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Home : Electronics, pickups : Potentiometers : Alpha Control Pots

Alpha Control Pots


Read 109 Reviews   |   Write a Review

Great price!
Alpha potentiometers are among the world's most widely used guitar tone and volume controls. These are the familiar pots we've supplied for years in 25K, 250K, 500K, and 1 meg-ohm versions, plus a long-shaft 500K version for Les Paul style carved-top solidbodies. Great prices, too—luthiers and repair shops can save big on orders of 50 or more.

Each pot has an aluminum split shaft that fits a coarse-knurled (18-spline) knob.

See details below

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Alpha Control Pots
 
  Item# Description In stock Price Quantity
3755 25K-ohm Yes
$8.97
6 or more $7.78  
12 or more $6.97  

0128 250K-ohm Yes
$2.73
12 or more $2.43  
50 or more $1.96  

0130 500K-ohm Yes
$2.73
12 or more $2.43  
50 or more $1.96  

3482 500K-ohm long shaft Yes
$6.95
6 or more $6.02  
12 or more $5.42  

3481 1 meg-ohm Yes
$4.69
6 or more $4.07  
12 or more $3.66  


Quantity prices apply to multiples of the same item number Selected currency  
 
 









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Alpha pots are audio taper with standard ±20% resistance tolerance. Each pot includes a flat washer, lock washer, and two hex mounting nuts for custom height adjustment on a pickguard or control plate.

#3755 25K-ohm
For controlling the volume or tone of active pickups, or for use after the preamp of a piezo-saddle transducer bridge.
Shaft diameter 6mm split shaft, coarse knurling
Thread   M8 x 0.75
Threaded portion height   3/8" (9.52mm)
Required mounting hole diameter   5/16" (7.94mm)


#0128 250K-ohm & #0130 500K-ohm
500K pots are standard controls for humbuckers, and 250Ks are usually used for single-coil pickups. A 250K gives a slightly warmer tone than a 500K, and bleeds off (attenuates) some of the high frequencies to ground. A 1-meg pot attenuates even less than a 500K—try one if you want to hear your guitar "wide open."
Shaft diameter 6mm split shaft, coarse knurling
Thread M8 x 0.75
Threaded portion height 3/8" (9.52mm)
Required mounting hole diameter    5/16" (7.94mm)


#3482 500K-ohm, long shaft pot
For Les Paul and similar solidbody guitars.
Shaft diameter 6mm split shaft, coarse knurling
Thread   3/8" x 32
Threaded portion height   3/4" (19.05mm)
Required mounting hole diameter   3/8" (9.52mm)


#3481 1 Meg-ohm
Get the most out of your guitar with a 1 Meg-ohm pot. All pots bleed a certain amount of the signal to ground, this "attenuation" can be used to warm the sound of your guitar's pickups, but you can also run your guitar "wide open" with these 1 Meg-ohm pots!
Shaft diameter 6mm split shaft, coarse knurling
Thread   3/8" x 32
Threaded portion height   3/8" (9.52mm)
Required mounting hole diameter   3/8" (9.52mm)


Which pot value should you choose?
500K pots are standard controls for humbuckers, and 250Ks are usually used for single-coil pickups. A 250K gives a slightly warmer tone than a 500K, and bleeds off some of the high frequencies to ground. A 1-meg pot bleeds off even less than a 500K—try one if you want to hear your guitar "wide open."

1-meg pots are also ideal for piezo pickups, as the ultra high impedance piezo element is more adversely effected by conventional, lower-value pots than magnetic pickups.

25K pots are for controlling the volume or tone of active pickups, or for use after the preamp of a piezo-saddle transducer bridge.

Replacement Mounting Nuts and Lock Washers are also available.

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 Ratings and reviews
Alpha Control Pots
Alpha Control Pots
 
4 out of 5 stars
Based on 109 ratings Write a Review
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Displaying 41 – 50 < 1  ...  4  5  6  ...  11 >
5 10-13-2011
Smooth and true

Now I did not measure the accuracy of the value of this pot (I got the 500k) but what I liked the most about it is that it's smooth and clean and it's not hard, which means I could easily move it with my pinky for swell effects.

RuXTaR  Israel Read my reviews (3)
Customer supplied image for review
4 9-27-2011
They get the job done.

Ive used these in several guitars without any problems. They do sound like they could use some internal lubrication though, but they turn easily and sound fine.

carlton wilkinson  victoria, tx Read my reviews (27)
4 9-25-2011
Good for thin guitars like SG

These standard shaft single-ganged pots fit thin guitars like the SG. Quality is good enough - no complaints, but nothing special that I can see. I think a linear taper option would give a better feel for a tone control. With these audio taper pots, treble cut doesn't occur until the last 20% of the rotation.

fret_man  Bartlett, IL Read my reviews (5)
3 9-14-2011
Pots in a pinch

The Alpha pots are ok in a pinch. Like some of the others have written the CTS pots are much better. I used these pots in a project because I could not find any local. Other pots would have taken longer to get to me and I was in a hurry to give it try and knew that StewMac would have them here the next day. StewMac like always was GREAT to deal with. FAST shipping and delivery.

w8rok  Chas, WV Read my reviews (5)
5 9-14-2011
Great Pots

I was quite surprised by the speed with which StewMac delivered the products to me. Plus the Alpha pot works great and is smooth as butter. I will definitely buy more of these in the near future.

Luthier Pro  Prairie Grove, AR
2 9-07-2011
Go with CTS Pots

After installing these pots in one guitar and CTS in the other I can tell you the CTS are worth the extra money.

Brandon S.  Philadelphia, PA Read my reviews (6)
5 9-02-2011
Works

I thought about the function of "tone controls" on Guitars, and realized why I hardly ever used them. They are mostly just high-cut filters. After much thought-out selection of body and neck woods, string support hardware, pickups and amplification, you want the tone of your guitar to stand out. With a one mega-ohm pot for your tone control, you can more thoroughly eliminate the "ground-bleed" allowed by the capacitor. Sometimes this "ground-bleed" is desireable.

With heavy-bodied guitars equipped with humbucking pickups, it usually isn't. If you really want that "Les Paul" project to "spank" and "chime" give these a try.....you will be IN LOVE.

mcbragg  Baltimore, MD Read my reviews (9)
2 8-31-2011
Will get the job done

I only use these if I my local electronics store is out of stock.

I would really like to see StewMac carry CTS-brand or something of quality.

Middleton Guitars  Southern California Read my reviews (53)
3 8-27-2011
Does the job

Would have preferred CTS pots, but they do the job for now.

Bass Guy  Halifax, NS, Canada Read my reviews (3)
3 8-26-2011
ALPHA!!!

It`s ALPHA!!!
Creak and rustle of use. Traditional Taiwanese pots. I'm disappointed. I expected to see Japan, Korea, USA, but not Taiwan.
They definitely need to lubricate.

Jolan  Penza, Russia
Displaying 41 – 50 < 1  ...  4  5  6  ...  11 > /\ Top of Reviews


Shown on page 52 of our latest catalog.
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