Bad volume pot

[Picure]

So yesterday I was playing a big show with my 1980 S1 on a ballad tune and the neck volume pot was giving extremely low output (due to an old scratchy pot). I went to turn the knob mid song and it spiked. I then stopped playing and exercised it on stage. I am wondering, before I get new volume and filter pots from Mica, is there a tuner pedal out there that also have a VU meter? Because I have no way of telling my signal level until I play live. If not, someone should make that because it’s very useful for monitoring noise or low level output.

[JimmyJ]

Jack,

What you are describing is something that can happen with any potentiometer and it does not necessarily mean you need to replace them.  The pots used by Alembic are the best available.  They are "sealed" (no spray cleaners please) and considered "self-cleaning" which is done by exercising them - sweeping through the entire range 50+ times.  (Someday I will build a motorized pot exerciser, really I will.)  This is something that should be done occasionally to insure reliability, especially for pots you rarely move.  The same goes for the Q-switches on a Series I.  Exercising is the way to keep these components operating reliably and predictably - which is super important in situations like you've described above.

Jimmy J

[edwardofhuncote]

I'm not quite as far gone as Jack Nicholson is here in this scene from "As Good As It Gets", but I do this with my Volume and Filter pots Every. Time. I. Plug. In.

Open/Close/Open/Close/Open, ×4 pots. (or 5 in your case Jack.

[Picure]

Jack,

What you are describing is something that can happen with any potentiometer and it does not necessarily mean you need to replace them.  The pots used by Alembic are the best available.  They are "sealed" (no spray cleaners please) and considered "self-cleaning" which is done by exercising them - sweeping through the entire range 50+ times.  (Someday I will build a motorized pot exerciser, really I will.)  This is something that should be done occasionally to insure reliability, especially for pots you rarely move.  The same goes for the Q-switches on a Series I.  Exercising is the way to keep these components operating reliably and predictably - which is super important in situations like you've described above.

Jimmy J

Too late! I already called Mica to give me a quote on new ones! 😂 yea I exercise these, but there is a scratch that cant be exercised away. These pots are from the 1980’s and are very loose too. I really like the feel of the master volume pot that the mothership installed for me a couple of years ago. Very clean and solid feeling

[Picure]

I'm not quite as far gone as Jack Nicholson is here in this scene from "As Good As It Gets", but I do this with my Volume and Filter pots Every. Time. I. Plug. In.

Open/Close/Open/Close/Open, ×4 pots. (or 5 in your case Jack.

😂😂😂