CTS vs. ALPHA.

[mijstrat72]

Just what exactly is the difference between Cts and Alpha?

Tonally...is there a noticable difference? I don't hear it.

Longevity? My mij is still running the stock alpha's from '86, and my kramer has the stock alpha's from'84, both work great.

Alpha's are etched onto a pcb board, while the cts seem to have a carbon type ring connected to a board.

My alpha's seem to roll much smoother then the cts.

[Guitar_Ninja]

For my purposes the only difference is the price. You can get Alpha pots from places like Small Bear Electronics for a little over a buck apiece. Alpha pots are made in China, the CTS pots that Fender uses in their guitars are made in Taiwan. Don't know too much about the internals, but neither brand has ever failed me.

[Morogan]

As an electrical engineer, I have to say that from the point of view of the part it plays in affecting your guitar's signal, absolutely nothing. It's variable resistance, not magic. If you are happy with them, and they are working perfectly, don't waste your money. The key attributes for any pot in order of importance for me is: does it cover the rated range accurately (with a useful curve if Audio taper), does it cause unwanted noise when rotated, does the shaft turn smoothly and comfortably, and is it reliable. If your pot answers that checklist, don't worry about the name of the manufacturer.

[Alamo]

I've come across CTS pots with plastic knurled shafts - never seen that before.
what's with that?

http://www.banzaieffects.com/CTS-Pot...7247.html#tabs

and here are the alpha pots at nearly half the price:

http://www.banzaieffects.com/Alpha-2...7309.html#tabs

hmm what would you all prefer?

[Shepherd]

When I see plastic where most others are metal I think "cheap", where else did they cut costs? Just what comes to mind is all. Maybe nothing wrong with them but it seems like they wouldnt be as durable as metal. I dont know if Alpha quality has gone down compared to what they had in the 80's but I just had two crap out on me.

[Morogan]

Interestingly, there was a time when some people actually preferred plastic shafts since they prevented metal knobs from becoming part of the electric circuit as a safety precaution. They were prone to static electric crackling when rotating though...

[jrfrond]

CTS makes decent pots in Mexico. Alpha makes decent pots in Taiwan. Bourns makes decent pots in China. They are ALL reputable manufacturers. In addition, they are OEM suppliers who will manufacture to specs, which is why you will see stuff like plastic shafts, dual-gang, dual-concentric, long bushings, SAE or metric threads, etc.

In practice, it really doesn't make a difference which one you use, as they are all about the same quality. CTS has a mystique surrounding it because of their widespread use in American guitars and amps, but the "Chicago" part of their name (Chicago Telephone Supply) is a holdover, and they no longer manufacture in the states.