Are CTS rotary potentiometers good for pedals?

[Dolmetscher007]

If there is one thing that I hate... it is cheap crappy components. I am embarking on my first ever guitar pedal build, and to be honest, I do not really have a lot of electronics experience period. Every guitar I've ever rewired, all the components were already present. So... I've never bought a single resister, capacitor, or potentiometer. So I do not know what or where to buy them.

For guitars, I've always heard that CTS make the best pots. I have looked online however, and it seems that all the CTS pots I can find are 250K, 500K, or 1Meg pots for guitars. The first pedal project I want to build requires 5K and 100K potentiometers. I found this data sheet https://www.ctscorp.com/wp-content/uploads/450G.pdf, on the CTS website. It is for their 459G "Guitar Series" pots. But they only have a 100K-ohms, not a 5K. And even so, I don't know where to buy them.

Anyway... to make a long question short... Who makes the best audio pots for pedals, and where can I buy them online?

[thermionix]

A few more values:

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/potentiometers_0?filters=Brand%3DCTS

CTS pots are great, all I use in guitars, and usually in amps too.  Not so easy to find in smaller sizes.  Most of us use Alpha pots for pedals.  Try Small Bear Electronics, Tayda, Mouser, Digikey...

[vigilante397]

I use Alphas in all my pedals and in my guitars and amps too sometimes Alpha seems to use a thicker lubricant than a lot of other potentiometer manufacturers which results in a bit of mechanical resistance when you turn it, and I really like the way that feels

And definitely +1 for Smallbear and Tayda. I personally only use Mouser for harder to find components, and I only use Digikey at my day job

[thermionix]

I've never ordered from Digikey, they've never had the best price on anything that I've checked, but I assume they carry Alpha pots.

Alpha seems to use a thicker lubricant than a lot of other potentiometer manufacturers which results in a bit of mechanical resistance when you turn it, and I really like the way that feels

That only lasts until the first Deoxit.  I like loose guitar pots myself, especially volume, the rest can stay put that's fine.

[vigilante397]

That only lasts until the first Deoxit.

It's true But it's nice while it lasts.