Ok I bought a Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass 3 years ago, it been a pretty reliable bass with the exception of the one small tone knob on there. My jazz bass has the 3-band EQ on it so I have four tone knobs total one controlling volume, one a pickup selector, one stacked knob giving a bass and treble boost, and finally the trouble maker small knob which is a mid boost. Around spring of this year, I noticed that when I would turn the knob it would produce a static sound, also along with the knob producing feedback I noticed the that the little "groove" that would catch the knob and let you know when you were 0dbs was no longer existent, so essentially I could turn the knob back and forth without it catching on that little indicator groove(hopefully you know what Im talking about, thats the best I could explain it). I took it into Sam Ash and they replaced the potentiometer which I knew was the problem, and for the last few months my bass was back to normal. Unfortunately yesterday, I noticed that the same tone knob that had been repaired had again lost the indicator groove. Now the thing about it is, the last time this happened the pot was shot, so the tone wouldnt even change when I would turn the knob. As of now I've only lost that little indicator groove, but the tone boosting function of the mid knob still works. My question is are these little groove indicator prone to breaking, or should I take my bass back in. Like I said as of now I still have functionality of the mid boost, but I'm hoping letting it be doesnt cause it to go haywire in the long run.
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Tone knob issue.....again
- Thread starter SnuffdaCrimeDog
- Start date
What you're referring to is called a center detent.
It's a mechanical feature of the pot, and ultimately, just as the pot itself will wear out, the detent can wear out as well.
However, It should definitely last for more than a few months...
What kind of pots are you using? A high quality pot should last for quite some time.
It's a mechanical feature of the pot, and ultimately, just as the pot itself will wear out, the detent can wear out as well.
However, It should definitely last for more than a few months...
What kind of pots are you using? A high quality pot should last for quite some time.
Unfortunately I dont know what kinda of pot they put in my bass when I had it replaced. I only payed $35 dollars for repair so I dont know how much of that was the bench fee and how much of it was for the part. Like I said the center detent actually wore out both times. With the original potentiometer they had in there and with the new one. Like you said though it was about three years the first one lasted before I needed it replaced. This one did only last about 3 or 4 months. Like I said earlier the functionality of the knob is still there. However I found recently something else very bizzare I can actually rotate the pot. That is if I turn hard enough the pot which actually turn and the postion of the max and min volume points will change. I though for sure after doing this the pot would malfunction, but it continued work, and I was actually able to turn it so the min and max points of the knob were in the correct position again without the pot failing.
$35
Honestly, if you had a soldering iron and solder on hand, you could have done that job for $5 or $10.
Well, i guess the only thing you can really do is replace the pot again.
Is this a 25K or a 50K pot? See if a value is written on the pot. If not, tell us what preamp you have, and the manufacturer should have the pot values published.
Once you know what's in there, you can go about finding a higher quality replacement.
If the whole pot is turning, the nut under the knob is not tight. Are you sure that the detent is actually going away or is there another problem like the pot turning? I have never heard of the center detent breaking.
Hmm...are you telling me my center detent...may have shifted...away from the center
. No, but in all seriousness that makes perfect sense to me, my only question is with this particular bass, I dont know if the black plastic knob part comes off. When I tried to remove it last time I ended up pulling out the knob connected to a small gold rod that ran into the pot itself(this was bad because then the pot fell off). If this is the case and I cant get at the nut, whats the best way to got about tightening it, and should I keep turning the knob until I get my center detent back?
Hmm...are you telling me my center detent...may have shifted...away from the center
I don't mean to be "that guy", but did you make sure to remove the set screw that holds the knob in place?
If this is a push on knob, perhaps the shaft is too large for the knob, and somebody just forced it on.
Theres a screw on the knob? Hmmmmmm, well that would have done it, I did notice the tiny screw in the side of the knob never thought that played a role in the knob coming off....Playing bass for almost four years and you think I know this stuff:scowl: I give that a try and see if tightening it helps with the knob.
Depending on what kind of knob you have, there will be a screw on the side that clamps the knob onto the shaft of the pot.
Loosening/tightening the screw won't help anything as far as the center detente and shifting are concerned, but that would explain why you couldn't get the knob off the pot.
Actually, if the set screw (the tiny one on the knob) is slightly loose, it could explain the shifting "min" and "max" points. Of course as mentioned earlier that could also be a loose retaining nut allowing the pot to turn. Loosen the set screw, remove the knob, check the retaining nut for tightness, replace and "set" the knob in the correct orientation.
Some set screws use a small straight blade screwdriver, and some use an allen wrench - be sure to use the right tool
Some set screws use a small straight blade screwdriver, and some use an allen wrench - be sure to use the right tool
So not only did I figure out I broke my original pot by ripping the rod of the original pot out of my bass, but I also found out that reason my max and mid point are shifting is because the actual plastic knob is loose, and can make a full 180 degree turn. So that explains that but what about my center detent? Is that gone forever?(tone knob is still working)
those little pots have an annoying habit of getting the metal back part pushed slightly away from the rest of the pot. take it off the control plate and carefully crimp the cap back on tight with pliers, bending the 4 tabs that hold it on back down again. you should get a little of your center detent back.
I checked the pot, and I know what your talking about with those metal tabs. I took a look under the hood and it doesnt seem to be falling away at all. I dont know what my next step should be.
