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previous: SteveR When using a pot as a volume contro... -- 11/15/1999 9:55 PM

Re: Volume pots

11/15/1999 10:25 PM
Jim S.	Re: Volume pots The problem with wiring a volume pot (at least within a conventional tube guitar preamp circuit) as a variable shunt-to-ground is that most of the pot's effect will occur within only the first 5 or 10% of rotation. After that, the tone will get a bit brighter and fatter, but the overall volume won't change much. And I'm talking about using the usual audio-taper type pot. The end result is an extremely difficult-to-control amp. An amp that actually used this type of volume control was the Mesa/Boogie Mark II and Mark IIB -- the rhythm master volume pot was wired as a variable shunt to ground. These amps work a lot better once this control gets rewired as a voltage divider.

11/15/1999 10:25 PM

Jim S.

Re: Volume pots

The problem with wiring a volume pot (at least within a conventional tube guitar preamp circuit) as a variable shunt-to-ground is that most of the pot's effect will occur within only the first 5 or 10% of rotation. After that, the tone will get a bit brighter and fatter, but the overall volume won't change much. And I'm talking about using the usual audio-taper type pot. The end result is an extremely difficult-to-control amp.

An amp that actually used this type of volume control was the Mesa/Boogie Mark II and Mark IIB -- the rhythm master volume pot was wired as a variable shunt to ground. These amps work a lot better once this control gets rewired as a voltage divider.

Replies:

SteveR Thanks for the info Jim. That helps... -- 11/15/1999 11:02 PM