Ibanez BTB, (proprietary pot)

[brandonsbass]

So I was talking to a guy at the guitar shop, and he advised me that the BTB has a special 27 dollar pot. Does anyone know if this is correct? And since I can't afford to not have a backup at this point, I would like to know what people pay for pot installs and a replacement knob.

[Nick Ioannucci]

uhh? was it a push pull? or something wierd like that? did he say that that was the total amount for parts and an install, or just for parts, because the only potentiometers i have seen that high are the custom stacked 250k/250k ones that im getting. normally regular pots cost anywhere from 3-6 dollars, more if they are also switches/DPDT etc. check the ibanez website for a wiring diagram and see if it tellss you all the pot values and report back on which one is broken.

[tadawson]

Originally Posted by brandonsbass

So I was talking to a guy at the guitar shop, and he advised me that the BTB has a special 27 dollar pot. Does anyone know if this is correct? And since I can't afford to not have a backup at this point, I would like to know what people pay for pot installs and a replacement knob.

He probably meant that it isn't just a generic volume pot, like he has at his store. The price is most likely due to what Ibanez charges, not that anything is unique in the pot. A good electronic parts supplier should be able to source pretty much anything for less than $10 . . . .

- Tim

[fookgub]

Originally Posted by tadawson

A good electronic parts supplier should be able to source pretty much anything for less than $10 . . . .

Not true. Instruments can have some real oddball stuff in them sometimes. I once paid about $25 for a pot for my SR800. It was (IIRC) a concentric 10k/50k linear pot, and the 10k section had a center detent. Add in the fact that it had to have a long shaft to get through the top of the instrument, and you've got one hard to find pot. I scoured Mouser, Digi-key, Newark, Jameco, All Electronics, MECI, Hosfelt, Electronix Express, and every other supplier I knew of to no avail. I finally found it at a store specializing in tube amp parts, but it wasn't cheap.

Anyway, my point is that $27 may not be reasonable, but I doubt you'll find it cheaper anywhere else if it is a unique part.

[RobertUI]

Originally Posted by fookgub

Not true. Instruments can have some real oddball stuff in them sometimes. I once paid about $25 for a pot for my SR800. It was (IIRC) a concentric 10k/50k linear pot, and the 10k section had a center detent. Add in the fact that it had to have a long shaft to get through the top of the instrument, and you've got one hard to find pot. I scoured Mouser, Digi-key, Newark, Jameco, All Electronics, MECI, Hosfelt, Electronix Express, and every other supplier I knew of to no avail. I finally found it at a store specializing in tube amp parts, but it wasn't cheap.

Anyway, my point is that $27 may not be reasonable, but I doubt you'll find it cheaper anywhere else if it is a unique part.

If this is anything like MY BTB, then this is exactly the kind of pot that he's probably thinking of. There is a stacked pot in there with a center detent. That's probably a pricey pot!

[tadawson]

Originally Posted by fookgub

Not true. Instruments can have some real oddball stuff in them sometimes. I once paid about $25 for a pot for my SR800. It was (IIRC) a concentric 10k/50k linear pot, and the 10k section had a center detent. Add in the fact that it had to have a long shaft to get through the top of the instrument, and you've got one hard to find pot. I scoured Mouser, Digi-key, Newark, Jameco, All Electronics, MECI, Hosfelt, Electronix Express, and every other supplier I knew of to no avail. I finally found it at a store specializing in tube amp parts, but it wasn't cheap.

Anyway, my point is that $27 may not be reasonable, but I doubt you'll find it cheaper anywhere else if it is a unique part.

There are vendors who have essentially "modular" pots - pick each deck, detent or no detent, and snap it all together. Once again, not that hard if you find a GOOD supplier (which it appears that you have not . . . )

Sometimes, it is just easier to blow the few extra bucks and avoid the search, though . . . $27 may be spendy for a pot, but should not break anyone . . .

- Tim

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by RobertUI

If this is anything like MY BTB, then this is exactly the kind of pot that he's probably thinking of. There is a stacked pot in there with a center detent. That's probably a pricey pot!

I want to find more pots like that, your average stacked pot isnt as tall as that, or as smooth!

[fookgub]

Originally Posted by tadawson

There are vendors who have essentially "modular" pots - pick each deck, detent or no detent, and snap it all together. Once again, not that hard if you find a GOOD supplier (which it appears that you have not . . . )

Not trying to start an argument here, but I have not been able to find any modular pots that allow for concentric controls and will mount through the top of an instrument. I don't think it's a matter of not knowing any good suppliers... my bookshelf is overflowing with electronics catalogs. If you've got a link to a place that sells small quantities of these things at reasonable prices, I'd sure like to check it out. That could save me a lot of time and effort.