Where, Oh Where Can I Get 375k Pots?

[Berserker]

I need them for my VHR '52 Tele build. If there isn't such an animal is there a company that will mix and match pots to get the said 375k value? Thanks everyone.

Gil

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[bluesy]

I need them for my VHR '52 Tele build. If there isn't such an animal is there a company that will mix and match pots to get the said 375k value? Thanks everyone.

Gil

Edit/Delete Message

Pots are not made in odd values like that. Why do you need such a specific value? If we could see the circuit, perhaps we can alter it to use a standard value (like 250k).

[Berserker]

Pots are not made in odd values like that. Why do you need such a specific value? If we could see the circuit, perhaps we can alter it to use a standard value (like 250k).

Edited September 17, 2008 by Berserker

[Berserker]

I need them for my VHR '52 Tele build. If there isn't such an animal is there a company that will mix and match pots to get the said 375k value? Thanks everyone.

Gil

Edit/Delete Message

Pots are not made in odd values like that. Why do you need such a specific value? If we could see the circuit, perhaps we can alter it to use a standard value (like 250k).

Here is the wiring diagram....again from the Fender website.

VHR '52 Wiring Diagram

Gil

[bluesy]

The difference between 300k and 375k for the volume would be minimal. I am sure you'd never hear the difference.

For the tone circuit, that capacitor's value could have a 10 or even 20% tolerance - they don't even bother to specify it, so again, using a 300k pot should be fine, as the final cut-off point for the filter will be very close to what the actual guitars were back then anyway. You could tweak the cap value, and use a .018uf instead if you wanted to make it even closer.

[Berserker]

Yeah, I think I'll purchase a variety of pots, caps and resistors and have a fun day with the multimeter. I think in the end, like you said, it won't make a noticeable difference anyway to the "lay ear".

Gil

[Paul Marossy]

If you are stuck on the 375K value, you could take a 1 meg pot and wire a 600K resistor in parallel with it to get a 375K pot...

[psw]

Welcome gil...

I don't see any pot values on that PDF. Pauls suggestion will work with the values but mess with the taper. I am not sure exactly what it is that you are seeking. Remember, a tele from 52 will have used components that were not always the most reliable in terms of value as well.

Best to aim for the sound or effect you want. Maybe you might explain that a little more.

I know Danny Gatton for instance played a lot with pots of various types...the taper seemed to be the more important thing to him...I saw something in his DVD as I recall.

Also...you can mix and match pot values...so a 500K volume will give you brightness (1meg even more) while a 250K tone witll temper that a little more...the effect will be somewhere in between with standard value pots.

Equally, you could reverse that...a 250K taking off the edge in standard fender style, the 500k tone loading the pickups less.

This is a secret...shhh...that is not often discussed!

pete

[Berserker]

Thanks for the replies guys. Pete, the values of the VHR are listed in the parts list supplied by Fender.

Fender VHR Parts List

I know that they use those pots in the Eric Johnson sig strat as well. I think I'm leaning toward bulk buying (I have other builds) the 300k's and testing them all. I wouldn't mind mixing the caps and resistors, but I'm worried a little about the taper, as mentioned.

Gil

[bluesy]

Thanks for the replies guys. Pete, the values of the VHR are listed in the parts list supplied by Fender.

Fender VHR Parts List

I know that they use those pots in the Eric Johnson sig strat as well. I think I'm leaning toward bulk buying (I have other builds) the 300k's and testing them all. I wouldn't mind mixing the caps and resistors, but I'm worried a little about the taper, as mentioned.

Gil

The taper won't actually effect the sound, just the rate at which the control adjusts. Standard log/audio taper works fine for volume controls assuming you want a control that sounds half volume when it's halfway, 1/4 volume when it's at 1/4, etc.

