Volume pot taper: Audio or Linear?

[jellodog]

Memory refresher examples of Audio & Linear taper values:

Taper: Audio / Logarithmic
Percent @ Half Turn: 10%

OR

Taper: Linear
Percent @ Half Turn: 50%


Voters are invited to explain their preference

 

[Frodebro]

Logarithmic all day long. A linear pot is like a teenager having his first sexual experience-it's over before the halfway point.

 

[jellodog]

@Frodebro Thanks.

BTW, I haven't voted in my own poll yet because I'm buying pots and I'm still thinking about the pros and cons for me!

Hoping to be influenced in a positive direction. Frankly, I find the vintage spec Linear 1M pot in my Jazzmaster frustrating; but this is "normal" for Jazzmasters.

Weirder still, I've just read that the Jaguar has audio taper as vintage spec. WTF Leo? Jazzmasters are just so damn weird in every way

So this might seem like a dumb poll question with an obvious answer, but it's a chance to go against vintage specs and fix my Jazzmaster for the better. I just wanted some confirmation on my thinking.

 

[jellodog]

Logarithmic all day long.

Hang on. Did you actually vote? There's no vote for the Log option at this time!

 

[Frodebro]

Hang on. Did you actually vote? There's no vote for the Log option at this time!

I thought I did, but I might have inadvertently hit the wrong circle...




I usually hear screaming right after I do that

 

[dbagchee]

Yes log - I always set the volume pedal in Helix to log too. Just a more usable range before things get too quiet to be audible or to vary the amount of break up I get into a mid gain amp tone. Swells have a more natural fade in to me as well.

 

[Eagle]

Linear is not for audio purposes end of discussion. People who play a clean tone only may benefit from a custom taper that is not purely log but as soon as you add any gain it has to be log .

 

[Eagle]

Who said linear??

 

[Stone]

Audio Taper EVH® Bourns® Low Friction Pot

 

[Eagle]

Audio Taper EVH® Bourns® Low Friction Pot

You can get those for half without EVH written on.

 

[Stone]

You can get those for half without EVH written on.

Oh for sure, it's just they come with my Charvels and are my favorite type

 

[Eagle]

It's a bit like a poll that asks; "would you like your car too; A . Work or B. Not work."

 

[jellodog]

Linear is not for audio purposes end of discussion. People who play a clean tone only may benefit from a custom taper that is not purely log but as soon as you add any gain it has to be log .

I mean, I think I agree with you... and yet there's a linear pot in my JM. Thanks Leo!

Don't worry Eagle, I think it's about to be gone. I hate it; I just wanted to see if somebody could come up with a counter argument that I'd not considered.

 

[jellodog]

Audio Taper EVH® Bourns® Low Friction Pot

Thanks @Stone. I've got a couple of Bourns in my cart. I'm done with CTS; they ain't what they used to be.

 

[Eagle]

Thanks @Stone. I've got a couple of Bourns in my cart. I'm done with CTS; they ain't what they used to be.

Don't expect Bournes to be any better . CTS 450s are probably still the best around for guitar. The premium full size Alpha are as good as the Bournes now so that is a consideration too.

 

[jellodog]

Don't expect Bournes to be any better . CTS 450s are probably still the best around for guitar. The premium full size Alpha are as good as the Bournes now so that is a consideration too.

Oh. Now that is interesting.

We've had some scratchy and gritty brand new CTS pots here recently. One was in a Suhr, and John Suhr has recently stated that they're dropping CTS for that reason. The pot on the Suhr improves with a few squirts of cleaner, but usually returns to scratchy after a week or two.

So you're saying the risk of crappiness is pretty much the same if I was to go with the Bourns?

( Obviously, I bow to your superior experience concerning this matter )

 

[fretworn]

 

[jellodog]

View attachment 14520

I'm hoping for a little more elaboration here, Sport.

I love that Tele finish BTW.

 

[fretworn]

I'm hoping for a little more elaboration here, Sport.

I love that Tele finish BTW.

Lol



Those are Alpha… Laurent used to use CTS but I have one in a Strat and it’s scratchy AF

Alpha seems fine

 

[jellodog]

Well the (expected) results to my poll and vol pot question are pretty clear to me.

Dare I move on to the question of no-load tone pots? Why would someone not want that?

** ducks **