CTS versus Alpha

Are CTS and Alpha pots of equal quality?

CTS are 'better', for any given quantity of 'better'. However, not all CTS pots are created equal.

I've got guitars with both - there is certainly no tonal difference, and both have held up equally well over time. I find the Alphas turn more smoothly. IMHO, the idea that CTS are better is just a matter of cachet.

I go with the matter of cachet. I wouldn't remove an Alpha pot thet was working okay, but I'd never put one in myself.

CTS makes many models with different parts and characteristics. The cheapest ones are about on par with the most common Alpha pots.

Tonally, it won't make any difference, though there are differences in durability and feel.

And CTS are made to US specs while Alphas are made to metric.

Thanks a lot fellas.

Something I've noticed, alpha audio taper it's actually closer to a linear taper. Depending on what you use it for, that might not be bad, but not good if you want audio taper.

Check out Bourns pots. I have been very impressed with them.

Once CTS moved production off shore, the line blurred.

... CTS are made to US specs while Alphas are made to metric.
While that is generally correct, Alpha does make US spec pots with 3/8" bushings and 1/4" shafts, Mojotone being one source.

Check out Bourns pots. I have been very impressed with them.
I've been using Bourns for a little while now and like them too.

One thing I like about CTS over alpha or bourns, is the extra resistance when turning. I don't like it when they feel too loose.

Something I've noticed, alpha audio taper it's actually closer to a linear taper....

One thing I like about CTS over alpha or bourns, is the extra resistance when turning. I don't like it when they feel too loose.

Perhaps you are generalising a little? of course ymmv - but on both of my Classic Vibe Teles there are full-sized Alpha pots installed. they are not loose and stay put where you dialed them in to.
they also have a nice graduated sweep range, unlike the on/off character of a linear taper.

There are CTS pots on my partscaster that you could turn by just looking at them.sharp! :twisted: (read telekinesis, lol)
perhaps they are just getting old and worn.
like I said before - YMMV.

Perhaps you are generalising a little? of course ymmv - but on both of my Classic Vibe Teles there are full-sized Alpha pots installed. they are not loose and stay put where you dialed them in to.
they also have a nice graduated sweep range, unlike the on/off character of a linear taper.

There are CTS pots on my partscaster that you could turn by just looking at them.sharp! :twisted: (read telekinesis, lol)
perhaps they are just getting old and worn.
like I said before - YMMV.

Well, by loose I didn't mean that they wouldn't stay put:-)... But all CTS pots (with and without plain casing) have felt significantly stiffer than everything else I've used.
Gruss!

Mojo sells CTS pots with the dimple on the back that are very easy turning. I have had a couple of CTS pots go wonky on me in the last few years. In the build I just did the volume pot got stickier after I soldered the grounds to the back of the pot.

Someone gave me a few Bourns pots and I'm anxious to try them. I believe they are Hecho en Mexico now, I guess that counts as MIA.

CTS http://www.wdmusic.com/CTS500XL.html

StewMac has Alpha and CTS now.

I realize this is an older post...but my $1700 52 reissue came with Alpha pots stock. They are firm with a nice taper. Honestly I was surprised not to find CTS post, but there is no tonal difference IMO. My $3000 Gretsch Nashville came with Alpha pots as well.

I only bring up price because you would expect higher valued instruments to use high quality parts. My Tele is USA Fender, my Gretsch is Japan. I think the notion that CTS pots are 'better' is typical guitar player lore. Better taper? Perhaps, but I think it is more a matter of different, but equally good. There are YouTube videos directly comparing CTS, Alpha and Bourne...no audible difference in tone.

I think the notion that CTS pots are 'better' is typical guitar player lore.

Like I said before, the low-end CTS pots are equal to the Alphas you'll find that are suitable for guitars. CTS makes many different models that are widely available from electronics and guitar parts suppliers.

This makes "better" quantifiable. Better=tighter specs; better=more consistent; better=lower failure rate.

Nobody uses Alphas because they're better, or even just as good, but they're good enough for the price.

better=lower failure rate.


This is my #1 parameter for selecting pots.

btw, I was simultaneously shocked and unsurprised to hear that Fender is using Alpha pots in the MIA guitars. They're obviously in need of cutting costs.

Consumers often make the mistake of thinking things like "Why are they so cheap that they won't spend an extra 50 cents on a guitar that costs $1000 dollars?" The answer is that it's not about 50 cents on your guitar. In a large manufacturing operation, it's about how much they pay for the entire order of a component. Maybe Fender needs 20,000 pots in a year. Saving 50 cents each means they save $10k a year, just on pots.

CTS makes pots to a customer's specification and there are two torque options available in the 450G guitar range.
I would be cautious about assuming Alpha & CTS are equal without dismantling them.
There's a lot of info about pot construction here
http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm
and
http://www.lespaulforum.com/pots/potents.html

So in general, and leaving the Bourne pots out of the equation, for the average guy buying a few pots at a time, is it safe to assume that the higher priced pots from CTS are a good way to go?

So in general, and leaving the Bourne pots out of the equation, for the average guy buying a few pots at a time, is it safe to assume that the higher priced pots from CTS are a good way to go?

Yeah. Even the lower-end ones aren't a bad way to go, and that's what most people buy from me, including a couple of builders.

This isn't always true, but generally the CTS pots with brass bushings are 10% spec, and generally the ones with pot-metal bushings are 20% spec.

I got one batch of the 20% pots from Allparts that were all within 10%, and most were within 5%. The next batch I got were all about 15% high. (This is fine, it adds just a subtle brightness that opens up the tone a little.)

I got a batch of 500k pots that were all 25% low. I'm saving those for special projects where a 350k-ish pot makes sense.

When I need to replace a pot, I use brass-shaft 250K CTS pots. For some reason, I find them more reliable and quieter than the steel/aluminium shaft versions. Those get crackly pretty quick for me.

Thanks,

Are Stew Mac's pots the low end or the high end CTSs?

They look like one of the better models. If you contact StewMac, I'm sure they can tell you the tolerances, which will be a good indicator. The 10% and 5% pots are the higher end.

The 20% ones that most sources (including Allparts) sell as standard aren't low-end, they're more like a middle range.

Will do - just got a bunch of the CTS on the way. Never had an issue with the Alphas that Stew Mac sell, though it's only been a few years.

Never had an issue with CTS or Alpha pots, ever. I have had a lot of bad experiences with cheap switches though. The lever switches Stewmac carried before stocking CRL switches were awful, and the switches I bought from GFS all had issues.

I use what's in the pipe at the time, it always seems fine to Me, oh potentiometers sorry the one that turns proper and don't crackle is good...

Check out Bourns pots. I have been very impressed with them.

+1 Bourns pots are my favs.