Volume pots..

[wheeleradam]

Where does Jackson get their volume pots from?

I'm having a hell of a time trying to find the specific pot my Kelly requires.

[RobRR]

Why would your kelly require a specific pot? Ive never heard of such a thing. They use generic 500k pots, usually large, but sometimes small style as well. Other than that they are nothing special.

[rjohnstone]

Just get a set of CTS 500k pots.
That's what they use in their USA built guitars.

[wheeleradam]

it takes a very specific kind ...it HAS to be:

500K or 750K mini
bushing has to be longer than 3/8's of an inch
audio tapered
spit shaft

i've tried e-bay, and wdmusic.com, amazon, and various others..with less than pleasing results.

[toejam]

It really doesn't have to be mini, and it can be 250k, 300k, 500k, 750k or 1 meg. 750k is such a weird number, you'll probably have a hard time finding one. And like Rjohnstone said, a regular 500k CTS is what Jackson/Charvel uses.

[Bengal65]

It really doesn't have to be mini, and it can be 250k, 300k, 500k, 750k or 1 meg. 750k is such a weird number, you'll probably have a hard time finding one. And like Rjohnstone said, a regular 500k CTS is what Jackson/Charvel uses.

+1000! Mini pots also have less contact surface area than standard size. If you can fit a standard size pot in the control cavity, that's what I'd go with.

[rjohnstone]

Start here... http://www.guitarelectronics.com/
I've had nothing but good luck with these guys.
If it exists, they either have it or can get it.

And +1 on what Bengal says about the mini's... they suck.

[straycat]

Import will use the small dia shaft the CTS pots are a little larger in diameter just use a reamer to enlarge the hole no big problem.
By all means use the standard size if you have the room.It does make a difference in your tone.
I'm not going to say it OK!!!!!!! LOL

[LEOKV2]

What about the pots that come with EMG's? I dunno if you guys had the same problems as me, but the Jackson KNOBS on my KV2 didn't fit the new pots, so I had to get different knobs.

[RobRR]

Ive always used my stock knobs for EMG's without any problems.

[wheeleradam]

I've tried installing a standard pot in the guitar, it just won't fit. I don't know where the guitar came from, but it seems as though every part on this guitar was unique or something. It came standard with the 750K minipot in it..and when the original went bad, i found the 750K type..but since then I think they quit making them or something. And seymourduncan.com says 500K is the better way to go anyway, so I'm trying to go with that. just the bushing length that's killing me.

and i really don't want to have to cut on my guitar if its not absolutely necessary...won't that affect the tone at all? one of my more experienced guitar player/tech friends says it will..

[Bengal65]

How does it not fit? Is it the shaft bushing diameter or is it the pot will not fit due to the pot housing diameter? On a CTS or Switchcraft pot, you can use a 3/8" diameter Dremel sanding drum (the small one) to "ream" the shaft bushing hole in the body. The drum makes a clean hole without worrying about chipping the guitars' finish. If it's the rout that interfers with the pot housing you can use a Dremel sanding drum on those areas as well.

[Sunbane]

Also, what pickups are in your guitar?

I have never heard of Jackson using 750k pots before. Ever. And I can't imagine it "having to be" 750k either, unless you have some sort of odd-ball pickuppery in it that requires it.

With ordinary passive pickups, the effect you would get from a 750k pot would be; more output and more brightness. My suggestion is (if you DO have ordinary passive pickups) to try a 500k pot. If it makes the guitar sound too dull, then try a 1M pot. It will not hurt the pickups, nor the amp.

[wheeleradam]

the pickups are factory humbuckers that went into the KE-3 model (as far as i know thats what i have). pretty sure its an import guitar, cuz the serial numbers dont even show up on the jackson website.

and the regular pots wouldn't fit because: 1) the shaft was too short, 2) the shaft was a bit too wide and 3) the routing was too narrow for the base of it to fit.

and i believe i may have located the kind of pot i need, but hard telling. if nothing else, i guess i can bore out the hole/routing..not too excited about the idea though.

[rjohnstone]

Stock pups on a newer KE-3 is a JB/Jazz combo... nothing special about them at all.
The older ones had the Duncan Designed pups. 103B and a 103N.
Again... nothing special about them.

Any 500k pot will work just fine with them.
And you can get them in different shaft diameters and lengths.