noisy volume knob on guitar. WD-40 to the rescue?

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werewolf831

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My volume knob has got kinduva crackle to it. I've read that you can spray a little cleaner in there to fix it, but I've also heard WD-40 will work. Does anyone know if this is true?
thanks,
Werewold
 
i heard that

my cousin says he does that ,but, th guy at my local shop said not to that you needed "tuner " cleaner he sent me to radio shack to get it so he didn't make money off a me so he could be right .....my cousin also says he uses wd-40 to clean his strings he tells me he may only change them cpl times a year ,and he's not some goofball he's been a pro for a long time,cut albums ,played tons of gigs and he's one of th best i know .....my 2 cents
 
WD-40 (or its clones) isn't very good for cleaning out pots as it leaves a residue which attracts and holds more dust and grunge, which leaves you right back where you started.

Go for non-abrasive tuner cleaner, as has been suggested. There's some pretty nasty abrasive cleaner called "Black Magic" that you should avoid.
 
You can use alchahol to clean them. Don't use wd40. It is an oil base substance and you don't want that in the pots. It will stay in there and you will end up replacing the pots. The alchahol will disipate. You can get a spray cleaner at radio shack also. Either will work well. You should be able to just spray then out with compressed air also.

In any case, make sure you let it dry before turning it on.
 
Dang, I'm glad I checked back tonight before I used wd40!
I'll be bying some of that tuner stuff from Radio Shack tomorrow.
Thanks all!
Werewolf
 
They've been using alcohol to clean pots for years, and it works just fine. I wouldn't recommend WD-40 or any other petroleum based material, which can break down plastics.-Richie
 
i believe contact cleaner (what you guys are referring to as tuner cleaner) is very similar to brake cleaner, perhaps better quality control. it's alcohol-based, and does a great job with things like this-and it evaporates pretty quickly. i like to have a bottle around for old somewhat oxidized electronics. never tried brake cleaner on my electronics, though-i may have to try them on something i don't mind losing :rolleyes:
 
Don't use WD-40...it's not an electronics cleaner...hit radio shack or Radar Electronics...they used to sell "Big Bath" and it was taken off the market due to the flurocarbons but there are other electronics connection and "tuner" cleaners.


sjl
 
Okay now, I got the contact/tuner cleaner. Where exactly am I supposed to spray this at? am I supposed to right between the bottom of the knob and the body of the guitar (which I did, but it didn't really work), or am I supposed to take the knob off? I have an Ibanez s470, and I can't figure how to take the knobs off.
Thanks,
werewolf
 
It's a sold body. there's no screw on the knob and I've yanked on this mother and it won't come off. Looks like I'll have to go through the back. I'll give this a whirl and see what happens.
Thanks
werewolf
 
You just yank the knob off and squirt some cleaner at the pot, then turn the pot fully several times to work it in. Usually just one application will do it. You don't have to tear the pot apart or anything...going at it from the bottom won't help.

Slackmaster 2000
 
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