Bent Volume Knob Halp!

[limitk7]

Just noticed that the volume knob on my Bongo is bent. Not sure how long it's been like that, or what caused it, though I'm guessing it somehow got bumped / pressed while bouncing along with an amp in my trunk. The bass would have been in a gigbag, but still...the way I drive sometimes...especially if I'm late for a lesson...

My thoughts: 1) Undo allen bolt on knob, which should 2) allow you to pull it off the metal shaft. Then 3) carefully use a pair of needlenose to straighten the shaft...pop everything back on and it should be good.

However, before all that, do any of you have pointers or tips on what to do? Like call customer service / let a pro handle it / just leave it alone / you need a special tool to straighten it / etc.

You can see the bend in the knob when you compare it to the others in the pic.

Thanks,

 

[ras1983]

...call customer service ...

you've answered your own question. always call customer service first, give them a chance to help out.

 

[limitk7]

guess I did, huh?

Customer Service will be getting a call from me in the a.m., then.

 

[dougmoser]

definetly don't go over board trying to bend it back! I bent mine and the post broke off I had to sauder an entire new pot on lol.

 

[limitk7]

Oh fun. Thanks for the warning. I'll see what Customer Service says...

 

[midopa]

Hmm I think someone called CS about that before. They said to try to bend it back and if it breaks, they'll take care of it.

 

[jongitarz]

We would take care of it if it was caused by something we did. You wouldn't call Ford Motor Company for warranty service if you drove your car into a ditch would you?

On the tech side of this, try and bend it back W I T H C A R E. If it does break, and you are comfortable with a soldering iron, it is an easy fix.

Keep me posted on this OK? [email protected]

Gracias

 

[midopa]

Jon is so awesome.

 

[limitk7]

Yes he is.

I wasn't even thinking of warranty service. Just wanted to get advice on (what seemed to be) a straightforward procedure...and I now have it!

Gonna bend it back tomorrow, since today I woke up feeling unlucky, for whatever reason.

Thanks all,

 

[tkarter]

Does it still work? The ladies dancing to it won't notice it really. IMHO

tk

 

[limitk7]

yes, still works. no, ladies won't notice it. but yes, i still want it straight, i don't know why.

 

[dougmoser]

I meant to document my experience of soldering the new pot in but I didn't. None the less, Jon is right about it being very easy to solder the new pot in if you break it. It was about a 20 minute job.

 

[Colin]

I've accidentally broken things on my gear over the years (not necessarily my guitar) but normally I'd ring someone like a repair or music store first. The beauty of the internet is we can now contact the manufacturer direct and get help. While posting for a solution is not a crime, we did have a similar problem posted awhile back that insinuated it was a design fault. My advice would be to use the email that Jon has given you, he is the best to deal with.

 

[LowDownDave]

I've heard about these easily-bent Bongo knobs quite a bit on this forum lately. I am just curious, before you attempt to bend back, do you turn up the volume first? May as well make sure the volume is set where you usually like it, so if it does break off, you are still ready to rock!

 

[Mobay45]

Just a hint.

If it does break off and you have to order another one, order at least two. The pots are cheap and EB has a minimum shipping and handling charge.

I'm giving you this info because I'm kicking myself in the butt for not ordering 2 or 3 myself since I own 3 Bongos right now.

I had one that was bent and I was able to nudge it back to being straight. I had another that I banged into with another bass and bent it so severely that it bent while I was in the process of trying to straighten it.

 

[strummer]

it bent while I was in the process of trying to straighten it.

Too funny

 

[Mobay45]

Although I meant to say it broke while in the process of trying to straighten it, that statement is also true.

 

[bassmonkeee]

One of the recent issues of Bass Player had tips on dealing with a broken pot.

One of the suggestions was to put a guitar pick, cut to shape, between the tabs on the pot to keep it from bending inside the knob.

And, they had a pretty smart way of dealing with a broken tab on a pot, too. You simply cut a small piece of dowel to shape and place it against the tab that is still there in side the pot.

Of course, you could always get a new pot from EB, but I'd rather mess with a wooden dowel and screw that up five times than mess anything electronic up by ham handing my way through a soldering project. Less chance of the smell of burning flesh, cursing, etc....

 

[Mobay45]

One of the recent issues of Bass Player had tips on dealing with a broken pot.

One of the suggestions was to put a guitar pick, cut to shape, between the tabs on the pot to keep it from bending inside the knob.

And, they had a pretty smart way of dealing with a broken tab on a pot, too. You simply cut a small piece of dowel to shape and place it against the tab that is still there in side the pot.

Of course, you could always get a new pot from EB, but I'd rather mess with a wooden dowel and screw that up five times than mess anything electronic up by ham handing my way through a soldering project. Less chance of the smell of burning flesh, cursing, etc....

I assume you mean that the shaft is of the type that is split in the middle?

The shafts on the Bongo pots are solid. None of that applies here.

 

[bassmonkeee]

I assume you mean that the shaft is of the type that is split in the middle?

The shafts on the Bongo pots are solid. None of that applies here.

Aw, crap. You know what the worst part is? I've taken the knobs off of my Bongo, and knew that. Jeez....