Embarassingly Dumb Bass Question

[jmcelroy]

OK...so...uh....I took the volume an tone knobs off of my Fender Squire Precision bass so that I could replace the pickups. They came off pretty easily with a hard pull. These are not the kind that have little screws in them. Now I can't seem to get them back on. I haven't found an answer on Google. Should I use a hammer? I'm afraid to get them stuck half-way on at the wrong angle or strip out the insides or something along those lines.

I feel like doofus!

Thanks for reading.

[danw]

I wouldn't use a hammer, no. What does the shaft look like? I'm thinking if it's one of those split shafts with the slot in the top and the little ridges around the outside, it's compressed a little inside the knob, so it spreads back out when the knob is off. If there's a slot in the end of the shaft, try pinching the end of the shaft a little with some needle-nose pliers and see if the knob goes back on any easier.

[arcaxis]

If it looks like the shaft below, it just pushes on. Rest the knob on top of the shaft and try to "feel" where the "teeth" feel aligned and then give it a gentle push onto the shaft.
If the top of the shaft looks like a D , you'll need to align the flat inside the knob with the flat on the shaft.

[Smogger]

WAIT! Don't go crazy with those pliers just yet. And Don't use a hammer. Although using a heavy spoon to GENTLY tap it into place may help. In my experience with taking many many of these off I have almost always broken them off when I try to bend them with pliers. You may have better luck than me, but I have found that sometimes the knurled edge doesn't line up with the inside of the knob. Try applying a tiny bit of pressure and gently spinning the knob on the post until it sort of locks into place; enter the spoon (if needed). Do this in the direction that the knob is already at is farthest point (So your not just spinning the pot). It may take a bit more pressure than when you took it off; and honestly I don't know why. GOOD LUCK!

[jmcelroy]

Originally Posted by arcaxis

If it looks like the shaft below, it just pushes on. Rest the knob on top of the shaft and try to "feel" where the "teeth" feel aligned and then give it a gentle push onto the shaft.
If the top of the shaft looks like a D , you'll need to align the flat inside the knob with the flat on the shaft.

Thanks for posting the picture. To me it looks like the one you posted except that it's smooth - it doesn't have ridges. Here's one that looks similar to me:



I can't seem to push it on to save my life!

Thanks!

[jmcelroy]

Originally Posted by Smogger

WAIT! Don't go crazy with those pliers just yet. And Don't use a hammer. Although using a heavy spoon to GENTLY tap it into place may help. In my experience with taking many many of these off I have almost always broken them off when I try to bend them with pliers. You may have better luck than me, but I have found that sometimes the knurled edge doesn't line up with the inside of the knob. Try applying a tiny bit of pressure and gently spinning the knob on the post until it sort of locks into place; enter the spoon (if needed). Do this in the direction that the knob is already at is farthest point (So your not just spinning the pot). It may take a bit more pressure than when you took it off; and honestly I don't know why. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for the advice, Steve. I posted a pic of what mine looks like. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. It's so silly!

[arcaxis]

With the picture you posted of the smooth shaft I'd take a another real close look at the knobs. Usually they'd have set screws for this type of shaft. If they're a chrome type knob the screw head/slot may sort of blend in with knurled texture of the knob.

I have an old Squire Precision Bass that has knobs that fit on the type of ridged shaft I showed above - no set screw. I wonder if you bought this bass used, if a previous owner may have changed the pots and forced the knobs on? Any evidence of resoldered connections on the pots?

Might be best off to find a couple of replacement knobs that have a set screw.
Something like this.... (check the shaft size)
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/0169

or dress it up a bit..
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/4944
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/4945

[jmcelroy]

Originally Posted by arcaxis

With the picture you posted of the smooth shaft I'd take a another real close look at the knobs. Usually they'd have set screws for this type of shaft. If they're a chrome type knob the screw head/slot may sort of blend in with knurled texture of the knob.

I have an old Squire Precision Bass that has knobs that fit on the type of ridged shaft I showed above - no set screw. I wonder if you bought this bass used, if a previous owner may have changed the pots and forced the knobs on? Any evidence of resoldered connections on the pots?

Might be best off to find a couple of replacement knobs that have a set screw.
Something like this.... (check the shaft size)
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/0169

or dress it up a bit..
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/4944
http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/4945

Well, I bought the bass new and the knobs definitely don't have screws but I'm just going to take your advice and pick up some knobs that do have screws. That's a smart solution.

Thanks, everyone!

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by jmcelroy

Well, I bought the bass new and the knobs definitely don't have screws but I'm just going to take your advice and pick up some knobs that do have screws. That's a smart solution.

Thanks, everyone!

There is another type of knob, like the ones that Alembic uses. That type knob has a cap that pops off and underneath it there is a slotted screw that tightens some little grippers on the shaft of the pot. They are used on smooth shaft pots that don't have a flat side. Maybe that's what you have. Were they really hard to pry off? That type knob is hard to pry off if you don't pop the cap and loosen the screw. My Epic 5 has the dents around the knobs to prove it.

[stevieb]

Is this an

Originally Posted by jmcelroy

Embarassingly Dumb Bass Question,

or an

Originally Posted by jmcelroy

Embarassingly DumbB ass Question?