Symptoms of a pot going bad

[sickboy79]

Just curious on this one - I know the typical symptoms: scratchy sounds,etc. But, can a volume pot that's bad cause a tone loss or muffled tone? I've got a guitar that just seems muddier than usual. I've tried new strings, to include SS strings. No real change.

Thanks for the help.

[Billy Penn]

A "bad pot" could possibly make the tone muddy but more than likely it is something else. did you try spraying it out with Deoxit or something? Are you using a different cable?

[sickboy79]

Originally Posted by Billy Penn

A "bad pot" could possibly make the tone muddy but more than likely it is something else. did you try spraying it out with Deoxit or something? Are you using a different cable?

I've tried different cables. No dice. It didn't used to be like this (i.e) a couple years ago. The high end/clarity seems to have degraded over time for some wierd reason. The wound stings sound too "tubby" now - if makes sense. I haven't tried Deoxit yet - probably worth doing. Thanks for the response Billy.

[Billy Penn]

Also try cleaning the jack. Take some #600 grit sandpaper and roll it like a cigarette. Then insert into the jack and "twist the night away".....serioulsy twist for about 20 times or so. You will see a nice shiny brass color and you will have a good contact. Lemme know......

[sickboy79]

I'll try that. Never would have thought of that!

[EADGBE]

You could always switch to a 1 meg ohm (1000K) volume pot and see if that helps.