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Help! Pot problem
- Thread starter gotmayo?
- Start date
go to rehab?... but im not exactly sure what you mean post a picture. the worst case scenario you will need to buy a new pot like 5$ if you get it from all parts.
Some snap and then some are more like a rivet in the way they attach.
If it where me I’d go ahead and try to snap it in place and if it brakes it only brakes an already damaged $5 part.
If it where me I’d go ahead and try to snap it in place and if it brakes it only brakes an already damaged $5 part.
Repair rule: If it sticks...force it! If it breaks...it was probably bad anyway.
It's not best to try to force the shaft back in. There is a slider piece inside the pot that goes on the end of the shaft and it's probably shifted to the side. The proper, way to "fix" one is to pry the back cover of the pot off. Pull out the little slider thingie. shove the shaft in the hole. And then try to press the slider gismo onto the end of the shaft where it goes. Put some gorilla glue on there so it won't come off again. Then crimp the cover back on the pot. Usually the pot has to be removed for this operation. And then chances are very high the pot will again go bad pretty soon.
Got the picture yet? Just BUY the new pot and put it in. It will make you very happy and won't be "scratchy" for quite some time.
I spy from your picture a screw in the side of the knob.
Did you not loosen the screw which pins the knob to the shaft before pulling the knob off?
Don't even bother trying to repair the broken pot, replace it with a new one.
Make sure it is the same as the old one.
As well as the same ohm value, check the letter next to it (A or B), and the shaft type (flattend side).
I have a pot problem too... not enough of it
Did you not loosen the screw which pins the knob to the shaft before pulling the knob off?
Don't even bother trying to repair the broken pot, replace it with a new one.
Make sure it is the same as the old one.
As well as the same ohm value, check the letter next to it (A or B), and the shaft type (flattend side).
I have a pot problem too... not enough of it
Im guessing this is an attempt at sarcasm, I think if you re evaluate the situation the op is having and what has been said thus far you will recognize your fail.
If it sticks why would one need to force it?
The problem is/was that it doesnt stick
and if it brakes in the process it is only further damaging an already damaged part.
A five dollar part none the less.
Further more since it only takes $5 and about 10 minutes to replace the pot, why would one spend 45 minutes to an hour on a repair that most likely wouldnt work on said five dollar pot?
How about taking 2 seconds on a repair that might work and go from there, worse case here is that you wasted 2 seconds.
Also Ill let you in on a little secret, not all pots are constructed in the same way!
Often times there will be ridges in either the pots back or its base that prevent the disk from moving side to side.
This imo, makes for a more durable pot and may very well be why this is more common on many of the higher end ones out there.
Now to address the ops current situation, as I will assume that you have decided to go ahead and replace the pot.
First things first you need to make sure that the replacement is the same rating.
Since this is a p bass I will say that it is most likely a 250K ohm audio taper.
If youre not sure and you cant find anywhere on it that says 250 then you can measure it by testing the ohms using a mutimeter.
To do this set the meter to ohms and put your test leads on the two outside lugs of the pot, the rating you get is the pots exact rating.
For example if it says 257 or 242 you need a 250 pot as pots have a certain tolerance to their printed rating.
Now if you dont have a multimeter and or cant find a printed rating on the pot, you can always just get a 250k ohm audio taper pot and try it out.
The worse case scenario here is that you get the ohms rating wrong which may (if your ears can detect it) give you a very slight difference in tone.
Once you have all that out of the way when it comes time to solder it in you will need
A: some moderate soldering skills. (If you want I can link you to a really great thread on how to solder)
B: all the proper tools and supplies, this will include but is not limited to,
A 35 watt iron, rosin core solder, and although many people will use their 35 watt irons for the backs of pots, I personally recommend using a 75 watt iron for this part as it distributes the heat better on larger areas and will hold less risk of damaging the pot by over heating it.
There are other tools that will make the job easier and prolong the life of your iron/irons but to keep this simple these are the basics of what you will need.
Once you have all that down youre ready to go.
Do your change out one wire at a time so you dont lose track of where everything goes. You will just simply be de-soldering and re-soldering, its that simple.
Do your home work if youve never soldered before and take your time and you should be fine.
Best of luck,
Samantha.
Invalid Link Removed
This CTS pot looks closer to what you have pictured and is imo. a much better pot.
Im guessing this is an attempt at sarcasm, I think if you re evaluate the situation the op is having and what has been said thus far you will recognize your fail.
It's a JOKE, son! If you re-evaluate the situation you may recognize your fail. [First sentence here is attempt at humor too, Samantha]
First off, the word is spelled "BREAK" not "BRAKE". Brakes are what stops your car!
Next, I did not recommend that he repair the pot. The exposition on how it's done was to demonstrate the futility and sillyness of doing that, OK? However, IF and WHEN a pot is weird and a replacement cannot be found, the repair procedure CAN save the day. So it's some handy knowledge to file away. Where did you EVER get the idea I was suggesting the pot be repaired. (even though that is the choice of the OP not us)
(Snip great advice on how to replace a pot)
You did forget to mention that to measure the resistance of the pot it must be DISCONNECTED from the circuit. In other words you measure it after you have unsoldered the wires from it. Other wise the pickups and things connected to it can give you a wrong reading.
LOL, i did that once. I managed to take the back off the pot and just push the disc back onto the end of the shaft. Give it a go, you've got nothing to lose.
all right the person sodering it for me got pissed cause lack of information "unsoder and resoder it" so is there a way there could be a in depth explanation? any things i should know that you thought were obvious or a given? its the volume pot if i havent already mentioned that. i got a diagram and it appears you have to bend one of the prongs to touch the pot, is it likely to brake?
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
If you live in Colorado then bring it by my basement workshop and I will fix it and teach you haw to do it as well.
