cheap pots

jondog · #1 02-01-2011, 04:40 AM

I'm repairing a Hondo for a friend. The shaft comes completely out of the pot! I've never seen anything so cheap.

R. Laevinus · #2 02-01-2011, 08:13 AM

I once ripped a shaft out of a full-size CTS by accident. I had managed to force a knob too small for the shaft onto it while doing a mod previously; when the time came to get that sucker off, I had at it with a pipe-wrench and a bench vice. To my eternal dismay, the shaft popped out!

Just sayin', it's not just cheap things that can be broken.

jondog · #3 02-01-2011, 09:26 AM

Ok, pipewrench point taken, but this one was pulled out by an 8 year old child, and then when I was trying to repair it I managed to do the same thing to the tone pot just by pulling on the knob. I've been doing repairs like this for years now and have never seen anything so flimsy.

R. Laevinus · #4 02-01-2011, 10:35 AM

Thanks for not taking offence!

I see your point. I understand and accept the economies of manufacturing and all that; but it amazes me that (in this instance, for example) they would choose to skimp on what are, after all, the only moving parts on the product.

K-Frog · #5 02-01-2011, 02:23 PM

I did the exact same thing on.........a Hondo explorer style guitar.

I pulled on the knob, and out it came shaft and all.

weird.

i_got_a_mohawk · #6 02-01-2011, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R. Laevinus

Thanks for not taking offence!

I see your point. I understand and accept the economies of manufacturing and all that; but it amazes me that (in this instance, for example) they would choose to skimp on what are, after all, the only moving parts on the product.

I'm assuming the tuners dont move? Then it's a heck of a cheap bass!

**colcifer** · #7 02-01-2011, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

I'm assuming the tuners dont move? Then it's a heck of a cheap bass!

Hehe. Don't forget strings and electrons!

kb9wyz · #8 02-01-2011, 03:42 PM

Ok, so your case is pretty interesting. But I have to ask a question about cheap basses in general.

When high-quality pots are less than $4 RETAIL, why do all these cheapo companies not at least put pots that will last longer than the strings they ship with?

jondog · #9 02-01-2011, 03:59 PM

I have no clue why the mfr. would use the cheapies. The Proline pots I bought at GC were $5 retail. I had to buy new knobs too, because I couldn't get the shafts out of the old knobs (although I haven't tried the pipewrench and vice trick yet). So a repair that should've cost maybe $4 in parts became $20 in parts. I'm not going to charge much for my labor but when you can get an SX w/ real pots for $100 it makes repairing Hondos pretty pointless.

i_got_a_mohawk · #10 02-02-2011, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb9wyz

Ok, so your case is pretty interesting. But I have to ask a question about cheap basses in general.

When high-quality pots are less than $4 RETAIL, why do all these cheapo companies not at least put pots that will last longer than the strings they ship with?

Because it's about meeting a price point and using the cheapest components out (I'm betting the entire electronic setup of that bass; pickups, pots, jack and wiring all cost less than $4!)