I wish CTS would enhance their pots with solder pads

[zslane]

If there was one improvement to the standard (CTS) guitar potentiometer that I dearly wish they'd make it is this: three solder pads positioned around the outer housing for soldering ground wires to it. The Seymour Duncan Liberator has these, and I really wish normal pots had these as well. I can't be the only one who finds it frustrating to solder to the outer casing of these things...

 

[purevilpleasure]

One thing that will help you solder to them easier is liquid flux. I don't solder without it, be soldering at work for about 15 years.

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

Personally.. I like soldering directly to the pots better.. use a prep pen like above and a GUN with a fat tip..

I use a soldering station and pencil for everything else.. but you gotta get some heat into the pots

 

[purevilpleasure]

Personally.. I like soldering directly to the pots better.. use a prep pen like above and a GUN with a fat tip..

I use a soldering station and pencil for everything else.. but you gotta get some heat into the pots

+1

Stratching them up will help. I don't like the word pads and soldering together. I don't know how the pots with pads are made but pads lift too easy.

 

[zslane]

Personally.. I like soldering directly to the pots better.. use a prep pen like above and a GUN with a fat tip..

I use a soldering station and pencil for everything else.. but you gotta get some heat into the pots

I seem to recall someone on one of these forums admonishing against sanding, scraping, or scratching the surface of the pot casing. Why would they be so against it?

I've tried scraping the casing in order to give a textured surface for the solder to adhere to, but it didn't really help. But I probably didn't really do a very good job of it. Is a sanding pen really that helpful?

 

[gtr-tek]

I've scuffed or sanded the cases when they are crusty, which helps. New pots shouldn't need it as they usually are tinned. I've found that a hotter iron or soldering gun works the best as the heat being absorbed by the pot case is the culprit. Hot and fast is the general rule. Too small an iron won't get it hot enough quick enough and you're more likely to cook a pot. 40 watts + is the way to go.

 

[mudfinger]

I'm actually with the OP on this one. Been soldering pickup leads to pot cases for many years, and every time I look at a guitar's control cavity, I scratch my head in wonder.

I've never cooked a pot, but I know plenty of guys who have, and it just stands to reason that there should be a lug on the pot case to facilitate the easiest possible replacement of pickups and other repairs.

My solution came to me after dissecting a pot last year; once I realized how the case was attached the pot assembly, I started using large ring terminals on the shaft instead. Keeps the pot looking purdy no matter how often I muck about in there, and with a mechanical connection in addition to the solder, my guitar is just that much more reliable.

You can see the ends of the ring terminals sticking out from the pots; they're held on the shaft by a collar nut and solder. I even went so far on this guitar to install a ground buss in the cavity, up by the pickup selector.

 

[gtr-tek]

I suppose someone could market such a pot but at what cost? Pots that we've been using for the last 50+ years were not designed specifically for guitar. As a multi-purpose electronic device, they are designed for use in just about anything and normally are a chassis mount anyway, negating the need for a grounding lug. The Bourns thermoplastic case pots are an exception and come with a shaft ring with lug attached. It's more about the manufacturing process than the end use here. Producing a custom taper is far easier to pull off as it doesn't change the manufacturing process that much. Modifying the case for lugs or adding them in another step is a much bigger change. It would depend on the numbers as to whether it is cost effective for the manufacturer to make the change. I suspect the demand isn't great enough as we have workarounds for all of this anyway as clearly demonstrated.

I seriously doubt someone as profit driven as Gibson would consider making a more expensive pot for that reason. They went to the Bourns pots so they could mount them on circuit boards easily to streamline production. This reduces the chance of burning the finish on a new guitar as the soldering is all done off the guitar. It also speeds up assembly as the harness is all plugs and snaps together.

Mudfinger, your work is very clean and beautiful! It reminds me of the cavity in a Hamer USA guitar. Much nicer than Gibson work for sure!

 

[b-squared]

I seem to recall someone on one of these forums admonishing against sanding, scraping, or scratching the surface of the pot casing. Why would they be so against it?

I've tried scraping the casing in order to give a textured surface for the solder to adhere to, but it didn't really help. But I probably didn't really do a very good job of it. Is a sanding pen really that helpful?

Depending on the technique used, the bits of metal can find themselves inside the pot. They are not sealed.

If you use liquid flux and good technique there's no need to sand the back of the pots.

BTW...RS Guitarworks' pots have a thin coating of solder on them already...makes for very quick work of installation.

BB

 

[jaxcat]

I like Mudfinger's solution, I may use that method if ya don't mind