What's all the hummin about??
- Thread starter scartozi
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I've just heard the electronics in the MIM strats aren't what many would call good....again that's just what I've heard and what has sparked the interest in the upgrade kit. I've never upgraded the electronics in a MIM strat so I can't say if it's a good idea or bad. I've read that if the pots say CTS? or some 3 letter initials then they are good pots?? :dontknow: The pots that are in it are somewhat loose and turn very easily, whereas my MIA are nice, tight and smooth. Does this make the ones in the MIA better....I honestly don't know.
Cagey
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CTS pots are what just about everybody uses. They're not the best, but there certainly are worse ones available that you'll sometimes see in lower-end instruments. It allows the OEM to save $.023 cents on a $500 instrument.
If the pots aren't making scratching noises or allowing signal dropouts, then I'd leave them alone until they do. It probably won't take long. Even very good milspec pots are usually only rated for 25,000 turns or so, so the cheapies fail substantially earlier. If you solder to the backs of them, they'll fail earlier still. The resistive strip the wiper rides on internally is made of carbon-impregnated plastic and the wiper is metal, so you do the math. Thermal stress and mechanical wear and all that.
For what pots cost (usually $4-$5 each), you could probably put together your own "rebuild" kit out of higher quality parts for less cost than what a packaged kit will run you, and it's probably better to do the whole thing at once rather than mess around replacing parts piecemeal. But, it's still a pain in the ass, so I'd wait until you need to do it. It's not like anything is going to fail catastrophically in the middle of an audition for Van Halen. You'll get plenty of warning.
If the pots aren't making scratching noises or allowing signal dropouts, then I'd leave them alone until they do. It probably won't take long. Even very good milspec pots are usually only rated for 25,000 turns or so, so the cheapies fail substantially earlier. If you solder to the backs of them, they'll fail earlier still. The resistive strip the wiper rides on internally is made of carbon-impregnated plastic and the wiper is metal, so you do the math. Thermal stress and mechanical wear and all that.
For what pots cost (usually $4-$5 each), you could probably put together your own "rebuild" kit out of higher quality parts for less cost than what a packaged kit will run you, and it's probably better to do the whole thing at once rather than mess around replacing parts piecemeal. But, it's still a pain in the ass, so I'd wait until you need to do it. It's not like anything is going to fail catastrophically in the middle of an audition for Van Halen. You'll get plenty of warning.
Strat Avenger
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Phinox said:
Or better yet...Dimarzio Area 67s.
