Scratchy volume knob question

[MadAsAHatter]

This is for my Crate Shockwave amp. I'm getting some static coming through the clean channel. Kind of like when a radio station isn't tuned in all the way. The volume pot is rather scratchy so I need to hit it with some contact cleaner. Would the scratchy pot be the cause of the static coming through? Or should I look for something else while I have it opened up?

 

[griff10672]

This is for my Crate Shockwave amp. I'm getting some static coming through the clean channel. Kind of like when a radio station isn't tuned in all the way. The volume pot is rather scratchy so I need to hit it with some contact cleaner. Would the scratchy pot be the cause of the static coming through? Or should I look for something else while I have it opened up?

I'm no amp guru .... I have a Mesa DC-5 that was doing the same thing .... turned out the electrolytics were going to shit .... or had gone to shit ...

replaced them and the amp sounds brand new ... dead quiet ...

sounds like you're getting some DC across the volume pot ....

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I hit all the knobs with contact cleaner which helped a lot. I still need to do another round of that as a couple of pots are still slightly scratchy.
I'm still getting some of that static noise on the clean channel, but it's not quite as mush as it was and only when I hit a string. I'd almost think it's out of headroom and clipping a bit, but it does it at low volume also. @griff10672 I think your suggestion is on the right track that some components are on their way out. The amp is getting past 20 years old now and hasn't ever been fully serviced. Might be about time I send it in for a checkup.

 

[burger]

If it's stratchy like a Presence pot can be, it means you have DC on the pot which can be caused by a leaky coupling cap. You can check with a multimeter. Just saw @griff10672 said the same thing!