Well, the important thing is that it's working!
Your suspicion about cleaning up the solder on the pot may very well have been a big part of the problem. When I see dirty great blobs of solder, it sends up red flags for me. High potential for cold solder joints or shorts. I'm not trying to be critical, just honest.

Good soldering technique takes practise and an appropriately sized iron. I've seen some jobs that could only be qualified as "art".
My skill level is far from an artform but has steadily improved over 20 years of doing it and still improving!

Glad it's all sorted, and look forward to seeing the guitar all completed.

Cheers,
Mick