cleaning em Pots

[muxis]

Hi,
I'm planning to clean up my volume pots cos it's getting really cracky and stuff...
so i want to ask a few questions before i cos any damage.

it's in my jazz bass with Aguilar obp-3

do i have to disconnect the battery 1st or anything to prevent any short circuit?

planning to spray some contact cleaner into the pots.

hope u guys can help me out here

thanks!

[Smokin' Toaster]

A tech I trust once told me that spray will work, but in cleaning the pot it accelerates the ultimate failure of the pot.

I'd recommend trying to work them out before using spray. Simply use the edge of your little finger/hand to turn the pot all the way down and all the way up repeatedly for 30 seconds or so. It has the effect of brushing the corrosion away. If that doesn't help then use the spray. Don’t' get me wrong, everything wears out, and when all else fails I use the spray, but if you can clean it without the spray why not delay the inevitable? And no, you don't have to disconnect the battery if you decide to use the spray.

[muxis]

I've tried turning the pots repeatedly b4 this...the cracking sound just wont go away. I think that use to work but not anymore. Let me give that a try again

[Bassamatic]

You want to spray in along the board that the contacts are attached to and then work the pot quickly and repeatedly. I have NEVER heard of cleaning accelerating the wear of a pot. AND - who cares - it is already defective or you wouldn't be cleaning it!

Don't cheap out on the spray - use a good one such as DeOxit.

[JackANSI]

Sometimes the spray cleaner removes some of the lube that cheaper pots (yes, even CTS) use to achieve that higher mechanical resistance 'feeling' so you might find that your pot spins a little more freely.

No matter what, spray cleaning is (at best) going to give you a little more time before you need to replace the pot, so check to see if the cleaner is going to end up costing more than just replacing the pot.

[SurferJoe46]

Yeah! X2!

The pot cleaner cost me $13.95 for a tiny can of it last month!

[bassmodder]

I use it for all my vintage amps that they either don't make pots for any more or when there are so many scratchy ones that replacement is not an option.

Deoxit - Years later my pots are still quiet. Just make sure you spray it in the back side and not down the shaft like some people do.

[darkstorm]

Tuner cleaner occassionally works but often its only temporary fix. Ussually the pots have to be replaced.

[rojo412]

Caig Progold is what you need. I have used it religiously with excellent results for 10 years. It's expensive, but it WORKS.

You won't regret it.