots with an electronics spray cleaner?

[Dr loomis]

I had a set of active EMG's an 81 and 85 when hard wired, had a problem similar to this. It was the green capacitor in between the lead wire and the pot causing the problem if this helps. Also sounds like a resistance issue of ohms. IMO

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Have you tried cleaning the pots with an electronics spray cleaner?

That will probably do it. I think I will pull it apart because I want to add a little more tension to the wiper to make it stiffer, too.

But damn it man, fresh out of the package and it needs cleaned?

[Trussrod]

That will probably do it. I think I will pull it apart because I want to add a little more tension to the wiper to make it stiffer, too.

But damn it man, fresh out of the package and it needs cleaned?

That's bad and you're using quality pots, too. Maybe you should contact CTS or the retailer. What's a small can of contact cleaner going for these days? The stuff that works was never cheap.

[Twitch]

The down side of contact cleaner is its temporary. Eventually whatever dirt or debris that was in there will eventually re-affix its self to the contact and/or wiper again. Id try one more pot. Chances are, you had the bad luck of buying a pot that was stored in a humid climate of some sort and it got corroded at some point. Id buy another from a different store, in case their whole shipment is that way and if the new pot from a different store fixes the problem, Id take the others back for a refund. If they wont give you the refund because youve already soldered to it, Id contact CTS directly, Id just imagine, they have the integrity to stand behind their product.

[Newc]

Assuming you can prove to them you didn't have it lying around before installation.
While you know how it was stored, they do not. They don't know you from the guy across the street.

After spraying contact cleaner into it, and spinning the knob to work it in, try shooting compressed air into it to dislodge any debris, otherwise you've just got greasy debris in the pot.

If you intend to take it completely apart, wipe the disc and wiper down with a cleaner-soaked rag.

[Twitch]

Assuming you can prove to them you didn't have it lying around before installation.

Ive had good luck speaking with manufacturers over small things like this. A $1 pot (their cost) is usually worth the effort to them to resolve the issue for customer satisfaction. EMG mailed me a 5 conductor quick connect cable for my AB free of charge and I just asked for a price and how to order just the cable. It was worth it to them just to give me one apparently. They could have charged me, and I was prepared to pay.

If its your first time contacting them, and you can prove that you just recently bought it if they even ask, but go ahead and mention you have receipt, Im sure theyd fix you right up.

Newc, as far as taking a pot apart, youre a bigger man than I to even attempt that. Thats where I would personally draw the line.

[Newc]

Taking them apart is easy. Getting them back together correctly, now that's a challenge

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Taking them apart is easy. Getting them back together correctly, now that's a challenge

I'm a wizard!

I actually "roll my own" occasionally using the board from a 500K and the brass shaft, wiper & bushing from the 250K Jackson tone pots to get that stiff/slick feel (for the volume control) when the ones I happen to get from Allparts are not as stiff, which seems to be about 50/50.

I took it apart and cleaned the track with some naphtha and took what appeared to be a small bit of dust off of one of the wiper contacts and put it back together. Then I ran it from 0 - 10 about 20 times, and no more crackles.

Allparts is selling the aluminum-shaft CTS pots now and I don't think they're quite as good as the ones you find in a Charvel, and like I say about half of them are really easy to spin and half are tight like a Charvel/Jackson pot so the quality control simply is not there. Lesson learned I will disassemble/clean/retension the other two before I use them and I will look for a new source for quality CTS pots.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

FUCK!

This is totally bullshit. I ordered some split-shaft pots as well, and I wired one up and it makes a "chirp" noise (through the amp) going from about 3 - 5 volume wise. Took it apart, cleaned it, etc, same shit. Soldered in another one, same shit. I have two others I put in an SG, and on really listening to the, SAME SHIT.

So, here's the deal... IMO all of the CTS pots that Allparts is selling are junk, the failure rate is ridiculous. I'm going to try the "Fender" and "Gibson" versions to see if their custom specs result in more consistent quality but I'd beware any CTS pot that has an Allparts number on it.

[Twitch]

FUCK!

This is totally bullshit. I ordered some split-shaft pots as well, and I wired one up and it makes a "chirp" noise (through the amp) going from about 3 - 5 volume wise. Took it apart, cleaned it, etc, same shit. Soldered in another one, same shit. I have two others I put in an SG, and on really listening to the, SAME SHIT.

So, here's the deal... IMO all of the CTS pots that Allparts is selling are junk, the failure rate is ridiculous. I'm going to try the "Fender" and "Gibson" versions to see if their custom specs result in more consistent quality but I'd beware any CTS pot that has an Allparts number on it.

The Fender versions are the ones I buy from a local shop. So far, Ive bought 2 and both have been great. Nice and tight and silent.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I would be happy to buy them if they told you the taper. The 099-0834-000 and 099-0835-000 can't even be found on Fender's web site, almost none of the stores that carry them list the taper (and the one that does, I don't trust) and Fender's "contact us" gives me phone or fax number, no email address, so should I ask my dealer, who will politely tell me whichever I want to hear? :think: