strange noise from vol. pot on '81 L1000

eknivsnikta · #1 03-04-2009, 12:34 AM

hi. for a while now (maybe for as long as i've had the bass), i get this "dirty pot" sound when i adjust the volume control around top volume. it never really bothered me, until recently when i decided i want to use it for recording, and i want to have the controls clean sounding, as i use them quite a bit. i've had the pot replaced twice, both times by pros with good pots. they've also been cleaned. and still that noise is there. a repairman recently thoroughly inspected the bass and electronics, and found nothing wrong. then he had the idea of switching the knobs, as two of the knobs are the original 1981 style knobs, and one is a newer knob i ordered from G&L 2 years ago, which i had on the treble cut. so he put the new knob on the volume pot, and it seemed like the noise went away. the whole bass seemed less noisy/hummy. but then it came back, albeit a bit quiter. anyone know anything about this? could it be the pickup? it is the original pickup.

1Kay · #2 03-04-2009, 09:35 AM

Forgive me for adding to the question and potentially side tracking your thread, but I'm curious about this same issue. While not exactly what I would refer to as a "dirty pot sound' my 82' L1 has the most noise by a mile of my 5 G&L's and it seems to be primarily in the volume section. I can minimize it by keeping the treble cut, but it is noticeably different than the other girls. The 82' is still completely stock.

eknivsnikta · #3 03-05-2009, 11:47 PM

hmmm...sounds like maybe something different than what i'm experiencing, but maybe the same source? anyway, i just put the new pickup in, and the noise is still there, but just barely. i would probably say: good enough - if it weren't for the fact that the new pickup has no deep midrange, and NO REAL GROWL. it has the beginning of a little kitty growl, but it don't go nowhere. lame. on the plus side, the newer pickup has rounder, clearer, brighter tone. but none of that is worth the loss of the other, to me. getting back to the noise issue, it seems to be a conductivity issue generated by the pickup, and putting in a new volume pot doesn't fix it. maybe a plastic knob? will have to try it, if i can find one that fits. and i don't know much about electronics...but is there only one type of resistance/pot you can use for the volume knob on the L1000?