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POTS ???? AUDIO or LINEAR TAPER ??

bobbovisme

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Messages
239
Ok..
From what I've heard original Burst's had audio taper pots .. so why is Gibson putting in these linear pots ?? I just got my R8 a few weeks ago and don't mind the linears but i keep hearing that the audio's give you alot more range and control ... Is this true ????
 

reswot

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Messages
3,295
I'm no expert, but I think that I've heard the old pots had a taper that was somewhere in between linear and log (audio).

The log pots give you a smoother taper from from 0-5 and quite abrupt changes from 7 - 10. The linear give you more abrupt changes from 0-3 and smoother from 5 - 10.

Apparently, Gibson feels the current linear pots are a better match; others feel the log pots are better. I prefer the log pots on a tone control, but can go either way for the volume.

That said, I swapped the pots in my 05 R8 for CTS audio pots. I wish, though, I'd kept the linear pots in the volume positions.
 

JVIoneyman

New member
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
838
I HATE LINEAR TAPER!!!! :tri

Audio Taper gives you a smoother sweep from 0 - 10 unlike the ones on the Historics that have two tones on the knob. Look up RS KIT if you want an easy way to replace them. Most people like them...I am about to upgrade to it as well, but I haven't had the toie yet. The True tone rs kit is the one most people get, but the new super pots they came out with is supposed to have a better taper.
 

bluesjuke

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
7,007
I have the RS True Tone kit & I don't have any abrupt volume or tone changes anywhere on the whole taper 0-10.

Made a huge difference from the linear tapers that had a large volume drop from 6-10.
 

DANELECTRO

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
6,318
Here's a graph that I made a few years ago when I was putting an RS kit into my 03 R9. It compares the resistance between the RS CTS pot (audio taper) and the stock Gibson pot (linear taper).

pottaper6ou.jpg
 

Pearly Grapes

Active member
Joined
Jul 20, 2001
Messages
2,332
Dano;
Interesting graph. Looks like furthur evidence that I want to keep the Gibson volume pots in my '03 R9 & put the RS pots in the Tone position. Thanks for posting it!

PG
 

sliding-tom

Active member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
1,907
Nice DANO! Thanks!
From what I know and have heard, 50's audio pots were somewhere like a 60/40 taper whereas nowadays they are mostly 80/20 - so a linear is closer to a 60/40. I don't like the modern audio taper and get along well with linear (and audio for tone).
 

bobbovisme

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Messages
239
what does having audio tapers in the tone position do for ya ? and i guess the graph means the linears are a smoother pot ? :bonk
 

Zinc Alloy

Member
Joined
May 8, 2003
Messages
608
no, it just shows that the resistance curve is linear. It doesn't sound linear to the human ear. In theory you need a log tapered pot for a linear sounding taper.
 

reswot

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Messages
3,295
bobbovisme said:
what does having audio tapers in the tone position do for ya ? and i guess the graph means the linears are a smoother pot ? :bonk

With linear tapers on the tone, the change is too gradual for most people; they have to turn down to 3 or 4 to get the sound they want, but audio is quicker=better.

On the volume pot the "roll back" from 10 to 7 is also pretty dramatic. The linear pots give you more gradual taper as you clean the guitar's sound up.

It's really an individual preference. As I said, I swapped out the stock pots for audios (like I use in all of my other guitars), but I believe I really liked the linear volume pots better. Probably not so much, though, that I'll swap 'em back in....
 

Sparta

New member
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
693
Thanks Reswot. I think your paint job is one of the best I have seen. It has more red on the lower bout than my 05 R8.

I can send you a photo, but never bothered to learn now to post pics here.

Acoustically loud, balanced, beautiful to the eyes and not too much cost - the 05 R8s are a great achievement by any measure.
 

reswot

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Messages
3,295
If you send the pic, I'll be glad to post it for you... Click my user name to get to my email address.
 

Black58

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
10,139
Linear taper is good for a light switch. The human ear works differently. That's why they cal it an audio taper.
 

Stringrazor

New member
Joined
Jan 31, 2006
Messages
112
Pardon a noob Q (R8 owner for 5 days now...), but what's this RS KIT that I see mentioned a lot?
 

bluesjuke

Active member
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
7,007
Stringrazor,
Do a search in the Tone Zone- just type in RS Kit & read a lot of the posts that show up & follow the link provided by Pooker.
I see it as what's inside the Holy Grail. It will change your guitar like you won't believe.
 

Sparta

New member
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
693
Playing R9s and an R8 through EL34 Bogner Shivas with Timbuckers and stock electronics.

The Timbucker evalgelists were right, as were the Pigtail evalgelists, maybe it is time to try an RS kit.

What I want to know please, are you guys true believers or lukewarm believers? How many guys automatically do the change with no second thought? How many did it and think it was no big deal?
 
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