No volume knob question

[namnatas666]

Hey guys,

I have been away for a little while but I have a question. I have built a Kelly witha single pickup and i want to run it with no volume knob. I tried just wireing it straight but it sounded weak. I then wired in a volume knob inside the control cavity. It now sounds better but the knob keeps moving around on me causeing me to loose level. Can anyone tell me what I need to wire in in place of a volume pot that would let me run straight like this? Thanks

[Ace]

Re: No volume knob question

Wiring it straight, provided you have a ground, is always going to give you the highest output level. All circuitry has resistance, which weakens the signal. You may well have had a weak soldering joint in your first straight wiring job. If you can't get it to work without the VU knob inside, take the plastic lid off the top of a spray bottle, like Chloraseptic, and tape that over the shaft to protect it from being touched by anything. Or just cut/super glue the shaft so it won't move.

[Hotrodder]

Re: No volume knob question

You can also get pots that "click" in the full on position. When it clicks it also removes the pot from the circut.

When I get around to restoring my Model 4 I'm putting them in for both the tone and volume.

[Black Mariah]

Re: No volume knob question

On/Off toggle switch. Problem solved, plus you can have silence.

[charvel750]

Re: No volume knob question

The amount of signal loss with a single volume pot (or even a tone or two thrown in with it) is so negligible no one with normal hearing can sense the difference. To wire the pickup straight to the jack, wire the hot from the pickup to the jack and the ground from the pickup to the jack. Simple. No need to leave a pot inside the control cavity all sliding around.

[Ace]

Re: No volume knob question

John Carruthers tells a story of how he wired a true bypass into a client's guitar, and when he activated the bypass the signal jumped significantly.

[The Enema]

Re: No volume knob question

i think you must have made a mistake or a bad solder joint

it should be as loud as normal (if not louder) cause of the lack of any extra resistance

or as a last idea, you could wire up a resister inside that has the same values as the pot would have turned full (if none then you could use a very very small resister) and wire it up as normal just without the moving part

David