Wonky volume pot?

[LJD]

Having issues with the volume pot on my HBII. When I turn the volume all the way down, I get a loud pop when it hits around 1.5, and between 1.5 and zero I get a boost of noise. I'll try some deoxit, but it doesn't crackle like a dirty pot. Will PRS cover me if the pot is done? (warranty?).

 

[ChrisCst22]

I would like to think so, as long as your the original owner and registered the guitar when you purchased it.

And let us know because your making me worried about my beloved HB II <fingers crossed>

 

[Boogie]

Shine a flashlight down there and see if anything is in the wrong spot or shorting out.

 

[rugerpc]

Aren't most PRS pots enclosed/sealed? The last time I looked, it seemed that it could be hard to get contact cleaner in them to clean them up.

 

[NomadMike]

I hope not as I'm about to pull the pickup guard on my Mira and see if I can clean it's volume pot which got scratchy after six months and is getting worse. I'd really hate replacing it after such a short time especially since none of my other electrics ever developed the problem and I keep hearing about it with SE and S2s.

 

[gball]

Sounds like what the volume pot in my Mira did (mine did it around 7-7.5 though) when it bit the dust. On the one hand I think the pots should last longer but on the other it is no surprise - all pots currently manufactured are junk. Not even CTS makes them in the US any longer. I predict that there will be zero original pots left in guitars made today 40 years down the road. It's relatively common to see originals in vintage guitars today.

PRS will probably warranty it but it's such a simple do-it-yourself fix that for me it wasn't worth the hassle of taking the guitar in and leaving it.

 

[NomadMike]

Agreed, but it's such a important part that they really should make sure they don't die or even get scratchy within a year.

 

[László]

Agreed, but it's such a important part that they really should make sure they don't die or even get scratchy within a year.

The only way that could happen would be to get into the pot-making business themselves. If the pots they get meet spec, it'd hard to predict which ones will fail.

Could be simple luck of the draw, too. I've never had a bad pot on a PRS after 24 years and close to that number of guitars.

 

[LJD]

PRS will probably warranty it but it's such a simple do-it-yourself fix that for me it wasn't worth the hassle of taking the guitar in and leaving it.

I would hope PRS could just send me/exchange the pot.

 

[NomadMike]

The only way that could happen would be to get into the pot-making business themselves. If the pots they get meet spec, it'd hard to predict which ones will fail.

Could be simple luck of the draw, too. I've never had a bad pot on a PRS after 24 years and close to that number of guitars.

Could be Les, but I think with the lower price it just may be more hit or miss. I tried out an SE SC and sure enough there was a scratchy volume pot, which made me ask the tech about it. According to him it's not usual but not uncommon either after heavy use with the SEs and possibly with the S2s by extension. His advice is if I used the volume control a lot was to bite the bullet and just get the PRS volume pot and drop that in, as it's a inexpensive mod that he's made to both SEs and even to non-PRS guitars and everyone has been happy with it, or if I usually just set it to 10 and leave it, a inexpensive but good $5 CTS or Gibson pot will do just fine. I'm going to opt for the PRS pot. Might as well put some copper tape in there as well to help with static and noise in single coil mode.

Anyway I was just about to cut the string and pop the top on the Mira to do a final check for if it's the pot or dust when I gave the contact cleaner can a try, empty. I also noticed that some gremlins must have borrowed my PRS nickel wound strings so I need to get those too. Wonder how my supply of solder is doing.

 

[NomadMike]

Well finally got a new can of Deoxit and popped the top on the Mira. A few spritzes of air and contact cleaner and the pot is sounding just fine. It's also turning a lot easier from when I first got it which makes me think that it has some grit in it somewhere along when it was being built. Now if that copper tape would just get here I may be able to get rid of the winter time static with the pick guard.

 

[vchizzle]

If it's a brand new guitar, PRS might give you a new pot. Pots are parts that wear out with use though, kind of like strings(I know that's an extreme comparison). PRS doesn't know how you operate(or if you abuse) your knobs, switches, etc. I crank on my toggle switch for stutter effect a lot, I can't expect PRS to warranty that. I'm not saying you have abused the pot or anything, but it's a part that takes wear & tear, like tires on a car. Eventually they wear out even if your alignment is perfect and wheels are balanced.

 

[NomadMike]

Not sure about a pots life span but I still have the originals in several guitars that are anywhere from 25 to 40 years old that still work fine and I've always worked my volume pots hard. I've never had a toggle fail either and two tricks I used to do on my LP was the stutter and also a wah-wah effect. In this case it seemed like a dirty pot which I wouldn't have expected in a new guitar but all things considered relieved about.