Scratchy pots

[molan]

An amp I have sitting at home has all the controls more or less in the same position day in day out & I've noticed a couple of pots getting a little scratchy if I do actually bother to move them.

Is there any simple way to clean these up so that they are once again crackle free?

[Clarky]

A squirt of contact cleaner?

[Musicman20]

One of my basses thats no longer mine did this a while back...because the tone was always set to max (this doesnt happen now!).

Basically, I popped it into my local store. He just said the best bet is to turn the knobs a few times. Carefully obviously.

After 2-3 minutes of this, it was fine.

[thebassman]

[quote name='molan' post='805501' date='Apr 13 2010, 10:49 PM']An amp I have sitting at home has all the controls more or less in the same position day in day out & I've noticed a couple of pots getting a little scratchy if I do actually bother to move them.

Is there any simple way to clean these up so that they are once again crackle free?[/quote]

deoxit 5 (contact cleaner)

[Hamster]

Same thing, just the one I've always used - [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=4153"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=4153[/url]

[AlanP2008]

I'd say that if you can get rid of the problem by just operating it a few times, then do that and no more.

The trouble is, the contact cleaner stuff tends to be addictive for pots.

Pots usually have some form of viscous lubrication around the shaft, and using contact cleaner usually shifts this around, and a certain amount of it often ends up on the track - where it then starts collecting any dust that is going, which will straight away cause crackling again... (To start with, the track itself is usually clean and dry, just to avoid that very problem...)

So IMHO, contact cleaner is best avoided unless it is the only way to cure the problem - but if it is, then fine (YMMV)... But you should then probably regard yourself as down-track towards actually replacing the pot...

Alan

edit: I've big issues with so-called "experts" in magazines who recommend a squirt of cleaner as "preventative maintenance", for the reasons above...

Edited April 14, 2010 by AlanP2008

[slobluesine]

squirt of WD-40, it has lube in it

[robocorpse]

WD40 kills pots, and attracts 100x more dust than standard contact cleaner lubes. Avoid unless its an emergency, then use sparingly if you must.