Centre detented pots for 1073 style EQ?

[MatthewF]

Hi all,

Does anyone happen to know of a source for centre detented 10k & 47k linear pots, with long 1/8" shaft? This would be for the LF and MF gain controls in a Neve 1073-style EQ, arranged as per the original with dual concentric pot/switch assemblies for these sections. I've scoured the web but haven't turned anything up so far (and don't need the kind of quantities which would justify a custom order).

I do have some suitable pots which are not centre-detented. I guess the ability to turn the band off (last position on the frequency switch) goes some way to compensating for the lack of a detent. Does anyone with experience of an original unit recall if they were centre detented or not?

Cheers,

Matthew

 

[warpie]

A center detent doesn't guarantee 0db. In fact, in most cases it won't be 0db. That's due to the pot's tolerance.

 

[MatthewF]

That's a fair point. I guess I'm generally a fan of a centre detent due to the cramped nature of my workspace - I can often reach the gain knob but can't necessarily read the front panel markings. In that scenario, when an EQ doesn't offer bypass on a per-band basis, I find the detent a useful aid when I wish to momentarily zero a band to check what it was adding (or removing). Agreed it's not perfect, but likely a lot better than a blind guess.

However, I'd agree that per-band bypass is a better approach than centre detents on the gain pots. To that end, I'm sure I can get used to flicking the frequency switch to off and back instead of zeroing the gain on the 1073.

 

[shabtek]

dual concentric anything is likely a custom part or assembly

a switch can have a better more balanced 'center' and repeatability

if using a per band bypass switch, a multi-pole/3 position toggle could become a boost/bypass/cut and allow more resolution