Oh Noes!! I've got a bent knob.

[philthygeezer]

Hellooo!

My '07 LE Bongo H somehow wound up with a bent bass knob. No scratches or dings so I haven't a clue how it got there.

Can I bend it back or will my knob snap off? Do I have to learn to play with a bent knob? Can a luthier fix it here in Canada?

 

[Eggman]

I tried to bend one back and it snapped. Be very careful. Call CS and you can get another. I actually replaced mine myself.

 

[maddog]

as I haven't bent a knob yet, I may not be much help but...

some people have had luck bending them back.

you might want to wait until you have a part in hand before attempting bending. (that's if it functions in spite of the bend.)

 

[strummer]

you might want to wait until you have a part in hand before attempting bending.

That or put it at the center position, so that if the shaft snaps you can still use the bass.

As said before, ask CS at EB and they'll sort you, and replacing it is easy for anyone with some soldering skills.

 

[adouglas]

As the resident "expert" on this subject (much to my endless chagrin), I can say with certainty that yes, you can bend it back. Just be careful.

Mine happened when my Bongo slipped and fell on its face the day I received it. I was at my office and had leaned it against my desk, and it fell over.

Here's why I think it happened...or at least why something that would not have resulted in bent knobage on an ordinary bass (I've had basses fall over in exactly that way before) did affect my Bongo.

On the Bongo, unlike most (all?) other basses, the knobs are not mounted to the front of the bass (i.e., on a conventional pot, the shaft has a threaded collar and a nut, so the electronic part is behind the mounting panel and the shaft is in front of the panel). The Bongo has special pots that are soldered directly to the circuit board. Therefore, the shaft on a Bongo pot is not quite as rigidly supported as it is on a conventional pot.

That does NOT mean that the design is weak in any way. These things are not meant to be dropped on their face!

After my initial bone-headed mishap (entirely my fault) three and half years ago, I've not had any issues at all.

 

[phatduckk]

call customer support on monday and they'll help out

http://www.ernieball.com/contact_us

 

[Big Poppa]

they dont bend themselves.....