Hi all,
I’m making decent progress on my first build with the GM kit, but have made a silly mistake and grabbed the 9mm drill bit instead of 8mm for the pots.
Is this something likely to cause issues and if so should I try to find some pots with 10mm thread? Will any 500k pot do?
Appreciate any thoughts.
Cheers
Blake
Ok, if you haven’t routed the cavity yet then you could simply dowel the holes and start over if you prefer. Once the nuts, washers and especially the knobs are on, no one will ever see it. The washer will probably cover it completely anyway, as long as you re-drill the holes on center. 😉
It sounds like you have an import pot like an Alpha. They have a smaller diameter than CTS, Bourns and the like.
Practice on scrap...
What they said above ...
(though I suppose some plumbers ptfe tape around the threads would tighten things up but that's definitely a bodge)
As an aside for any non-kit builds, knowing your pot dimensions is also important for knob choice - you'll need to match the internal diameter of the knobs with the shaft diameter and type (split or solid) of the pot.
Don't ask me how I know this 🙂 #sparepartsfornextbuild
To go even further off topic, I also think there's a bit of snobbery sometimes when it comes to CTS pots. I've bought Alpha and CTS and have to say the Alpha's are built better and turn more freely etc.
Guitar making is the art and science of turning expensive wood into sawdust.
I've bought Alpha and CTS and have to say the Alpha's are built better and turn more freely etc.
I like the Emerson Pro CTS pots. Good build quality, tight tolerance and a smooth turn, nice and quick. They feel like those EVH and YJM speed pots but with a realistic price. Bourns makes a speed pot as well. Nothing wrong with Alpha, it depends on the hole size in the guitar.
Practice on scrap...
Japanese parts are typically really good. The difference in hole size isn’t much as @frocesterbill pointed out.
Just be sure to use a lock washer (already necessary) inside the cavity for good grip to keep that pot in place!
You can test that once the cavity is routed out and if you’re not happy with the fit then get some American shaft size pots 3/8”/9.5 like those posh CTS ones. 😆
If you do that and find that the hole is a bit snug then you’ll need to open them up a touch with a reamer, not a drill!
If you don’t have a reamer then an undersized dowel wrapped with sandpaper will get you there.
Good luck!
Practice on scrap...
Once the nuts, washers and especially the knobs are on, no one will ever see it.
Exactly as @mattbeels and @frocesterbill have said earlier. A 1mm difference in diameter is just 0.5mm either side of the pot (if it's centred in the hole), which really doesn't matter to anyone or anything.
As an aside for any non-kit builds, knowing your pot dimensions is also important for knob choice - you'll need to match the internal diameter of the knobs with the shaft diameter and type (split or solid) of the pot.
Don't ask me how I know this
#sparepartsfornextbuild
@rockpile99 - I started off with a little box to keep all my spare parts in.
Then I outgrew the small box, and had to move into a small drawer (using old pickup boxes to keep different bits in - tvtoptip).
Currently, I've got a cupboard, and a set of drawers which hold most of my spare bits. I've got a load of these ...
... (with the lids on) to hold the different type of spare parts now (tvtoptip), stacked up in the cupboard.
But somehow, I never have the right parts for the next build.
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
