Read the important tips when you scroll down.Maybe thats the answer.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32790336919.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2fra
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32790336919.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2fra
Dating Pots
- Thread starter Sigmania
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Homer J. Simpson
Well-known member
Yeah we've been there before:
But this is just yet another place claiming they were made by Gotoh (the hardware Gotoh in Isesaki). For all we know they were at best distributed by Gotoh Gut, but also by Gotoh Co. Ltd., SCUD (apparently a HOSCO brand according to soundhouse.co.jp, probably for end consumer supply via stores), HOSCO, Hayashi Shokai... and probably some other parts shops and their dogs. Gotoh Gut (Isesaki) has stated that they didn't make them and who actually made them could remain a mystery forever.
Making potentiometers seems to be a semi-involved process that doesn't lend itself to be a great side hustle, competing with companies that produce them in pretty large facilities. There is little more than a handful of pot manufacturers in Japan, of which few (ALPS, Alpha, Matsushita...) could be identified to have produced this type of pots (which are pretty exclusively used in guitars nowadays) so it's likely one of them.
Like I said, it may be interesting to know but has no information value for dating guitars because they don't use date codes.
But this is just yet another place claiming they were made by Gotoh (the hardware Gotoh in Isesaki). For all we know they were at best distributed by Gotoh Gut, but also by Gotoh Co. Ltd., SCUD (apparently a HOSCO brand according to soundhouse.co.jp, probably for end consumer supply via stores), HOSCO, Hayashi Shokai... and probably some other parts shops and their dogs. Gotoh Gut (Isesaki) has stated that they didn't make them and who actually made them could remain a mystery forever.
Making potentiometers seems to be a semi-involved process that doesn't lend itself to be a great side hustle, competing with companies that produce them in pretty large facilities. There is little more than a handful of pot manufacturers in Japan, of which few (ALPS, Alpha, Matsushita...) could be identified to have produced this type of pots (which are pretty exclusively used in guitars nowadays) so it's likely one of them.
Like I said, it may be interesting to know but has no information value for dating guitars because they don't use date codes.
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Oh,i overread that.Sorry.
Homer J. Simpson
Well-known member
I tried comparing them to pots of other manufacturers and it's not that this would have gotten me any closer to an answer, but it's quite remarkable that these pots are looking pretty unique:
Why is that remarkable? Because some of the other companies seem to have made surprisingly identical looking products, or the other theory would be that some sellers may have managed to get ALPS and Alpha confused:
ALPS (according to the seller):
Alpha (Stewmac):
Here's what ALPS look like e.g. in Ibanez guitars:
Now the big visual difference is obviously the fat and complex shaped "bushing plate" (no idea what they're really called). GF has the butterfly shaped reinforcement on a rectangular base, ALPS seem very similar but the base is butterfly shaped too Alpha has a version with a reinforced base too, but more rectangular "wings" :
Close but no cigar, except - Alpha has a 16mm pot that has the same butterfly shaped reinforcement:
However, those are made in Korea and their Japanese website looks like Alpha does not make 24mm pots in Japan anymore.
Among the 16 or so companies still making pots in Japan I found only one besides Alpha that seems to make 24mm guitar pots, to order: Shinwa-Musen (KSS) (<- link to the Google Translate version).
They write:
If you look around, you can find pots offered/in circulation that look like Alphas but are not advertised (or labeled) as Alphas, and they have the numbered soldering lugs - they look like they are made by Shinwa-Musen.
But the bottomline is that these details seem to say zero about the origin of the pots. I also checked if there are any similarities with Noble or Matsushita but there are none. These GF pots seem to be truly unique, and it looks a lot like they're still in production, contrary to what Shinwa-Musen wrote.
The only way to find out would be asking one of the distributors where they ordered them and as we know, you better ask that in Japanese and don't hope for getting an answer due to the widespread secretiveness on these things. Anyway, what a stupid way to waste a Sunday!
Why is that remarkable? Because some of the other companies seem to have made surprisingly identical looking products, or the other theory would be that some sellers may have managed to get ALPS and Alpha confused:
ALPS (according to the seller):
Alpha (Stewmac):
Here's what ALPS look like e.g. in Ibanez guitars:
Now the big visual difference is obviously the fat and complex shaped "bushing plate" (no idea what they're really called). GF has the butterfly shaped reinforcement on a rectangular base, ALPS seem very similar but the base is butterfly shaped too Alpha has a version with a reinforced base too, but more rectangular "wings" :
Close but no cigar, except - Alpha has a 16mm pot that has the same butterfly shaped reinforcement:
However, those are made in Korea and their Japanese website looks like Alpha does not make 24mm pots in Japan anymore.
Among the 16 or so companies still making pots in Japan I found only one besides Alpha that seems to make 24mm guitar pots, to order: Shinwa-Musen (KSS) (<- link to the Google Translate version).
They write:
But it looks like they are still making them to order. Here's the rub: The image on their site is bad but they look almost exactly like the Alpha type:
If you look around, you can find pots offered/in circulation that look like Alphas but are not advertised (or labeled) as Alphas, and they have the numbered soldering lugs - they look like they are made by Shinwa-Musen.
But the bottomline is that these details seem to say zero about the origin of the pots. I also checked if there are any similarities with Noble or Matsushita but there are none. These GF pots seem to be truly unique, and it looks a lot like they're still in production, contrary to what Shinwa-Musen wrote.
The only way to find out would be asking one of the distributors where they ordered them and as we know, you better ask that in Japanese and don't hope for getting an answer due to the widespread secretiveness on these things. Anyway, what a stupid way to waste a Sunday!
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