New CTS Tone Pot Doesn't Change the Tone

A clear picture is worth 5000 words.

 

Pot not grounded?

 

You’re going to have to include a picture. You’ve missed a connection, or you’ve unintentionally created a shot somewhere.

 

Maybe the tone cap is bad or wired incorrectly? A tone pot regulates how much of the signal goes through the tone cap to ground. Does your tone sound full treble like it's on 10, or full treble-cut like the tone control is on 1? I agree that a wiring connection is incorrect. It may be that the tone/cap circuit isn't connected in parallel to the volume circuit at all.

 

Is the other end of the cap soldered to a ground? The pot sounds fine.

This is part of the tonerider diagram make sure the circled part is actually grounded using you meter.

 

So you took a pre wired harness and modified it, is that correct? Pic would help.

As for the last question, most definitely. But the pot sounds like it is working. What other changes did you make?

 

Just to make the implied obvious for the OP: There's no such thing as a tone pot. Tone controls and volume controls use the same pots (though possibly of different values/tapers, for other reasons); a tone control just also makes use of a cap to effect the volume of frequencies above a certain point (determined by the cap's value).

So if a tone control isn't doing its thing, my first suspect would be the cap and/or the cap's connection to the pot.

 

That Tonerider drawing is an accident waiting to happen.
Safer to wire the tone pot like this. No chance of heat damage to the pot and eliminates the possibility of the capacitor leg wired to the pot lug making contact with the case.

 

Wow thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea what the OP was talking about when they said “tone pot,” even though it’s an incredibly common way to refer to the tone control...

 

And somehow your post does even less to help the OP cut his treble. I stand in awe of you.

 

I mean, you just repeated what’s already been said (besides the unnecessary fluff at the beginning); how much did you think you were helping?

 

Regardless of what everyone has said. Check your wiring to your diagram. Make sure everything is in the right spot , 3 times. Then with your multimeter check for continuity between all conections. Btw your gounds don't have to be in any specific place as long as they are properly grounded. I usually ground a tone cap to the tone pot. To each his or her own. This usually solves the problem. If you don't have good continuity between two solder joints, resolder it. If any problem from there, might be a lot issue. Let us know. Lots off diagrams online for a simple ss 3 way. Hope this helps. Keep on pickin!!!

 

Not much, but the internet has room for me, fluff and all.

I was just another voice calling attention to the cap and its connections, and explaining how I figure that. Maybe the OP already knew that, maybe not. Some kid may find this thread in a few years and benefit not only from the answer to the question, but the background information informing that answer, as well.

Teach a man to fish, and all that.

 

If the cap is bad so it no longer has continuity through the cap to ground then you can turn the knob all you want and the sound won’t change. Test for continuity across the cap along with checking all connections.