Guitar Volume Pot Question

**nosoyninja** · 04-26-2013, 09:55 AM

Barney Kessel solved this issue by using chickenhead knobs:

**3625** · 04-26-2013, 10:00 AM

I wish I knew about the leech before I bought a boosta grande pedal a year ago (used it in a swing guitar duo, for quick rhythm crossovers). The leech pretty much does what I want, except for the click of the footswitch in an intimate setting. I play duo with double bass mostly, so something silent would be good. picky, picky...

**3625** · 04-26-2013, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by nosoyninja

Barney Kessel solved this issue by using chickenhead knobs:

Are you referring to his toupee?

**Insufferable_Rhythm** · 04-26-2013, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by Solo Flight

I'm no electrician, but is there any reason why they can't make a pot that gently clicks into place at certain intervals, like from 1-10, so you could return to the same spot without constantly adjusting but that would also allow you to set between the intervals if you wanted? Seems like it would be a hot seller.

They do make them. Potentiometers with that many detents are primarily manufactured for OEMs, though.

It is also fairly easy to modify a potentiometer to have a detent wherever you want it.

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

I don't need them to be switchable on a specific gig - what I need is 1) when I go trough amps I want to find that sweet spot and make that my "10" 2) when I go to a PA i need the full pot because for some reason I like it on 10 trough PAs.

Do you think the trimpot would help me have this solution?

Thanks for all the help!

The trimpot will work. Probably become an annoyance to adjust. You might consider a dual concentric potentiometer.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by nosoyninja

Barney Kessel solved this issue by using chickenhead knobs:

How is that a solution?

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by 3625

I wish I knew about the leech before I bought a boosta grande pedal a year ago (used it in a swing guitar duo, for quick rhythm crossovers). The leech pretty much does what I want, except for the click of the footswitch in an intimate setting. I play duo with double bass mostly, so something silent would be good. picky, picky...

It should be easy to install a more silent switch in there..

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by Insufferable_Rhythm

They do make them. Potentiometers with that many detents are primarily manufactured for OEMs, though.

It is also fairly easy to modify a potentiometer to have a detent wherever you want it.

The trimpot will work. Probably become an annoyance to adjust. You might consider a dual concentric potentiometer.

Great! Between modifying the pot to have a detent or a dual concentric pot which one do you think is the best?

**Solo Flight** · 04-26-2013, 10:27 AM

Was poking around and found this discussion on Talkbass about multiple detents:

Volume knob with multiple detents? - TalkBass Forums

**Insufferable_Rhythm** · 04-26-2013, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Great! Between modifying the pot to have a detent or a dual concentric pot which one do you think is the best?

Dual concentric potentiometer. Can find the "sweet spot" with any amplifier you find yourself using.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Solo Flight

Was poking around and found this discussion on Talkbass about multiple detents:

Volume knob with multiple detents? - TalkBass Forums

Thanks, will look into that. That forum has actually lots of excellent information, I think bass players are much more "advanced" than guitar players on these things - we seem to focus most of our gear focus on replicating 60s gear.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Insufferable_Rhythm

Dual concentric potentiometer. Can find the "sweet spot" with any amplifier you find yourself using.

Excellent, will discuss all this with my tech.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 11:18 AM

Could you elaborate a little more on how would the dual concentric pot work? My tech did not understood the purpose. Thanks!

**Insufferable_Rhythm** · 04-26-2013, 11:57 AM

One section of the potentiometer will be wired as a rheostat, in between your pickup's "hot" lead and the other section (wired as your volume control).

**nosoyninja** · 04-26-2013, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

How is that a solution?

He says himself, he can feel where the knob is set without needing to see it. So he can control it's position exactly with out much effort. It's just a thought, you know... maybe try a mechanical solution, as opposed to an electronics based one...

K

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 03:51 PM

Hmm I don't think it would work. It's still a trial and error approach, which I don't want at all. Gigging is already stressful, I want to avoid worrying about this issue.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Insufferable_Rhythm

One section of the potentiometer will be wired as a rheostat, in between your pickup's "hot" lead and the other section (wired as your volume control).

Great, let's see what he think's it will work best.

**Insufferable_Rhythm** · 04-26-2013, 05:22 PM

Let me know if you need a wiring diagram.

**Tom Karol** · 04-26-2013, 06:46 PM

This has got me thinking (not always a good thing).

I believe the Fender Jazzmaster had a separate rhythm and lead circuit, each with its own volume and tone control. You could preset each circuit and switch between them. Why hasn't someone designed a single-pickup archtop with 2 sets of identical volume and tone controls and a 2-way switch. It would look like the standard 2-pickups-4-knobs-and-a-toggle-switch control setup - not as elegant as 2 knobs and no switch I guess - but would address the issue being discussed here instead. Just a thought ...

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by Insufferable_Rhythm

Let me know if you need a wiring diagram.

Thanks, I will. It might take a few months to make this happen because I am a little busy with gigs and soon to come exams but it will be made for sure.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-26-2013, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

This has got me thinking (not always a good thing).

I believe the Fender Jazzmaster had a separate rhythm and lead circuit, each with its own volume and tone control. You could preset each circuit and switch between them. Why hasn't someone designed a single-pickup archtop with 2 sets of identical volume and tone controls and a 2-way switch. It would look like the standard 2-pickups-4-knobs-and-a-toggle-switch control setup - not as elegant as 2 knobs and no switch I guess - but would address the issue being discussed here instead. Just a thought ...

It would be very clever to do that actually... But hey Tom plenty of ideas here on the thread, hope you also try one of them.

**Bryan T** · 04-26-2013, 10:11 PM

If I were to do this (though I really can't say I see the need to do so), I would just go with a micro-switch that bypassed the volume control.

**jorgemg1984** · 04-27-2013, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by Bryan T

If I were to do this (though I really can't say I see the need to do so), I would just go with a micro-switch that bypassed the volume control.

Well I DO see the need..

How would that help me exactly?

**juuso1** · 04-27-2013, 06:41 AM

Hello,
This was my solution, only one volumepot and on-on miniswich under pickgard. Floating Kent Armstrong singlecoil pickup with two ouputs, one 11,5 kOhms for solo, one 7,5 kOhms for rythm. Amp´s volume and tune I put as please and start playing. Simple and easy and it works. Old Germany guitar after new pickgard and some fixing...

Cheers Juuso1

**jorgemg1984** · 04-27-2013, 08:56 AM

Thanks - I don't want two outputs, I love my pickups on 9 and want to vary between 0 and 9, just that. And I would really like to leave the pickguards out of the equation

**Bryan T** · 04-27-2013, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Well I DO see the need..

How would that help me exactly?

Two settings: one is no volume control (as if on "10"), two is volume control (control from 0 to 10). You can switch between the two.

If you really need 9 instead of 10, you could also wire in a resistor so that the guitar always thought it was on 9, so you could switch between 9 and 0-9.

Or you could lower the pickup.