The Dunlop Pot

[Tommy Shown]

I recently purchased a Dunlop Pot from Tom Bradshaw. I had it installed in my volume pedal,and I can't get over the clarity and the smoothness, that I was getting. No scratchiness, no hiss.Just pure, clean tone. It was the best $28.00, I have ever spent. For years I used the old "J" pots i.e. Allen Bradley, 500k ohm pots,and have never gotten such great results,as I do with this products. At first I was skeptic about the difference in ohms, the Dunlop rated at 470k ohms, compared to the 500k ohms. But learned quickly, there were no difference in the clarity and rich tone, and sound. Thank you Tom Bradshaw for an outstandin product.
Tommy Shown
SMFTBL

[Darrell Birtcher]

I'll say "Amen" to everything claimed here. It's an elegant solution to an old problem.

[mike nolan]

I'll add a Hallelujah to that Amen! I have one going on 7 years of service in my main working pedal. There is no sign of noise or scratchiness.

[Larry Bressington]

I use them also in my Home rig, great pot. A million strokes they say.

[Chris Boyd]

I installed one in each Goodrich L120... love 'em...

[Jerry Jones]

I love them too.

There is a "C" shaped retainer clip around the shaft at the threaded bushing on these pots. I usually remove this from a new pot and hone both sides slightly using 1000g paper on a glass table. Removes any production burrs and seems to smooth the rotation a bit before installation.

[Gianni Gori]

Me too!
A great and trouble-free pot.
Thanks Tom!

[Don Sutley]

Has anyone put one of these pots in an Ernie Ball pedal? I have an older EB pedal with the side inputs and I'd like to replace the pot. I wrote Mr. Bradshaw about it and he said it would work, but was a pain to replace.

Thanks,
Don

[Larry Bressington]

Yep, Just put one in...It's the rope that's the pain! Remove the axle shaft first and let that be the last thing to install when working the rope.

Dont tighten the hex key for the brass knurl that goes on the pot until you have the pot set at 'Off' and the volume pedal 'UP' then you can tighten and adjust slightly.

Make sure when you have volume all the 'DOWN' that the pot is 'NOT' totally maxed out, maybe 90%. The volume won't change past that, and you don't want the pot to be hitting a stop.

[Don Sutley]

Thanks, Larry. I might give it a try.

-Don

[Larry Bressington]

After removing main Axle shaft, Push the rear axle 'small one' with the little black guide pulley at rear of pedal, out with a screwdriver also, then it just comes apart so easily.

Then unsrcew the 2 philips from the back that hold the pot holder to pedal

Then use 12 mm socket to remove pot.

Solder up via diagram on Dunlop package

[Don Sutley]

Remove the axle shaft first and let that be the last thing to install when working the rope.

Larry,

Do you need to loosen the screws in the black supports of the main axle shaft to get the axle out? Also, do I try to leave the rope in place as much as possible to get it back together or is that possible? I guess I'll need to unscrew and remove the black mount that the pot is on as well.

-Don

[Larry Bressington]

Yes, you need a long hex key to get the axle out. The rear one is just a push fit...I take the rope off, it's just seems to fall of anyway, it should be about 1 1/2-2 turns. Yeah, unscrew pot mount then you will be all set. 12mm socket for pot!

Pot needs to turn 'CLOCKWISE' to operate to louder.

Before you put it all back together, make sure it is wired correctly by plugging it in test and operate pot by hand, making sure it's the correct direction.

[Don Sutley]

Larry,

Thanks for all your help. I just ordered the pot from Mr. Bradshaw.

Tommy and everyone else,

Thanks for posting experiences about the pot. It should cure the scratchiness and loss of high end with my current 250k pot.

-Don

[Larry Bressington]

Don't forget the new string/rope...$6.00 ebay.

[Don Sutley]

Don't forget the new string/rope...$6.00 ebay.

Good point, Larry. I guess while I've got it apart it doesn't hurt to replace 20 year old string!

Thanks,
Don

[Tom Bradshaw]

Hey Larry, before spending $6.00 for string, if everyone who buys a pot from me wants a length of nylon string, just ask me to include a length of it. However, unless the string in your pedal is really frayed, there is no need to replace it.

Regarding the Ernie Ball pedals, yes they are the most difficult pots to replace. I get requests all the time from buyers of my pots, asking if they can send me their EB pedal for installing one of my Dunlop pots in it. I don't blame them; they are a bitch. After struggling with so many, I'm thinking of replacing the string in them as part of the replacement process. It may prove to be easier than re-using the existing string and fumbling with it. Re-positioning the string on the pot's spindle requires Houdini-like skills.

Beyond the above, thanks for the appreciation comments. I believe that I've replaced only 3 pots in 7 years that truly wore out (while shipping over 3,000)! These pots may last for the lifetime of the buyer. Thus, with no repeat customers, I'll finally run out of sales and die a broken man in poverty!

[Loren Morehouse]

Everything that I replace I put the date on. I have a Dunlop pot in my pedal and just had to look inside to see when I replaced it. It was 5/8/08. I turn everything up full bore, pump it, and can't hear a thing!! Thanks Tom for a great pot!!! These are great pots!!!! Loren.

[Helmut Gragger]

To avoid transport cost and customs headache, I have ordered two of those pots from a local retailer. One fell apart right out of the blister, one had an interrupted resistance track. I got both replaced.

Tom checks every pot he receives, you will not encounter such problems. I have been in contact with him over that.

Those pots are mechanically the best you can get today, however, their track law is not like the J types were and I don´t like the pedal feel they give.

I have tried all sorts of pots, conductive plastic and the like, and it seems the pot days are over.

-helmut

[Ronnie Boettcher]

I use a old Sho~Bud pedal. Got my Dunlop pot from Tom. Wonderful service, and the pot is great. As for the string, I have used a piece of fly fishing string, and have never had a problem. I just always changed the string when I changed a pot. I really think that is what Sho~Bud used when building their volume pedals.

[Mike Sweeney]

I've got one and tried to use it but I couldn't get the thing to take solder. What's up with that?

[Larry Bressington]

I would like to add; That $6.00 for the correct Ernie ball repair rope kit is well worth the money...It comes with a full instruction sheet [worth the money alone] new spring and the factory rope already made to specs.

I have in the past made my own which cutting to the exact specs and working it over was not worth the savings, it's a headache trying to create your own string to work first time without trial and error and patience. I did have good luck with the Goodrich pedal with some twine, but the EB was a swine...Enjoy!!

The repair kit for the ''full size pedal'' is 6157VP
The repair kit for the ''Junior pedal'' is 6172 VPJR

Mike...Did you tin the prongs first quickly? Clean soldering iron tip?

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes I did.

[Lane Gray]

Mike, I had the same problem. It appears they want a lot of heat. Or something else. I just asked Tom to solder some leads on to the pot when he shipped the replacement, as I ruined my first pot trying to solder it.
Tom's level of customer service is nothing short of outstanding! A top notch guy.

[Mike Sweeney]

I finally got around to soldering it in. I didn't keep it in though. It was working in reverse. Meaning when the pedal was backed off it was wide open and visa versa. I threw it away.
I've been using the Clarostat pots that Paul Franklin Sr. sells and they work really well for me. One pedal has had the same pot in it since Nov. '08 and the other pedal has had the same pot in it since June '09. No scratches or any other problems.