The Fender Split Shaft Potentiometer offers you a top-quality pot for tone or volume control: 3/8" shaft, 250k with mounting nut and washer.
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I bought two of these pots to rebuild the electronics in a Squier Affinity P-Bass after accidentally stripping the originals. I believe they are the same pots used in MIM and MIA basses, though since my other basses work just fine stock, I have never taken them apart to find out.
For $5 each + shipping I wasn't expecting a miracle, but to my surprise the bass's tone improved significantly after installation, and the controls seemed much more responsive than before. After reading up a bit more on potentiometers and the math behind them I learned why. These pots, like most pots designed for audio applications, use a logarithmic scale, which approximates the way humans perceive the intensity ("loudness") of a sound. In other words, with a logarithmic scale, setting the volume to 5 produces a sound half as loud as setting the volume to 10, exactly as you would expect. The same goes for the tone control, which in passive instruments is really just another volume control specifically for treble frequencies.
Unlike these Fender pots, the Squier's stock pots use a linear scale, which grows faster than a logarithmic scale. For audio applications, that means a linear pot produces a sharper cut-off than a logarithmic pot, behaving more like an on-off switch than a gradual adjustment. The new logarithmic-scale Fender pots were thus more responsive than the old linear-scale Squier pots, and my bass sounded better because I could more effectively fine-tune its tone. Of course, it also helps that these are better quality pots than the stock Squier's -- and, as a side note, much more durably built.
If you're looking to get a better sound from your Squier, try installing a set of these before splurging on more expensive upgrades like the bridge and pickups. You aren't going to get miracles, but you may be pleasantly surprised.
WARNING: The Squier's stock wiring is different from an MIM/MIA Fender's, so make sure you're specifically using a Squier wiring diagram. (Alternately, I just rewired mine following the MIM diagrams.)
ANOTHER WARNING: These pots are larger than the stock Squier's, so you will need to enlarge the pickguard holes. (Since I replaced mine with a three-ply Fender pickguard anyway, this wasn't a problem for me.)
Fender 250K Split Shaft Potentiometer
.I used a set of these to rebuild a friends electronics in his MIM strat to keep everything Fender pure. The pots come with capacitors, which I didn't know causing to to have quite the collection of capacitors now.
Fender 250K Split Shaft Potentiometer
.A nicely constructed part to replace a poor quality one installed from the factory. A typical solder in unit that works well.
Fender 250K Split Shaft Potentiometer
.After breaking one of the original Volume pots on my Squire Jazz Bass I decided to replace both volume pots with Genuine Fender 250k pots. Installation was pretty straightforward if you are comfortable using a soldering iron, but the diameter of the shaft of the new pots are much larger. Meaning you will have to drill the control plate to accommodate the new Fender pots. The knobs may also need to be replaced or tweaked to make work with the new pots.
I can say that the new pots sound excellent compared to the cheaper ones used on my Squire, making this an inexpensive upgrade if you are looking to improve your over-all tone.
Fender 250K Split Shaft Potentiometer
.i tried a different brand and the quality was not as good and the sound was different from the original. I replaced it with a Fender Brand part and I am pleased with the results.
Fender 250K Split Shaft Potentiometer
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