Volume pot issue

[s1lversurfer]

Hey guys, just wanted to share a story about my 2014 silverburst LPC.

A couple days after I bought it the volume pot for the bridge PU was acting a little odd. After playing it for a couple seconds the signal would taper off and thin out (sounds similar to a guitar equipped with an active pickup playing on a dead battery) but if you gently tap the volume knob the signal comes back on fully, but shortly dies off again and i had to do the same thing over and over again. After inspecting it several times taking the pot on and off i decided to spray it with a little bit of contact cleaner. Still no luck. After that i just decided to drench the whole thing in contact cleaner from the front and back and i even did the output jack while i was at it. Still no luck. Then i went on to drench every other pot on the guitar and it finally fixed the issue.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Glad i fixed it but im still oblivious as to why it was acting this way.

 

[s1lversurfer]

Just some pics for an added bonus. Proud of my baby, cause she really is beautiful.

Rock on.

 

[ajay]

Do a search on YouTube, "Gibson Pots Are The Best, and Here Is Why". It is an eye-opening test of potentiometers. When You see this guy take apart Gibson, CTS, and Chinese Pots You will know which ones that You want on Your Les Paul. There is no comparison even between Gibson and CTS pots. Definitely watch his demo if You're having Pot problems.

 

[ajay]

There's a contact "track" inside of that pot, and it sounds like either the track is scratched, or the contact is bent. It sounds like the cleaner may have moved the gel inside the pot far enough to complete the circuit. Either way, You will need a new pot. If they are all working, leave it alone, but if it happens again, get the pot replaced with a Gibson Pot, or a Vîntage one. As it's a custom, I assume that it doesn't have a PCB. I guess You'd have to send it to Gibson, but with something as simple as replacing a pot (if it's hand-wired) Gibson may agree to pay for it to be replaced locally so that You can avoid the hassle of shipping it. If it is hand wired, how much stuff is soldered to the top of that cap? In other words, how complicated would the replacementt be for that specific pot?

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

As Ajay said sounds like a new pot is in order though I might try an spray it with DeOxit F5 first..
Also heating the pot up to attach the ground wires can destroy the carbon track inside & damage the pot beyond repair..

Great Looking Silverburst Custom you've got there s1lversurfer

 

[s1lversurfer]

There's a contact "track" inside of that pot, and it sounds like either the track is scratched, or the contact is bent. It sounds like the cleaner may have moved the gel inside the pot far enough to complete the circuit. Either way, You will need a new pot. If they are all working, leave it alone, but if it happens again, get the pot replaced with a Gibson Pot, or a Vîntage one. As it's a custom, I assume that it doesn't have a PCB. I guess You'd have to send it to Gibson, but with something as simple as replacing a pot (if it's hand-wired) Gibson may agree to pay for it to be replaced locally so that You can avoid the hassle of shipping it. If it is hand wired, how much stuff is soldered to the top of that cap? In other words, how complicated would the replacementt be for that specific pot?

thanks for the input; not too familiar with re-wiring guitars so for now it's working alright so I'm just gonna leave it. no PCB, but it is hand wired. i could worse-case scenario change it out, but I feel bad for tampering with a "perfectly" wired custom shop job. Just want to keep the guitar in original factory form. For now I hope it'll hold up.

 

[kevinpaul]

Gibson pots are so much more responsive than any other I have.

 

[s1lversurfer]

As Ajay said sounds like a new pot is in order though I might try an spray it with DeOxit F5 first..
Also heating the pot up to attach the ground wires can destroy the carbon track inside & damage the pot beyond repair..

Great Looking Silverburst Custom you've got there s1lversurfer

for now the contact cleaner job is holding up fine. but yeah worst-case scenario a new pot would probably be the solution.

Thanks, that's a great Gibson collection you've got yourself

 

[ajay]

That YouTube video is really eye-opening. It is plain as day why Gibson pots are the best. A lot of lesser pots have the track "printed on" like a PCB. Gibson has an actual solid track that is adhered to the plastic (or whatever material) base. The Gibson has Gel Lube, and it's just a way better system all around. You may have had a Gibson pot fail on yours, but if You use a Gibson pot, the odds are much more in favor of a good part that lasts a long time.

 

[s1lversurfer]

That YouTube video is really eye-opening. It is plain as day why Gibson pots are the best. A lot of lesser pots have the track "printed on" like a PCB. Gibson has an actual solid track that is adhered to the plastic (or whatever material) base. The Gibson has Gel Lube, and it's just a way better system all around. You may have had a Gibson pot fail on yours, but if You use a Gibson pot, the odds are much more in favor of a good part that lasts a long time.

it really was for me too. I had no idea they used this gel lube you've mentioned on these guitars. that's unfortunate, guess we'll have to see how my rather ghetto fix holds up