Pot torque too low

[Nilknarf]

I recently bought a PRS custom 24 25th Anniversary. Fantastic guitar but one thing really bugs me: the pots are too "loose" - by that I mean too easy to turn. So the volume pot changes itself with any shake or accidental slight touch. Some people might like that but I find it really annoying in the middle of a song.....
Any suggestions? Do I need new, higher-torque pots and if so, which ones?

 

[jimfisher]

You might try taking the knobs off and sliding a small rubber O-ring on the shaft for extra resistance. Easily found at any hardware store.

Jim

 

[László]

Folks who like to control the volume knob for fades with a pinky often like the pots to be easy to turn. I do, too.

But Jim's O-ring trick is the usual solution for those who don't.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Take the knob off and trace it on a piece of felt. Cut it out and punch a hole in the middle. Slip it over the pot shaft and replace the knob.
The felt adds a little bit of drag to the pot and won't damage the finish

 

[Nilknarf]

Many thanks for the advice! I'll try the f

 

[Nilknarf]

.....sorry, pressed the wrong button there. As I was saying, I'll try the felt trick first.... many thanks!

 

[BrianC]

I love the loose pots!!!

 

[Nilknarf]

I tried the felt today - sorry but that doesn't work:dontknow:. The gap between the knob and the body is too large for that, and the knob is pressed down as far as it will go. Also, the knob itself has a hollow interior whereby the felt just goes up inside it. Result is no increase in torque.
This and other "fill up the gap" -type solutions are not really the answer I think, just treating the symptoms. What I really want to do is change to pots that have more mechanical resistance in them, both for the volume and the tone knobs. Does anyone have any experience with particular makes of pots that have a less "loose" feel? And how many ohms should they be?

 

[vchizzle]

500K pots. Most of the CTS pots I've gotten have been fairly loose too. I got stuck buying a Gibson pot once cause it was the only "quality" pot available. It was very tight and I hated it, but might be what you're after. FWIW, I don't condone buying Gibson parts and will not be responsible if your PRS spontaneously combusts.

 

[László]

I tried the felt today - sorry but that doesn't work:dontknow:. The gap between the knob and the body is too large for that, and the knob is pressed down as far as it will go.

You could try a thicker, stiffer piece of felt.

 

[gball]

500K pots. Most of the CTS pots I've gotten have been fairly loose too. I got stuck buying a Gibson pot once cause it was the only "quality" pot available. It was very tight and I hated it, but might be what you're after. FWIW, I don't condone buying Gibson parts and will not be responsible if your PRS spontaneously combusts.

When the volume pot in my Mira s__t the bed I replaced it with a Gibson Historic 500k (just reused the original cap) and it surprisingly turned out to be about the nicest pot I have used. Very firm, positive feel without being too stiff and the taper is awesome - really linear and intuitive. Obviously made by CTS, but nicer than the CTS-branded ones for sure.

 

[GeneralMojo]

I've found an excellent top-quality pot with a nice amount of smooth resistance (what you call torqe) in the Borne Premium Guitar Potentiometer (item #82 - follow this link: https://www.bourns.com/ProAudio.aspx?name=pamm ). Me? I'm a "pinky fader" myself. I often fade my guitar to zero at the end of a tune. The PRS Custom 24 has the volume pot in the perfect position for this too!

 

[Nilknarf]

Thanks for the advice! I'll let you know how it works out with new pots....