The volume pot on one of my telecasters is a little wonky. When turned all the way up, at the end of it's travel the volume is closer to what it would be at say 50%. If I roll back the volume, just a touch it goes back to full volume. Any idea what might be causing this. What would be the best method to trouble shoot this? The harness is a Mojotone solderless with a 4 way switch.
Volume pot Weirdness
- Thread starter ERik77
- Start date
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DeoxIT
frisco slim
Tele-Holic
Yes, I would guess contamination or worn carbon trace. Contact cleaner might fix or improve it, but it also could be nearing end of life.
Is this something new as a result of an modification, or has it come on gradually? It sounds like a wiring problem to me. It isn't that common for pots to just "fail" without any input from the user.
Wayne Alexander
Friend of Leo's
If that guitar worked properly before, and hasn't been modified, I'd suggest deoxit into the pot, and if that doesn't fix it, replace the pot. Now if the issue is from a modification, we'd need to see what the wiring scheme is now.
Just replace it. Sometimes cleaning will work BUT they do just plain wear out. Now would be a good time to get a new pot or two, play with different types even (value, linear or audio taper) and see what goodness you come up with. I've got two guitars that need the same attention and while cleaning can solve the immediate issue, it's just putting off the inevitable.
Rarely a cap can go bad (cracked) and produce some odd results, depending on how it is wired in. If the DeOxit doesn't work, perhaps replace the cap and see if that does anything. Out of expedience, you may want to replace both at the same time. But just out of curiosity, I would try the cap first.
Mekhem
Tele-Afflicted
Question: Does this happen in ALL positions or only when both pickups are in use?
I have one (SH with a 3 way) where the volume pot works normally in position 1 and 3 - but the middle position is similar to what you describe. In my case I am about 80% sure that I am out of phase in the middle though.
