Ray
I cant search and get a definite answer here so please forgive me if this has been asked and answered. I am wanting to get the lectronic stuff for a stratocaster I am putting together. Actually I dont have all the stuff yet but I am putting it together. So I've been looking around on the internet and find a whole bunch of info about CTS pots and Bourns pots and some okes swear blind that once you use the Bourns stuff you wont even look at the CTS stuff again. But anyway, seems cheap enough to try out both really. But you know how I am I think I'll wonder over to a music shop and support the local effort. Not for long becasue I can order the stuff in from Stewmac and a bunch of other places at really quite a heck of a lot cheaper that is with the shipping and duties and so forth becasue whenever I go and collect my stuff there is money due that I dont know what for but it's due.
But anyway, I got a bit sidetracked there. I am led to believe that CTS and Bourns make pots up for different companies to a spec and so they arent all the same i.o.w. some will be better quality than others. Because I found Bourns pots at a site for quite a low price. So if you're into this game and you get these things wont you please help this pilgrim and tell him where it's good to go and get. And if there is a local option let me know that as well. I work right by Communica and was talking to a guy there who tells me they stock only linear taper stuff.
Thanks - Ray
ezietsman
Yeah, Communica only has linear pots, sadly. My friend (electronic engineer) got some Bourne pots for our other friend's guitar from RS-electronics, for R37.50 each. He reckons they're as good as any, seems reasonable to me. They deliver too.
Wizard
After wasting a lot of money buying the wrong things, I found it better to buy a complete wiring kit of high quality stuff:
http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Wiring-Kit-Fender-Stratocaster-Modern-5-Way-P1167C153.aspx
And while you're buying there, you can buy the pickguards, tuning machines, bridges, knobs, screws, straplocks etc as part of the same shipment.
Then you just put it all together.
?
Ray
Have done so. As for the knobs, I oredered a set of pickups from US and the oke was so accoommodating, he threw in knobs and a switch top thing and a PIO capacitor (I dont know what the heck that is but I'll scout around hey).
Attila
or you can order Bourns Pots from RS electronics - +- R35 a pop 5 days delivery , or buy Fender stuff from Andries at The Fret shop in PTA he has some nice stuff
Ray
OK, so the wiring kit that ol' Wizard instructed me to buy has arrived. Now I'm looking at this and wondering a bit. Because in it they have inluded a capacitor 22 something or the other. I order another one just for good measure a 47 whatever. Why? Because I've heard okes talking about both. And there's another reason. I also got a set of pickups that I ordered from a chap called Dave Allen becasue people were saying lovely things about him and his pickups and he was a really helpful person. Then when I ordered these pickups he mailed me and said he's including some cream knobs and also a cream switch tip and also a 47 whatever PIO capacitor which is what he recommends with these pickups. As far as I can tell the capacitor is there to sort the tone control out or something. what difference would orange drop capacitor make as compared to PIO? Which is paper in oil they say.
I'm also just a bit worried that these are CTS pots adn the last time I saw some people didnt like them and when I posted about it my post just disappeared somewhere. I'll go look again it must be somewhere.
Thank you
MikeM
Many posts were deleted there. I stopped posting in that thread after some of mine were. Don't worry, most CTS stuff is great ?
Some folks will disagree with me here, but there are subtle differences between material types in capacitors, particularly wrt transients.
I would use the PIO that Allen recommended, he knows his stuff, and typically a good quality PIO sounds good, a hair smoother than the orange drops.
The difference between the 0.022 and 0.047 is the cutoff frequency. 0.022 will roll off treble, 0.047 will roll off treble and high mids..
Gearhead
Orange drop are quite good quality, but actually designed for high voltage such as in tube amps. Paper in oil is the classic top of the range, that indeed some people swear by as if it was snake oil. There was a thread a while back bout tone caps, referring to some website that offers clips from different caps with the same guitar and amp and whatever else; might be good to look up and judge for yourself. There is a clearly audible difference between caps, that is for sure.
Ray
Thanks guys. Yip, I got the impression that he knew what he was talking about. Actually the sort of oke you want to do business with again for me anyway. And I'll go with his PIO cap. Are these readily available from electronics suppliers?
MikeM
Yea, he really gets 2 thumbs up.
I haven't noticed anything available locally actually - if they are, I'd like to know as well. Particularly quality ones.
Oh yea, just remember that every rig is differemt, so what's good for the goose ? If you find the tone control makes it too dark, just swap over to your orange drop and it will probably become more usable.
Please post some impressions on the pickups for us - I almost bought a set from him, but ended up going with Reilander instead...
Gearhead
Ray wrote
Thanks guys. Yip, I got the impression that he knew what he was talking about. Actually the sort of oke you want to do business with again for me anyway. And I'll go with his PIO cap. Are these readily available from electronics suppliers?
If I had to put money on it, I would say no. The trouble with PIO caps is that after a while they start leaking, so they stopped putting them into mainstream products long ago. Ask any old amp restore fanatic and they will tell you that (even though it's considered eternal sin) they have replaced a couple that were leaking. They (Vic?) might also know where to get new ones.
Ray
MikeM wrote
Please post some impressions on the pickups for us - I almost bought a set from him, but ended up going with Reilander instead...
Listen man, I will definitely do that. But the next step in this sojourn is to come to grips with this Magnum 2002 (which Aubs said I must buy) and the multimeter (just picked one up for about 500 bucks ZAR at Communica and they reckoned it was alright). Now I was blessed with enough but not too much I guess so this isnt just falling into place. But we will soldier on hey. And when that is done and if there is anything left of it, I will record something and expose you to another area where talent is not overabundant.
Thanks for the info guys.
Gearhead
Shout if you need any help ?
MikeM
Gearhead solders like a boss. Showed me how to do it properly ?
Gearhead
Is this a sneer about the time you wanted to wire 28 different settings into a Tele cavity? (and I missed a ground wire?)
MikeM
Nope, its appreciation for learning how to solder well ? have had few to no problems in the past couple of years or months.
I do however also want to upgrade to one of those Magnum irons..
