The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm looking for a good quality non-Clarostat volume pot for any of the standard volume pedals such as Emmons or Sho-Bud. One of the local steel builders here has quit using them because they keep coming back and now his source won't guarantee them. He was my source so who knows of a good replacement that'll last for a few years?

If you play regularly, none of them will last a "Few Years" !!

I play 3 nites a week, the best I've ever got from a V/C/ pot has been about 8 or 9 months. I keep a back-up pedal with a new pot in the car at all times.

I've never had any piece of gear function for any length of time with a carbon pot in it. I'm a firm believer in vintage wire-wound or non-inductive pots. Carbon is a great replacement for minimal use applications but won't stand up under the tests we put them to. My 1974 ShoBud volume pedal has only had the pot changed once in 28-years and it's still clean. After breaking the ole fishin' line in it a time or two, I did have it balanced and blueprinted to remove any stress or binding of the shaft. But seriously, it has an A-B (Allen-Bradley)Type "J" non-inductive pot in it. Mil-Spec quality. In fact, the military still use these pots in their vintage/legacy equipments and there are still plenty of surplus places to get this type pot. Try someplace like www.surplussales.com.

Carl

I used the Harbom-Barmocktich reversable rebemmachhackting constupable.......finally got a Hilton and the whole question's moot. Pots are a dying breed, let them die an honorable death. In the past four years alone, I've saved enough in pot expense to buy 1 Hilton. The problem was, I had pot pedals (6) in 4 different locations, and when you don't use them for awhile they get noisy, scratchy and the tone from all of them is different....level too, and not from a miss-adjustment.

Yep I agree on the Hilton. It's hard to beat these things and they improve the tone so much as well. Still the old Emmons pot pedal is so convenient to carry around. I play in more than one place so I need a couple extra working pedals for the home and the second gig and of course there's always the spare so that makes four pedals.

Frank
I aint even got a pot.

Well I gotta take small issue. I forgot with which post.

I've used AB Type EJ Extra life for 20 years. I have yet to have one crap out on me in less then five. It seems they can go through some "break in" where they are slightly scratchy once in a while in the first 6 months, but after that they last til the carbon brush finally gives out and wears down so the brush holder hits the pot surface. Once I got caught in the moddle of Canada and had to pare the brush holder down to make it last another few weeks of six niters. (I've popped the covers off and shot parts cleaner in them toward the end of their lives. Wd 40 too.)

This is with playing at least two nites a week EVERY weekend, and at least one week a month of 5-7 nites. More often than not, two or more full weeks and all weekends. I usually get three or four weekends a year off, but there have been years when I didn't.

I believe the AB/EJ is the standard Ernie Ball replacement.

I have no idea why they seem to last so long.

I recorded tuesday nite with the one I've had in there for 3 years, and it had *no noise* at all. We checked it at full volume.

These pedal pots, EB Volume pedals,and the Sierra small custom ended chords are the only products that I wholeheartedly swear by.

EJL

Eric, I believe AB pots have been replaced by Clarostat, and they're very inconsistent. My experience and others has borne this out.

Well, that's bad news. I'll be looking for the old AB/EJ it sounds like..

I have had very bad luck with the Clarostat pots lately. Four in a row bad. (Noisy)

Eric,
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think Clarostat bought out the A&B pots and now they're made in Mexico. All but one I've bought in the last couple of years have went bad and I used the old A&B's for years and years. George L has been carrying these pots and the word I got from a local builder here is George won't guarantee them now since so many are turning up bad. The folks at Clarostat have got to know this by now and should be fixing this problem. It would a great time for a new builder of pots to step up and take over the business.

I had a friend that had a noisy pedal, and he said it had a Clarostat pot. When I took it apart...sure enough...it was a Clarostat pot. But it wasn't a "Type J"! It was a regular radio-TV replacement pot (the Radio-Shack type). If it <u>doesn't</u> say "Type J" on the back...you're <u>not</u> getting the right pot.

Also, it helps to oil them (where the shaft meets the bushing) when you install them. I've fixed several bad (stiff, and noisy) pots for people by just adding a drop of light oil.

I just changed the pot on my L10K, could no5 find a 10K pot and the Goodrich People said to use a 500K. It seemed to change the tone a smite, might be my imagination. I got the pot from Bud Carter for $25. I'm gonna check out that surplus thing, because when you loose your pedal you don't have a pot to p in.

Earl Yarbro
Zum D10
ZB D10

I have around 10 different volume pedals, everything from new Ernie Balls to an old Emmons, to Vintage MSA's and Goodrich, one with the Violin Effect. I try to change my pots once a year, but it gets very expensive. The EB's are still fairly new and I don't use them for steel so they are fine. I use mainly Clarostat pots in the rest and the cheapest I can find them is $21.95. I keep a couple on hand, but they do get noisy quickly. Any help in finding them or the AB type J pots cheaper would be helpful. I'll keep an eye on this post. Thanks,
Michael T.

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UTILITY MAN PRODUCTIONS
'73 EMMONS D10 FATBACK, '92 EMMONS D10 LASHLEY LEGRANDE,
'85 DOBRO 60DS, '95 DOBRO F60S,
'95 MELOBAR CUSTOM, 1955 FENDER TRIPLE NECK STRINGMASTER. EVANS, FENDER, PEAVEY,
and MESA BOOGIE Amps.


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Michael T. Hermsmeyer on 11 December 2002 at 01:56 AM.]</p></FONT>

Listen to Jeff Peterson !

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Martin W. Emmons LG III 3/5 Peavy 1000

Attention Keith Hilton:
How many of your wonderful Hilton pedals can I get in trade for my Wonderful Collection of Ten Super Duper Collectable Used and Vintage Volume Pedals"? LOL
Michael T.

Truth is, I know I would love them and get spoiled and have to buy all Hiltons. Maybe someday.

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UTILITY MAN PRODUCTIONS
'73 EMMONS D10 FATBACK, '92 EMMONS D10 LASHLEY LEGRANDE,
'85 DOBRO 60DS, '95 DOBRO F60S,
'95 MELOBAR CUSTOM, 1955 FENDER TRIPLE NECK STRINGMASTER. EVANS, FENDER, PEAVEY,
and MESA BOOGIE Amps.

Have any of you guys tried the conductive plastic pots????

I used to race in an online racing league, and the pots in my wheel and pedals would go out once every couple months at best. I used carbon, cermet, etc., but none would hold up to the punishment.

Someone suggested to me to try conductive plastic pots so I did and I have had this last set in my wheel and pedals for 3 years now.

I don't know how they would work on a volume pedal, but next time I have to replace the pot on my Goodrich pedal, I'm gonna give it a try just to see. If someone out there would like to try one you can find them at Digikey.

http://www.digikey.com

See ya,

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Ray Frady

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ray Frady on 12 December 2002 at 05:41 AM.]</p></FONT>

I'm with Jeff P. too....Had my Hilton for better than 2 years now and not a problem with it...great pedal....but just in case something should happen to my Hilton, I keep an old Emmons pedal and a Goodrich for standby's and they both have the AB type J pot in them, and so far they both still work fine...when needed. HAL

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Be Blessed........HAL
'85 Emmons LeGrande D-10, Rack w/Evans, Tubefex 2, 1501-4 BW's