I wouldn't bother hand picking the pot, just choos a cap that results in the same cut-off frequency as the Fender 375k/0.022uf combo. I just plotted the frequency response curve of that vs a 300k/0.027uf combo, and the results a virtually identical ( i was wrong earlier when I suggested a 0.018uf cap - I was going the wrong way with my adjustment - the cap needs to be larger - hence 0.027uf)

[Berserker]

Bluesy, thanks a million for those values. It will save this electronics noob a ton of fiddling time. I like that set-up far better than mixing resistors. I did find these with the forums help

350K Audio tapped at 70K from the CCW end

from Weber

Weber Pots

Comments???

Gil

[bluesy]

Bluesy, thanks a million for those values. It will save this electronics noob a ton of fiddling time. I like that set-up far better than mixing resistors. I did find these with the forums help

350K Audio tapped at 70K from the CCW end

from Weber

Weber Pots

Comments???

Gil

You could use those, and they are audio taper - just ignore the tap, and the 350k is so close to the original, you'd use 0.022uf caps (closest standard value)

[Berserker]

Would you just leave the tap alone (as is) or do I need to cancel it somehow?

Gil

[bluesy]

Would you just leave the tap alone (as is) or do I need to cancel it somehow?

Gil

Just ignore it.

[Paul Marossy]

Cool, now I know where I can get these 350K pots if I ever should need one.

[Berserker]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I feel pretty good about the whole process and knowing that the pots are coming from a highly regarded source as Weber is.

Gil

[Berserker]

Well, after speaking with Fender I've got the "lowdown" on these pots. Fender does not sell their parts direct, but they did give me a contact to someone who does;

Music Parts Guru

http://www.musicpartsguru.com/

Phone 630-521-9170

The 375k pot part number is # 007-3133-000

Gil

[bluesy]

Well, after speaking with Fender I've got the "lowdown" on these pots. Fender does not sell their parts direct, but they did give me a contact to someone who does;

Music Parts Guru

http://www.musicpartsguru.com/

Phone 630-521-9170

The 375k pot part number is # 007-3133-000

Gil

It occurs to me to ask why they use an odd value? The cynic in me suggests it has zero sonic benefit, and that it is done to bolster their own sales department.

[Paul Marossy]

It occurs to me to ask why they use an odd value? The cynic in me suggests it has zero sonic benefit, and that it is done to bolster their own sales department.

Maybe so. But it's also a value that is mid-way between 250K and 500K, and would be less bright than a 500K pot, but brighter than a 250K pot. That's the only practical reason that I can think of...

Edited September 22, 2008 by Paul Marossy

[bluesy]

Maybe so. But it's also a value that is mid-way between 250K and 500K, and would be less bright than a 500K pot, but brighter than a 250K pot. That's the only practical reason that I can think of...

But is a pot, in itself, bright or less bright? Surely the brightness is determined by the frequency of the low pass filter formed by the pot and the cap? Thinking out loud, it just occurred to me that maybe the way it loads the pickups would be slightly different, but then people use these values with all different types of pickups don't they?

Anyway, it's an interesting area of guitar construction, and one where it's easy to play around trying different things. I'd be interested in seeing it modelled in SPICE (a computer modelling system for electronics). I wonder has anyone done that...

[Berserker]

As far as a marketing ploy to drum up sales I'm thinking probablay not. The only two guitars from Fender that I see these pots are in the VHR '52 Tele and the Eric Johnson signiture Strat. Seems to me they would play that card more than twice. Anywho they were $ 4 a piece, so still pretty reasonable and seeing that I'm trying to stay as true to specs as I can get this was a no-brainer. Would be cool to see some testing though.

Gil

[Paul Marossy]

But is a pot, in itself, bright or less bright? Surely the brightness is determined by the frequency of the low pass filter formed by the pot and the cap? Thinking out loud, it just occurred to me that maybe the way it loads the pickups would be slightly different, but then people use these values with all different types of pickups don't they?

Correct, not in itself. I meant by how it loads the pickups. A 500K pot will sound brighter than a 250K pot would, and different values generally go with different types of pickups - like a 500K volume pot with humbuckers and a 250K volume pot with single coils for example. The 375K pot would theoritically be something in between. I don't know that most people could hear the difference, however.