MOTM

In a message dated 1/6/2000 10:38:37 PM, mmt@... writes:

>Speaking of potentiometers,
>I was going to ask your opinions on replacing a scratchy volume & tone
>pot
>on my Fender bass (57' Re-Issue.For this application, should I go with
>a
>Spectrol or a Bourns? Audio or Linear taper?  How many K?
>I recall reading that the higher Ohmage ( is that a word?) would bleed
>off
>some top end to ground.. I'd appreciate your opinions/ suggestions.

I looked in some of my books and was surprised that wiring diagrams for both 
J and P basses showed no values for pots or caps -- that's the problem with 
today's guitar manufacturers, no values!

What I can tell you is that you want an audio taper and I'm reasonably sure 
you want a 250K value (the other popular value is 500K). The value is almost 
certainly stamped on the case of the pot, so take a look at what's in it 
before going ahead. I'd try spraying the old pots out with Deoxit first, but 
you can get the parts from the place Paul recommended, or (my fave) Stewart 
Macdonald's Guitar Shop Supply (www.stewmac.com). These pots are listed for 
less than $3.00, of course they won't be as good as the Spectrol pots, but 
they are the right parts for the job. 

BTW, it's the 250K pots that bleed off the high end to ground and are said to 
have a more beefy (warmer) tone. Humbucking PUs usually use 500K pots while 
Strats and Teles generally have 250K pots -- think how much more zing they'd 
have if they used 500K pots!

Hope this helps you!
JB