Noisy Knobs

[Godjira]

My bass's knobs are really noisy when I move them. What can I do?

[Godjira]

I should say that now I try not to touch the knobs, but sometimes I can't help it or I really need to.

[crzypt]

Dirty or worn out pots (potentiometers)

If it's just dust & dirt, a shot or two of electronic contact cleaner/lubricant should do the trick. The best stuff for the purpose, by far, is a specific product called DeOxit. This may not be available in Japan, so ask around for the equivalent at any decent electronic store or (possibly) music store. Don't try to substitute WD-40 and don't use a product that cleans only. You need the formula that cleans and lubricates at the same time

The best way to use this stuff is to look for an opening in the can (metal enclosure that covers the working parts) of the pot, and give it a shot or two while turning the knob back and forth. If there is no opening in the can, then your only other option is to shoot the product directly down the shaft, from the top. Either way, the object is to get the cleaner/lube inside the pot while you are turning it, to dislodge the crap inside

IIRC you have a bog-standard Fender Precision Bass. In order to get to the back side of the pots, you'll need to remove the pickguard. Slack off the strings enough so that you can get 'em off the tuners - no need to dismount them from the bridge. Coil the strings up loosely and lay them to the side so you have room to work. Now use a phillips screwdriver to remove the pickguard screws. After all the screws are out, carefully lift the pickguard straight up a few inches (the pickup itself will stay attached to the body of the bass). Now you can see the wiring and the back side of the pots. Note that there's not a helluva lot of slack in the wiring to the pickup, or the ground wire to the bridge, so proceed accordingly......

If you have a bass with an access panel on the back of the body behind the controls, then you won't have to remove the strings or pickguard and the entire excercise is a piece of cake in comparison

Anyway.....

Cover the body of the bass with an absorbent cloth, to keep the contact cleaner/lube off of the finish, and have at it. To test your work you don't really need to put the strings back on, or even reassemble the bass for that matter, to do so. Just plug the guitar cord into the jack as normal, fire up the amp, and turn the pots on the bass. If all is quiet, you've fixed the problem. Carefully reassemble and restring

If they're still just as noisy, the odds are the pots themselves are simply worn out and need to be replaced. Easy job if you're handy with a soldering iron, and even the best quality pots are well under $10 apiece. Wiring diagrams, in case you forget how everything is hooked up: Here

If you're not comfortable with doing the replacement yourself, it should still be a relatively inexpensive repair by any competent guitar tech. Half-hour of shop time at the most and no parts besides the appropriate pots

[Godjira]

well, thanks very much for the info. Do you think I'll be able to get into the pots without taking off the pickgard? I'd really hate to have to do that. When I was a teenager, I took off the pickguard for some reason and ended up stripping the screw at the bottom near the input jack.

Now the wood there is kind of chipped away where the screw was- and there's no hole anymore! I don't know how I could fix that. So I have it all taped down with duct tape so that it won't bend the pick guard when I pull out the cable. (it doesn't look so bad as the bass is black and so is the tape, but maybe I should clean the whole thing up and get rid of the tape. )

These basses suddenly went up in value when the "Fulerton Era" became fetishized recently. But that doesn't matter- the sound on it is so damn solid. The neck is so wide, it's really hard to play- and I can rip up a Jazz when I play it- but I still think it's a great bass

[StrangeLove]

The best thing you can do is stop playing the bass and learn a real instrument. Like a harp or a theremin.

[crzypt]

Do you think I'll be able to get into the pots without taking off the pickgard?

Not likely. With a standard P-Bass, removing the pickguard is your best option by far. You can always try pulling the knobs and squirting the contact cleaner down the shaft, but working from the back of the pot is a much better choice. Look at it this way: the excess contact cleaner has to go somewhere. Having it build up in a little pool inside the control cavity is not a desirable situation

I'd really hate to have to do that. When I was a teenager, I took off the pickguard for some reason and ended up stripping the screw at the bottom near the input jack.

Now the wood there is kind of chipped away where the screw was- and there's no hole anymore!

I hear ya'. That screw hole right by the tip is very close to the edge of the control cavity. Things could be worse - I've seen more than one P-Bass where the tip was broken off by someone who forgot to remove that last screw before trying to pull off the pickguard

I don't know how I could fix that

Graft in another piece of wood to replace the missing area. Pretty simple job for a competent woodworker, and the repair is completely hidden when the bass is reassembled. There are other possibilities involving epoxy, but these are much more tricky to do without botching the job

So I have it all taped down with duct tape so that it won't bend the pick guard when I pull out the cable. (it doesn't look so bad as the bass is black and so is the tape, but maybe I should clean the whole thing up and get rid of the tape)

No Comment

The neck is so wide, it's really hard to play- and I can rip up a Jazz when I play it- but I still think it's a great bass

Sounds like a 'C' neck. They came in three different sizes over the lifetime of the model. 'C' is the widest of the three - 1¾" wide at the nut. 'A' neck is the narrowest - same as a Jazz @ 1½"

The best thing you can do is stop playing the bass and learn a real instrument

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNmU_m2p ... re=related

You were saying????

[StanDeMan]

Take it to the gas station and use their air compressor to blast the crap out of it.

[Godjira]

thanks, crzypt. So, I think I may just do a full restoration now, then. Remove the pick guard, fix the stripped screws, get rid of that tape, etc.

The neck is 1 3/4 at the nut. It's a fat one.

I was just playing it last night, it really does sound great- it's no problem unless you touch any knob. I don't have a proper amp here, though- I play into my computer. I just saw a Hartke amp and speaker combo- maybe 100 watts with a single 15 inch speaker- for sale for around $400. I sold my old amp before I left- a 200 watt GK head with a 4X10 Hartke cabinet. They used to make those Hartke speakers in my hometown (Larry Hartke is from Bloomfield), but now they're made in China I think (the one I saw was).