EBMM Sterling EQ pots make loud click at center pt

[Stagelab]

Also posted this in the Sterling club…

The EQ pots on my 2001 Sterling make a loud mechanical noise when I rotate them to the center point. The noise doesn’t come through an amp, thankfully. It also take some force to rotate the knobs from center towards either end of the range.

I’d like to quiet it down and smoothen out the rotation if there’s a fix. Maybe some deoxit would help though I’ve never used it to tackle a mechanical click.

Video clip good for the next two days:



Some bgrd info:

I read EBMM’s older Sterling pots had a heavy mechanical detent consisting of a small, spring-loaded internal metal ball bearing that snaps into a physical notch on the rotor when you hit the center pt. They changed it to a quieter design later on.

 

[Stagelab]

Update: I think deoxit will help with the rotation. I’m trying to move the circuit so I can access the splits in the pots and spray deoxit.

I removed the knobs, nuts, washers, control plate and the output jack nut and washer. Tried to lower the pots through the holes so I could move the circuit and get access to the split in each pot. No luck. The pots won’t fall through even with a nudge. Any suggestions?

I could just spray deoxit from outside the body where the pot shafts meet the bushing but spraying into the split (on the cavity side) is more effective.