'76 JS-2 Pots Replacement

[ajkula66]

Good evening my fellow Guild players.

Looking to replace the pots on my '76 JS-2 bass and would like to hear from anyone who has gone through the same process. The current ones are beyond noisy, have been sprayed and showed little improvement, so I'd venture a guess that it's time for a new set.

Which pots exactly did you good people use for such a replacement ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Happy Face]

Wow. The Mellow German or I may well have a set from when we "upgraded" our rigs. Or two. Let me check.

But for spanking new, I'll step aside and let the youngsters speak up.

 

[lungimsam]

Never had a JS 2 but I used CTS on my Starfire and worked out great. Don’t know if you want to go as bright as a 1MEG for volume pot like I did but it sounds great to me. Can get them in 250k and 500 also. Just replace with whatever value yours already has if you like it.
I did 1MEG cuz my bass needed brightening up.
Mine was a: CTS 1MG audio taper pot(CTS-EP-4988)

 

[ajkula66]

Thank you gentlemen.

Wow. The Mellow German or I may well have a set from when we "upgraded" our rigs. Or two. Let me check.

Many a thanks for your kindness, but I'm half way around the world with no PP or similar methods working around here to send you funds so no dice there.

Never had a JS 2 but I used CTS on my Starfire and worked out great. Don’t know if you want to go as bright as a 1MEG for volume pot like I did but it sounds great to me. Can get them in 250k and 500 also. Just replace with whatever value yours already has if you like it.
I did 1MEG cuz my bass needed brightening up.
Mine was a: CTS 1MG audio taper pot(CTS-EP-4988)

This is exactly the type of information I was looking for, thank you.

 

[mellowgerman]

For those big Guild humbuckers, I would go with CTS 500k linear taper pots. That said, I've also been perfectly happy with Bourns and Alpha pots as well, so if you've got a music shop nearby that you like to support and they don't have CTS pots, either of those brands should do a satisfactory job as well. Regarding "linear taper", that is my preference for the best gradual roll-off. Also, make sure you don't get "short shaft" pots, as that typically means they are meant only to be mounted through a pickguard and the threaded portion may not be long enough to go through the body of your bass

 

[lungimsam]

Good point about audio vs linear taper.
FWIW, to my ears, either one works fine. They say in theory linear taper will roll off less abruptly, but then some say the human ear works best with audio taper roll off. It just boils down to whichever sounds better to your ear. But a good quality pot should roll off nicely either way.
Cheap pots can have too sudden a roll off for some reason. So stick with CTS and Bourne and you should be fine.
Some like linear for volume and audio taper for tone knobs but to make it simple you can just use the same style pots and caps you already have if you like the way the bass sounds now.

Another issue: knurled or solid shaft? What do you have on there now? If knurled, how many knurls are on the shaft? If solid, that’s easier to deal with as knurl count is not an issue for your knobs to fit.

 

[mellowgerman]

Ah yes, good point. "Solid shaft" won't work with the normal silver-insert 70's Guild knobs since they are push-on/pull-off, as opposed to set screw

 

[lungimsam]

Video discusses pot replacement tips here. Talks about bass and guitar. But principles apply to either. I like how they teach you tips to not destroy the pot putting on too tight knobs.

Upgrading control pots: choosing the right pots and knobs - StewMac

In this video, Erick Coleman shows you how to avoid trouble when installing new pots. Learn about which pot produces the sound your looking for.

www.stewmac.com

 

[ajkula66]

For those big Guild humbuckers, I would go with CTS 500k linear taper pots. That said, I've also been perfectly happy with Bourns and Alpha pots as well, so if you've got a music shop nearby that you like to support and they don't have CTS pots, either of those brands should do a satisfactory job as well. Regarding "linear taper", that is my preference for the best gradual roll-off. Also, make sure you don't get "short shaft" pots, as that typically means they are meant only to be mounted through a pickguard and the threaded portion may not be long enough to go through the body of your bass

Why am I not surprised to find you on this forum...

I can get CTS and DiMarzio stuff around here, shouldn't be a problem. Once the holiday season is over in a couple of weeks, that is.

Many a thanks once again for all the words of wisdom, everyone, highly appreciated.

 

[lungimsam]

Now send us pictures of the bass to thank us!

 

[ajkula66]

Now send us pictures of the bass to thank us!

Your wish is my command, squire...

 

[lungimsam]

Beautiful bass! Thanks for the pic! My compliments on the excellent Hipshot bridge replacement!!!! Nice upgrade!