How long do pots go without maintenance?

[Musicman666]

I have a couple of brand new high end bases that I left in gig bags in an empty house for six months ..now they both have noisy pots I assume from cold and humidity ..

 

generally how long should good quality pots last before they need maintenance and would something like this be covered by a warranty or is it just considered wear and tear? 

[bloke_zero]

Sometimes just giving them a few turns brings them back (like 10/20 turns back and forth). Most pots don't need maintence as such, certainly not after 6 months.

[Musicman666]

Yes ..all my other basses have rock solid pots after many years of abuse so I’m thinking of getting these two done under warranty but I’m thinking they might play the wear and tear card on me. 

[Brucegill]

Just spray some of this into them. You need to spray it into the bottom of it, not from above (in the little slot I’ve marked here and then turn the pot a few times) -

 

 

 

 

DeoxIT D5S-6 Spray, More Than A Contact Cleaner, 142g, Integrated Straw, Pack of 1 https://amzn.eu/d/6nhaIeB

Edited July 25, 2023 by Brucegill

[Musicman666]

further to my original post ..upon removing the back electrical cover plates of both identical active basses (fretted and fretless) the one that is real bad not just in terms of noise but also squealing and transistor like digital feedback has this weird oxidation all over the pot metal casings, like a real thick hardened dusty coating ...   the one that is pretty much ok, maybe ever so slightly noisy has shiny perfect pot casings. Both basses were stored in identical conditions. Is it possible the builder of the bass used sub par pots on the problem bass, ie do cheaper pots readily oxidise whereas the more expensive ones tend not to? you can see by the pot case markings that different ones were used between builds.  i am considering asking the builder to replace these suspect pots under warranty.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Musicman666

[itu]

I think if the pots are not functional, you can ask for a change. I would also mention storing to the luthier.

 

Carbon track pots in general are noisy, and mediocre at best. There are few other types that are higher quality in terms of use and life time, like plastic track (blue Bourns) and cermet type units. These are rare in basses, because of the cost, compared to Alpha and CTS. The price difference may be in the ballpark of 1:10, where one carbon pot is like £1. Please check Mouser et al.

 

I remind you that there are carbon track pots which have been in use for few decades without major issues. After all, some Deoxit once per decade may give very long lifetime, even in active use. Some added noise is negligible in most "electronics" that basses represent. A high end mixer board is another story.

[Musicman666]

i wonder what mm use because i have those basses for decades without a hint of noise and kept in the exact same conditions.... i assume the ones that they use are the pricey ones.

[itu]

We are talking about slightly different things. Carbon track produces noise by itself. But it's something you don't have to worry about in a band context. Most of the companies today use the same pots everywhere: bass, pedals, amps. They are functional, if not the highest quality.

 

Some may say that conductive plastic track, or cermet (ceramic metal) pots would be overkill on a bass (and amp etc.). But they are widely used in analogue mixers, and analogue studio equipment. They are higher quality, although at higher cost. A true limitation is to find suitable parametres (resistance, taper), and a dealer. Mouser is a good place to start with (no affiliation).

[DGBass]

On 28/07/2023 at 05:46, Musicman666 said:

weird oxidation all over the pot metal casings, like a real thick hardened dusty coating ...  

Storing a bass in a sealed gig bag for a period of time can cause unusual issues, mainly due to even small amounts of air moisture being trapped in the gig bag when its zipped up and left for a while. Bunging a silica gel dessicant pack in the gig bag will absorb any moisture that could enable corrosion or oxidisation of any of the metallic parts. Certain kinds of airborne spores like white mold can also cause fur on certain surfaces and even metal if they are trapped in a static environment and left long enough undisturbed with no air circulation. I had a bass I'd left zipped in a cheap gig bag in a cold cupboard for about a year. Half of the body was covered in white powdery mold residue when I eventually opened the gig bag to get the bass out.  Wiped off ok with mild disinfectant without damaging the laquer. If you have furry white deposits on your pots its likely white mold. Left long enough it would spread to more areas. Silica gel packs are a good defence. Same with guitar cases, always worth using silica gel packs if you are storing something for a long time.

[Musicman666]

5 hours ago, DGBass said:

Storing a bass in a sealed gig bag for a period of time can cause unusual issues, mainly due to even small amounts of air moisture being trapped in the gig bag when its zipped up and left for a while. Bunging a silica gel dessicant pack in the gig bag will absorb any moisture that could enable corrosion or oxidisation of any of the metallic parts. Certain kinds of airborne spores like white mold can also cause fur on certain surfaces and even metal if they are trapped in a static environment and left long enough undisturbed with no air circulation. I had a bass I'd left zipped in a cheap gig bag in a cold cupboard for about a year. Half of the body was covered in white powdery mold residue when I eventually opened the gig bag to get the bass out.  Wiped off ok with mild disinfectant without damaging the laquer. If you have furry white deposits on your pots its likely white mold. Left long enough it would spread to more areas. Silica gel packs are a good defence. Same with guitar cases, always worth using silica gel packs if you are storing something for a long time.

 yes.. i totally agree with what you say, ..however i have another identical bass stored in exactly the same bag and location which is perfect as are all my other guitars in the same room so i am trying to figure out why the pots on this particular bass oxidated so readily ...i suspect the builder ran out of his usual pot stock and used some others that were made of less stringent materials ..these appear to be a no brand ie no case markings.