Where do you buy your pot(s)?

[Gregory Kollins]

After some searching, I have found a great source for all the parts that typically suck up cash in a project. Switches (found 3pdt toggles for $0.71, dpdt for $0.41), jacks ($0.45), and pcb (double sided giant ones in packs of 10 for $3.10 from hong kong! crazy Asians!) are all taken care of for me. But pots are still an issue. I end up paying at least 1.25 a piece for pots, and if I need them immediately, Radio Shack's obscene 3.25... and they have those annoying giant shafts (heaven knows why) that are really hard to cut off.

So where do you get your pots? If I can get a $4 part (3pdt) for $.71, there has to be some crazy man somewhere giving away pots for free. Right?

[Kearns892]

I know futurlec sells pots for $.55 apiece, they have long shipping times though. But remember when you buy from small bear your supporting a stompbox specialty store and they will take care of you and fast, I don't think I can say that about futurlec. I ordered an item listed as "in stock" after a week and a half of receiving no confirmation that my order had been shipped I emailed the company, they held up my entire order because one small thing was out of stock and didn't even notify me, and even after that incident the shipping took a while.

BTW where are you getting your parts and hows the quality?

[Gregory Kollins]

Actually, I just found the switch place and PCB's. I'm going to order some this week.

Switches at amazing ungodly prices:
http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16075+SW
http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=5011+SW

PCB's at crazy Asian prices:
http://cgi.ebay.com/10Pieces-Printed-Circuit-Board-DIY-FR4-7x9-CM-Brand-New_W0QQitemZ280302186721QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item280302186721&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205

I've been getting stuff from smallbear, pedal parts plus, and mouser. I have been particularly pleased with pedal parts plus, my orders are here in about 3 days consistently. That's nice. Really nice.
Mouser is cool but the phone book way in which you order is error prone. I've gotten wrong parts before. Plus they have expensive shipping. I ordered a handfull of parts with a total of about $8, and it was close to $20 with the shipping!

BTW, I think I got the prices a few cents off in my first post. But i was close.

[Kearns892]

PM me and let me know when the toggles and Perf come in, I would like to know if they are any good. Id say the toggles would be fine, but I'm wary of cheap perf. If not though I'll stock up.

[arma61]

Switches at amazing ungodly prices:
http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16075+SW
http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=5011+SW

For the sake of clearness those are ON-none-ON switch ! May be good, may be bad, just noted it.

[Gregory Kollins]

Isn't that the same as on-on? It can't contact nothing in the middle, because that would be, well, off...

[kurtlives]

All I am going to say is you get what you pay for.

I have bought $0.55 pots before and the quality just isn't there compared to $1.25 pots. They don't last.

[Boogdish]

My cousin in California has a grow license and so she just mails... oh wait, what I was thinking of?

[arma61]

Isn't that the same as on-on? It can't contact nothing in the middle, because that would be, well, off...

yes, just 3 positions instead of 2, I mostly saw on-on in stompboxes, and I did a mistake in the past just with this kind of switches  , that's why I said "For the sake of clearness ..."

Cheers
Armando

[bumblebee]

I buy them from smallbear at $1 dollar each I cant complain.

[smallbearelec]

When you get the cheap toggle switches, take a look at the way the contacts are secured. The contacts of good-quality switches will each have an epoxy seal. This makes for good resistance to soldering heat. Cheap switches usually don't have that seal and won't tolerate even normal soldering well.

I was always happy with the quality of Mouser's Mountain Switch (actually Miyama) toggles, but the prices were crazy. So I did something about it by finding those Taiway toggles that you now see on the Stock List. They still aren't cheep, but the quality is excellent.

SD

[Captainobvious99]

I use several vendors/sites

smallbear
www.effectsconnection.com
www.pedalpartsplus.com
www.mouser.com

FWIW I orderdered some 3PDT and SPDT switches from effectsconnection and they are very good quality.

[Mark Hammer]

I tend to buy the Alpha 16mm pots.  I can find them at local distributors for $1.65-$2.75 a pop, but prefer to wait until I pass through Toronto, and stop into Honson Electronics where I get them for 70 cents each ($1.40 for dual-ganged).

[flo]

+1 for futurlec for getting them cheap. Bought a big bag with lots of different lin and log pots of various values for the upcoming 10-20 projects or so.

[jefe]

Mark me down as another happy futurlec customer. Their fifty-five cent pots seem to work just fine for my purposes (hobby, bedroom playing). If I were going to build a "rock solid, road worthy" pedal, I suppose I'd step up and spend another buck for each of my pots. But for now, these things rock.

[svstee]

I was talking to Kurtlives91 about those pots, he said 1 in every 5 he bought was dead.
I haven't had any problems with them though, and I've used almost 30. Maybe he just just got a bad batch.

[mikemaddux]

I was talking to Kurtlives91 about those pots, he said 1 in every 5 he bought was dead.
I haven't had any problems with them though, and I've used almost 30. Maybe he just just got a bad batch.

Ive never had a problem with futurlec pots, and ive ordered and used them a bunch.... 
I usually like CTS pots on my guitars and trust me, Futurlec alpha pots aint no CTS...

[DougH]

All I am going to say is you get what you pay for.

I have bought $0.55 pots before and the quality just isn't there compared to $1.25 pots. They don't last.

Very true of jacks as well. I tried surplus Chinese/Asian open frame jacks before and they were really horrible. The threading was so bad you could not tighten them down or they would strip. And when you did tighten them, the ground lug would rotate and short out on the hot lug.

It's worth every penny to me to get Switchcraft or Cliff jacks. For pedals, I like the Alpha 16mm pots. Never had a problem with them.

We're not talking a lot of money to get quality here. And you can always save by buying in quantity. In the end, it's not much more money but it is oh so worth it...

[jefe]

All I am going to say is you get what you pay for.

I have bought $0.55 pots before and the quality just isn't there compared to $1.25 pots. They don't last.

Very true of jacks as well. I tried surplus Chinese/Asian open frame jacks before and they were really horrible. The threading was so bad you could not tighten them down or they would strip. And when you did tighten them, the ground lug would rotate and short out on the hot lug.

It's worth every penny to me to get Switchcraft or Cliff jacks. For pedals, I like the Alpha 16mm pots. Never had a problem with them.

We're not talking a lot of money to get quality here. And you can always save by buying in quantity. In the end, it's not much more money but it is oh so worth it...

Agreed - since I like the alpha pots from Futurlec, I tried out their cheapy jacks - they were complete crap. Yeah, the threads were garbage, and I had a tough time soldering to them. Switchcraft all the way when it comes to jacks.

[kurtlives]

I was talking to Kurtlives91 about those pots, he said 1 in every 5 he bought was dead.
I haven't had any problems with them though, and I've used almost 30. Maybe he just just got a bad batch.

I stand by this comment. That is the truth from my experiences with those pots.

They are great to just quickly stick into the breadboard but I am not using them in actual pedals.

I am totally with Doug, spend the extra 75cents - $1 and get a quality product that will stand the test of time.