Cleaning pots,etc.

[Trey]

  This is my first post. Glad I found you guys.  Been playing guitars for almost 35 yrs. now and have learned a bit over time about how to keep things working. Being left handed I have had to modify a few guitars (SGs mostly) for southpaw playing. Very little amp work though--made a few speaker cabs. Still playing but I let a couple of my older, bigger amps sit around for about ten years. Well now my son is heavily into it and the old amps are dirty, scratchy, one fades in and out a little bit. One is a tube marshall copy-handmade by a friend of a friend of a friend about 40 years ago. The other is a fender scorpio-a solid state made in 1970--like a twin. Would like to dig a little deeper into this whole field but, for now, I think a simple cleaning is all these amps need and a good way for me and the boy to start. What should I do? 

[DJPhil]

Greetings and welcome!

  In truth it's likely you'll need to replace the pots as opposed to simply cleaning them, but it won't hurt to try. Probably the best writeup on pots I've seen is 'The Secret Life of Pots'. That's got a bit on disassembly and a bunch more on the electrical aspects. You'll probably want to desolder and resolder each one as you go to prevent mix ups, and be sure to write/mark/photo (aren't cellphones great?) the wiring so nothing gets swapped around. Cleaning them out can be done without opening the pot up, but all that really involves is finding a hole and jetting in some DeOxit or other pro cleaner. Disassembly followed by some careful swabbing with qtips (be careful to avoid leaving threads of cotton behind) and rubbing alcohol (90% or better) will knock most of the dust out but the worn out track is still going to be worn. If you find grease on the shaft try to preserve it or you'll lose all the resistance in the knob travel (unless you like zero resistance travel). You can sometimes bring an old pot back to life this way, and you'll learn a few things if you've never done it before, but it's not a guaranteed success.

  I've got these pliers that I absolutely love that are perfect for the tabs on pots. They're from a cheap all purpose pliers set, and they're a small version of a pair of lineman's. They're like needle nose except that the ridges in the tip are much larger, as though the pliers were shut and drilled out with a 1mm bit. They easily dig under folded metal like the tabs on pots and make it very easy to grip the tab from the sides or the end to pry it up. Much more control, and I'm less likely to stab my thumb with a jeweler's screwdriver I'm using incorrectly.  :duh Full size needle nose pliers are good for flattening down the tabs after reassembly in order to get everything flat again.

Hope that helps, and be sure to let us know how things go.

P.S. I couldn't resist attaching a picture of my favorite pliers.  <3)

[joecool85]

I'd try the easy method of using some spray type pot cleaner and see if it works.  If it's just dust (a lot of times it is) you have a good chance of getting it usable.  If it is dirt/grime etc, you may have to pry the back off and clean it as Phil described.  If it is worn out, you will need to replace it.

[Trey]

 Thanks guys, very detailed--I appreciate it. Will give it a try this weekend when I have some time and let you know.

[LJN]

I've used rubbing alcohol. sometimes it works. it's cheap, and it usually dries fast. hope that helps.