The DS1882 will power up with all 1's in the Potentiometer Wiper Register. For the 33 position configuration, this will also set the mute function.
The intent is that on first power-up, the DS1882 will be in 33 position mode, and will be set to Mute. You should expect to see a value of 87h in the Configuration register and all 1's for the potentiometer wiper position, setting the pot to Mute mode.