CTS Push Pull for master coil split

[amigarobbo]

In regards to the alumatones, having used one on both my basses, it thins the sound without with a signifiant drop in volume. A different tone that is worth having as an option.

So rather than getting up of semantics if it's a 'tap or a 'split', just think of  increasing the options it delivers to the input jack.










:redflag:

 

[Timmsie95]

Yeah, I don't really care if its splitting or tapping, I'm just doing it for the versatility.  :laughing7:

 

[stratamania]

Agreed on the versatility and option.

But it's not really semantics a tap is technically and actually different to a split as described by Line6man and Cagey.  Often folks are using the terms as interchangeable which is technically incorrect.

 

[Timmsie95]

For all intents and purposes... I'll call it "Voicing #2" for these pickups  :laughing7:

 

[Fat Pete]

Anybody here actually have hands-on experience of these pots? They do look like nice quality parts.

 

[Cagey]

Which pots? The CTS push-pull units? They work. Life expectancy is variable, depending on your usage, but CTS parts are generally accepted for guitars as the "better" part. I suspect that's because many builders don't have experience with really good pots. Most pots aren't really designed for the kind of duty guitars see, which is why they end up "scratchy". They usually aren't sealed, and the resistive elements aren't very robust. Then, builders think it's ok to solder on the housings, which is very poor practice. Even a truly good pot like a milspec part from the likes of CDE, Honeywell or Clarostat usually only has a MTBF of around 25,000 turns, so you know the Alphas and CTS parts of this world are at dramatically lower ratings. Of course, the milspec parts cost 4 times as much, which is why you don't see them very often.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

Why DO they solder to the housings? It doesn't have anything to do with grounding the cover for shielding reasons, does it? Is it because the pot housing is a nice big metal part to bring all the ground wires together? It's not just builders, nearly all wiring diagrams show it that way as well. Personally I use solder lugs, screwed to the cavity shielding, to bring all ground to a single point.

 

[Cagey]

It's purely a cost/convenience consideration. Adding a ground lug adds material and labor costs, and OEMs are loathe to add even 10 cents to a unit that may cost $3K.

As for the individual builder, there's no excuse. Soldering to the pot housing offers no material, time, performance or aesthetic improvement while at the same time exposing an already fragile part to excess stress. In their defense, it's been done wrong for so long that it has become the status quo, so many don't realize they're engaging in poor practice. Feeding that is the fact that immediate failure rarely occurs, so there's little or no apparent cause and effect relationship to learn from. The damage is often subtle, taking time to manifest itself.

 

[Timmsie95]

I still wish that solder lugs that fit over pots were more readily available

 

[TBurst Std]

Where is the best place to source solder lugs now that GPD is gone.

 

[Timmsie95]

Actually, I just ordered some and they should be here on Monday. Guitar Parts Factory number EP-4968-000 are the ones with the 3/8" hole that will fit over the shaft of the pot.