Goodrich Potentiometer Replacements?

Mike Friedman · Post by **Mike Friedman** » 1 Mar 2022 6:54 am

I have 2 Goodrich 120’s, both with scratchy pots that I’d like to replace. Unfortunately, according to their site, Goodrich is out of both the pigtailed and non-pigtailed versions of these. I also emailed them to see if they are still doing the complete refurbish for $100/pedal and didn’t hear back. So I am wondering if anyone here:

- Knows what’s up with Goodrich? Are they just slow to respond?
- Knows somewhere else to get the potentiometers?
- Can recommend a different potentiometer that would work?
- Has 1 or 2 potentiometers they'd like to sell?
- Has any advice that would help me get these pedals working again?

Thanks in advance!!!

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 1 Mar 2022 7:39 am

- Knows what’s up with Goodrich? Are they just slow to respond? YES

- Knows somewhere else to get the potentiometers?
I sell these and keep them in stock, unwired, but I can add the pigtail if you would like.

- Can recommend a different potentiometer that would work?
No

- Has 1 or 2 potentiometers they'd like to sell? YES

- Has any advice that would help me get these pedals working again? I can send you the pots and new string. Also rubber feet if you need them.

I can also do the refurbish for the same price as I am an authorized Goodrich Dealer.

However, it cost approximately $20 to ship a pedal each way, so if you have a soldering iron and a little mechanical knowledge, I can also send you instructions on replacement of the pots.
It just takes a little patience.

Regards,
Bill Ferguson
bferguson1947@gmail.com

Mike Friedman · Post by **Mike Friedman** » 1 Mar 2022 7:47 am

Bill, I PM'd you. Thanks!

kevin ryan · Post by **kevin ryan** » 1 Mar 2022 9:02 am

Thanks Bill...
Mike, in our defense here, you emailed me yesterday. Pick up a phone and call.. We do our best, thanks
760-547-1260.
Kevin

Mike Friedman · Post by **Mike Friedman** » 1 Mar 2022 9:13 am

Kevin,

Sorry, I wasn't trying to throw any shade. I'd be happy to give you a ring when I have time. I apologize that it seemed like I was being critical. I was just curious and probably a little impatient. Didn't mean to offend.

Thanks for getting back to me.

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 1 Mar 2022 6:14 pm

Dunlop Hot Potz potentiometers sold by Tom Bradshaw are great! I don't see any reason these would be an acceptable substitute. Do a search here on the Forum for more discussion about these fine pots.

Don

Jim Kennedy · Post by **Jim Kennedy** » 1 Mar 2022 6:38 pm

I replaced the potetiometr in my 120 pedal with a Dulop 490k HotPotz. Some 15 years later and it still works great. They are available on Amazon and online dealers like Sweetwater and Musicians Friend. The hardest part was getting the string back on correctly. There are posts here on the forum with photos on how to put the string on correctly. Take pictures and take your time. It ain't rocket science.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 2 Mar 2022 6:41 am

Goodrich is extremely picky about what pots are being used in their pedals and are always looking for a better pot. Original manufacturer quality control issues have been an issue and Kevin is hard at work solving it.

Mike Friedman · Post by **Mike Friedman** » 2 Mar 2022 7:07 am

Thanks to the help of you fine folks on the forum, I have a pair of the Dunlop pots coming from Bill Ferguson.

Thanks to Jerry Overstreet for also recommending the Dunlops and to reach out to Tom Bradshaw.

Thanks to Tom for getting back to me too. Bill just got to me first, but it sounds like Bill gets these from Tom, so its a win / win.

And thanks to Kevin at Goodrich for chatting with me about both my pedals and what we can do to get them back up and running. I'm probably going to send the old silver one out there for a full refurbish.

Much appreciated! Thanks again to all of you for the help!

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 3 Mar 2022 4:52 am

I’ve replaced maybe 10 pots in Goodrich pedals over the decades. In my opinion, the quality of the pots in them has been up and down and that’s really not the fault of the Goodrich team. Pots don’t last forever and it’s unreasonable to expect something that cycles hundreds or more times a session will never need replacement. Think brake shoes or discs on your car. Same thing.

That being said, the original, American-made Allen-Bradbury pots in the early pedals were pretty good. Those were followed by Mexican (and Canadian?) made ones which seemed to be less reliable. I don’t know what type or brand comes in the newer Goodriches.

Anyway, I get replacement pots from Tom Bradshaw. As of this posting they were $32 each which is reasonable and fair for a pot specifically designed for high-usage. Contrast that with a regular 500K CTS pot which would be laughably inadequate. Those that Tom sells are very, very good and come with detailed, real-world, easy-to-understand instructions for installation. Tom is absolutely great to deal with.

Last, I think Goodrich pedals are great. My first pedal was a 122 model and that was 40-some years ago. Built like tanks, every steel player should have one at least as a trusted spare.

Mike Friedman · Post by **Mike Friedman** » 8 Mar 2022 6:50 am

I just wanted to post a follow up.

I got my pots (and feet) on Friday and got them both installed over the weekend. Both pedals are working perfectly and sound great. The old silver one took a little bit of fine tuning to get it to sit all the way off, but other than that I had no issues installing them. I'm quite excited to have them both back up and running.

Thanks again to everyone for your help on this!