Cts Pot Serial Number
JBPhoto
Junior Member
Hey gang. New here. Not new to vintage guitars but never dealt with Les Pauls. I got this one after a friend passed away and so I can't ask him any info on it. He had written down that it is a 1972 but i'm doubting that. Here's what i've been able to figure out. 3 piece body, 2 layers of mahogany with a 3 piece maple cap. 3 piece neck with volute. Serial number on back of headstock is 135028 and says 'Made in USA' under it. It has a truss rod cover that says 'Standard' but it has factory mini-humbuckers. The pots are CTS with a 137733 code which would date them to '77 but they look original to the guitar... so, the question of the day is... what do i have?
Cts Pot Serial Number Check
Pots usually have several identification numbers. One is the manufacturers id code with date, and another is the Gibson part number. The manufacturers code has six (1950s) or seven digits, starting with 137 (CTS) or 134 (Centralab), and ending in format y/ww or yy/ww where y is the year, and w is the week of the year. The pot on the left has the following inscription: 450GT36K254B1S 1641 CTS. The pot on the right has the following inscription: 450GT69K504B2S 1405 CTS. Now, let’s break down these codes: As we can see from the above diagram, 450G is the CTS model number of the pot (made specifically for guitars). So let’s get started with the first pot.
Cts Pot Serial Number
- 5-Way Lever Switch Guitar Electronics Kit w/ CTS Pro Pots-500K. 5-Way lever switch guitar parts kit w/ CTS 500K Audio Taper Pro Guitar pots, Oak Grigsby 5-Way/4Pole Strat Style Pickup Selector, Switchcraft output and jack and two Orange Drop tone capacitors. Upgrade your original Telecaster or Tele style guitar with.
- Around 1966 Fender started using CTS pots. Look for this number: 035865 It's a code for Stratocaster pots. Any vintage 66-76 strat pot must have 035865 stamped in the back. Some people on ebay are selling NOS pots claiming they are original Fender Strat pots but if they have a different (whatever) number then.
- CTS 500K Pot Short (3/8 inch) Solid Shaft Audio Taper - 10% Tolerance - Pair (2X) 4.7 out of 5 stars 194. Get it as soon as Mon, May 10. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. Only 3 left in stock - order soon. CTS Pot, 250k Audio, Split Shaft (4 Pack).