Volume Pots For My 1981 LS100S Love Rock

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Sigmania

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Looks like I suddenly have a bad volume pot on my 1981 LS100S. It started getting sticky the past couple days and now the shaft just extended. Something has obviously come loose inside it, and I am going to need to replace it.

Suggestions? What volume pots did these use?

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Sorry to hear about the bad pot issue there Geoff.

Every ‘vintage’ Tokai LS I’ve had through my hands has the NOBLE 15A500K ohm pots. It is stamped on the sides of the pot cans.

That goes for both the regular Hamamatsu production (embossed/stamped serial #s) and the not so well known Nagano production (inked serial #s aka inkie) examples.

NOBLE pots are my favorite; they are da bomb. 8)

Bacchus Vintage Series examples typically also have NOBLE pots; both the Fender style guitars & the Gibson style guitars too.

Good luck wit dat pot. :wink:
 
Sweet. Thank you!

Can you recommend a source where I can buy them?
 
not sure but I don't believe they make them any longer :(

besides that, the 'vintage' Tokai have the PCB & the pots are soldered in on the under side of the PCB so, replacing the pot could potentially be a huge PITA. :evil:

If it were me I would 86 the PCB & wire it all up like old school wiring, while replacing the bad pot. That's just me though.

The 'up side' of this approach would be installing the caps of your choice. :D
 
So if I have to replace the PCB board then I guess I’m then replacing all four pots and caps.

Recommendations?

This guitar has incredible tone. I’m afraid of losing that as I have to replace things.
 
Right. I would love to not replace anything, but... that one volume pot is toast. And based on above responses, it was sounding like it is difficult to replace a pot alone because of the PCB board. Is that actually true? Is it actually hard to replace a pot and separate it from the PCB and reconnect a new one? I haven’t ever tried it. Tokais are the only guitars I’ve had with a board tied in with the pots, and this is the first one I’ve had with a bad pot.
 
Easy enough to do if you are competent with a soldering iron. All four lockouts removed and then disconnect the leads, pcb comes completely out ready for the pot to be desoldered and replaced. Pots/resistors are passive components and do not affect the tone.
 
Thanks. So I’ll try to scrounge for a Noble volume pot. I would like to keep this guitar as close to original as possible. I can’t say enough about it. Just a dream guitar. Trying to be a good steward while it’s in my possession.
 
https://www.noble-j.co.jp/en/products/discrete/potentiometer/RV16-RV24/

https://www.noble-j.co.jp/en/contact/sales-sites/#agencies

Worth a try

Alternatives from Bourns, Alpha, ALPS, CTS. Just check the physical dimensions first.
 
I believe my suggestion in my second post is your best option:

"If it were me I would 86 the PCB & wire it all up like old school wiring, while replacing the bad pot. That's just me though.

The 'up side' of this approach would be installing the caps of your choice."



This way you get to replace the one/bad pot, get rid of the PCB, wire it up old school, and solder in the caps of your choice. :D
YMMV
 
Thanks. My issue is that after a 30 plus year search for tone and sustain I finally found what I was after. I’m nervous about losing it.

I’ve lost it with other guitars like acoustics just doing setups and polishing frets. It’s hard to nail down what mojo is. When you find it it’s priceless, and it can slip away if you start messing with it. Don’t mess with success as they say.

But I may be a bit superstitious. :D
 
Sigmania said:
Thanks. My issue is that after a 30 plus year search for tone and sustain I finally found what I was after. I’m nervous about losing it.

I’ve lost it with other guitars like acoustics just doing setups and polishing frets. It’s hard to nail down what mojo is. When you find it it’s priceless, and it can slip away if you start messing with it. Don’t mess with success as they say.

But I may be a bit superstitious. :D

Hey Eric Johnson, when did you become interested in MIJs? :lol:
 
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