How much pot noise/looseness is considered normal on vintage gear?
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I’m planning to sell some vintage synths and mixers online that I have for many years, and I’m curious about what people generally consider “normal” condition for vintage potentiometers and controls.
My main concern is avoiding misunderstandings with buyers. I don’t want someone to receive the unit, feel that the pots are lighter or notice minor scratchiness while turning them, and then request a return because they expected everything to feel like new.
Over the years I’ve cleaned many pots with DeoxIT, and while they work much better electrically, a lot of them now feel looser / lighter to turn than they originally did because some of the original damping/lubrication is gone.
When I look at Reverb and eBay listings, I often see terms like “serviced,” “cleaned,” or “fully functional,” but I rarely see sellers explicitly mention loosened pot feel after cleaning. At the same time, I find it hard to believe that 40–50 year old gear could still have perfectly preserved original pots without ever being serviced.
So I’m curious from buyers, collectors, and techs here:
When buying vintage gear online, what level of pot feel is considered normal/acceptable?
Is lighter or slightly loose rotation generally expected on serviced equipment?
How much scratchiness/noise from pots is considered acceptable as long as it doesn’t significantly affect actual operation?
If a unit has a tiny bit of noise while turning knobs, but sounds clean once set in position, would that bother you?
Would you expect sellers to explicitly disclose loosened pot feel after cleaning?
Have you ever bought vintage gear that still had the original “tight” damped feeling on all controls?
I’d love to hear honest opinions from people who regularly buy/sell/repair vintage audio gear.