Volume pot loose shaft

[Perry]

The volume pot on my 2011 513 seems to have a loose shaft. Removing the lampshade knob and waggling it slightly I can feel the play. Tapping it also produces an audible mechanical ‘slap’ in the shaft. The control seems to be working fine but I find it annoying when I hear my hand make contact with the control during playing. The pot is standard PRS, so is it simply worn?

 

[Egads]

Probably a stupid question: did you check to make sure the pot is tight to the guitar?

Pots do wear out and if your hand it hitting the pot when playing, it might be taking a little more abuse than normal. Just a thought.

Good luck.

 

[Perry]

Probably a stupid question: did you check to make sure the pot is tight to the guitar?
Pots do wear out and if your hand it hitting the pot when playing, it might be taking a little more abuse than normal.

Yes, the pot is secured tightly. I’m not sure why the pot on this guitar has worn so much. I have other guitars I play far more, including a core Custom 24 (this 513 guitar is saved for best). But hey ho! I’ve ordered a new pot (PRS ACC-4111) anyway.

 

[RickP]

Yes, the pot is secured tightly. I’m not sure why the pot on this guitar has worn so much. I have other guitars I play far more, including a core Custom 24 (this 513 guitar is saved for best). But hey ho! I’ve ordered a new pot (PRS ACC-4111) anyway.

I’ve talked to the tech guys about the lack of resistance to being moved inadvertently in my 513s, and they told me they are designed that way. Now that I have other PRS guitars, I can see it isn’t a 513-only thing. It seems you have one that has more slack than intended! You’re right in replacing it, I think. It certainly won’t get tighter over time.

But now that you have a new part coming, it can’t hurt to experiment. The shaft and wiper are held in place by the back cover of the pot. You might open the control cavity and see if that has come partially loose. Tightening it back to the front cover (the part the shaft goes through) might be a fix. You can see in the pic below how the tabs hold it on:

 

[Egads]

Sounds like you are getting it sorted. Let us know if you take the old pot apart.

 

[Perry]

Well, the new pot is fitted and all is well. The old pot’s cover looked secure but I took it apart anyway. Nothing amiss so i reassembled it making sure the casing was secured well. The previous amount of play is now much reduced. So as the end of the shaft terminates through the centre of the casing, I can only assume it is the casing that allows play. I guess I reassembled it slightly tighter than its previous state, although it certainly didn’t appear loose to the touch. Oh well!

 

[JJJ]

The volume pot on my 2011 513 seems to have a loose shaft. Removing the lampshade knob and waggling it slightly I can feel the play. Tapping it also produces an audible mechanical ‘slap’ in the shaft. The control seems to be working fine but I find it annoying when I hear my hand make contact with the control during playing. The pot is standard PRS, so is it simply worn?

The factory pot in my old CE does the same thing. Works fine, shaft has play and it's clicking noise is audible in the signal.

I had just resolved to replace the pot when it died and not worry about it