Replacing pots,switches & jacks in Axis's

[HunterSThompson]

After several years of playing..It's time to replace the pots,switches & jacks in my 2 EBMM Axis guitars .....I'm going with Neutrik locking jacks ...but pots...I REALLY use my volume pots alot ....any volume swell Gods out there ?Well...I'm going to switch at this point to DiMarzio 500k pots ...any hints on other pots & 3-way switches ?? Any help would be appreciated .Since I basically live on a mountain I have to order all my stuff from catalogs & the net..So thanks again for any tips you can float my way

 

[Astrofreq]

This is actually an interesting thread because I was thinking about switching out the volume pots. I know that there are different pots with slopes to the volume curve. I prefer a pot which gets louder faster and isn't so gradual. Does anyone know the particular brand for that?

 

[Lance Romance]

The stuff from Roy at RS Guitarworks is just outstanding. Surf around and you'll find lots of references to this. I just put one of his Superpots in my Silo Special with WCR SRs and it's quite amazing what it did for the guitar. Taper is really smooth, it opened-up the top end, and generally works way better than the stock stuff (which is not bad; the RS is just way better). They are a little stiff at the beginning, but either play it for awhile to loosen it up, or talk to Roy about how to go inside them and really loosen it. I got one of his Hovland Musicaps for the tone at the same time. Big improvement, but I have NO intention of starting one of those multi-page posts about caps pro and con; it just works for me.
Highly recommended!-Eric
P.S. If you have special requirements, talk to Roy. He's a really easy guy to get along with and knows his stuff.

 

[tommyindelaware]

POTS !!!!!
this is a subject that can really get me going.

there is ALOT of bull**** voodoo out there in the market place about pots. some of the prices are absolutely a ripoff !!!!

fact is that everyone who is selling a high quality pot is selling a pot they had made by cts .if you want a pot with a normal taper.......get a audio taper pot. if you want a pot that opens up quickly...get a linier taper pot. sonically..........it doesn't matter if u get them from dimarzio........fender......gibson.........ernie ball.........magic parts...........allparts ........wd......warmoth..........the wizard of oz.......or whoever. if you pay more than about 5 bucks.......yer buying snake oil. cts makes the best pots ........and they make them for everybody whos anybody. cts is the only manufacturer out there who can make spec guitar parts. AND....... all the snake oil dealers have cts make up a pot w/ some (specific) taperw/ a very slight specified difference in taper....then proceed to claim that there magig voodoo pot is gonna make some huge magical difference in your sound......when in fact....ALL cts pots......made for WHOEVER........ have a tolerance variation of + or - 10% !!!!!!! in other words...even the bst pots can (and often do) vary as much as 20%
i see folks selling pots for 20....even 40 bucks each. be aware someone is seriously trying to get there hand in your pocket !!!!!!!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I reciently replaced the volume pot in my #1 Axis with an Ernie Ball replacement pot. Its smooth and loose feeling for those volume swells. I also use my volume pot A LOT!

Where in Virginia are you Hunter?

 

[HunterSThompson]

Where in Virginia are you Hunter?

I'm living in a town called Bramwell ..I'm about 45 minutes from Virginia Tech

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I'm living in a town called Bramwell ..I'm about 45 minutes from Virginia Tech

My girlfriend lives in Ferrum, so I often visit your neck of the woods!

 

[HunterSThompson]

My girlfriend lives in Ferrum, so I often visit your neck of the woods!

O.K...My girlfriends parents live in Roanoke/Garden City..and we drive that area a bit..out near Ferrum ...it's all kinda near Rocky Mount of the 220 ...I think the closest EBMM in that area is Kelley's Music on Brambelton in Roanoke

 

[beej]

POTS !!!!!
this is a subject that can really get me going.

Couldn't agree more. Taper and resistance, there's not really a lot more to it than that. Get what you like, but as Tommy says, most pots are simply rebranded.

 

[HunterSThompson]

I'm a monkey with a paintstick looking to slap something

So basically as long as it's 500k short shaft..I'm covered .I think I have a bunch of stuff that I never used.and I think I have a bunch of the small sized pots from my Kramer/ESP days...and if the general consensus is it's all the same .I guess..I'll fire up the ole' soldering gun and kick this party off..No sense in waiting for the beer to go flat ....So while I'm sucking on solder & flax droppings ..here's a topic..... Ed Roman ...LOL

 

[meenahga]

I noticed my Steve Morse has what seems to be a nice volume pot for swells. My other Balls swell nicely too, but there is somethin' about the Morse. Maybe it's the knurled knob??? Anyone else notice this with their Morse guitars?