Knobs!

[darkandrew]

Following on from another thread about headstock shapes, and not at all being childish and just writing "knobs" for comic effect, I would like to discuss the said appendages.

Some knobs, such as those found on Warwick basses seem to have a good, satisfying feel to them and fit in well with the overall design of the bass while others (yes you, Spector) are plasticy and feel cheap on an otherwise quality instrument, and as for the Epiphone Jack Casady bass - is that a bakerlite knob from a1950's radio set?

Anway, let's share our thoughts and experiences on probably the least expensive component on our basses.

Edited February 13, 2018 by darkandrew

[Mykesbass]

Maverick - King of knobs.

[darkandrew]

And while I'm ranting away to my myself: stacked knobs - whoever thought that making us gorilla fingered bass players fumble around with the bottom ring of a stacked knob mid gig would be a good idea?!

Edited February 13, 2018 by darkandrew

[ead]

The Sadowsky aluminium items are pretty good imho.  Two screws to secure plus sleeve for those slightly thinner pot shafts.  They look and feel amazing and with the little white marker are dead easy to adjust.

Definitely not a 'value' item though 

[Dad3353]

52 minutes ago, darkandrew said:

...as for the Epiphone Jack Casady bass - is that a bakerlite knob from a1950's radio set?...

Yes, as is fitting for  '50s-styled semi-hollow bass..! Would day-glo knobs look better on it..? 

[darkandrew]

4 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Yes, as is fitting for  '50s-styled semi-hollow bass..! Would day-glo knobs look better on it..? 

That's also around the same time that McDonalds opened their first restaurant but I wouldn't stick a burger on the front of my bass.

 

[Hellzero]

And what about the cheapo plastic Fender ones where they even write what it's meant for in case you are completely deaf. Ok they are meant for guitarist in first place. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Hellzero
Deaf not death.

[Dad3353]

Most guitars and basses have removable knobs, with set-screws, grub screws or simply pull-off. It's a relatively easy mod to do, and so have one's own preferred style of knob on the instrument. That's what I would do if I didn't like 'em (and have done, several times...). No big deal, I say. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Dad3353

[darkandrew]

1 hour ago, ead said:

The Sadowsky aluminium items are pretty good imho.  Two screws to secure plus sleeve for those slightly thinner pot shafts.  They look and feel amazing and with the little white marker are dead easy to adjust.

Definitely not a 'value' item though 

Oooh, they look good and would definitely not look out of place on my aforementioned Spector Euro - I might have to try to get hold of a set.

Edited February 13, 2018 by darkandrew

[Hellzero]

And this, bad taste at its best :

[darkandrew]

8 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Most guitars and basses have removable knobs, with set-screws, grub screws or simply pull-off. It's a relatively easy mod to do, and so have one's own preferred style of knob on the instrument. That's what I would do if I didn't like 'em (and have done, several times...). No big deal, I say. 

I get what you're saying but designing and making a really nice bass and then putting cheap knobs on it, or not even giving them a thought and just using whatever generic knobs are laying around is like Porsche or Ferrari sending their cars out of the factory with whatever were the cheapest "ditch-finder" tyres they could get hold of at the time. One of the worst offenders that I have is a £1500 ESP guitar that just has the most boring, generic knobs that they probably paid no more than a few pence for, however I've tried countless other designs on it and not really managed to find anything that I really like on it.

Edited February 13, 2018 by darkandrew

[T-Bay]

5 hours ago, Hellzero said:

And this, bad taste at its best :

Weirdly I quite like that, it’s testing to be crap so works well, as opposed to trying to be cool and failing badly.

[ead]

Yeah, but that yellow tone knob ruins it for me.

Edited February 13, 2018 by ead

[T-Bay]

To me that’s the last two fingers being stuck up, ‘and you were expecting pink perhaps?’ Sort of thing. Sid Vicious would look great with it.

[Bolo]

What knobs?

[TheGreek]

Given the choice I'd have these on everything:

That knurled finish means there's no slippage and you can feel how much turn you get.

[Bolo]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

That knurled finish means there's no slippage and you can feel how much turn you get.

That's what I told her!

[fleabag]

I had some knobs made in the shape of a head.

[TheGreek]

6 minutes ago, Bolo said:

That's what I told her!

Sounds painful....

[stingrayPete1977]

30 minutes ago, Bolo said:

What knobs?

There's a joke about "the one playing it when in use" but I'd never be so rude

[Maude]

I'm with The Greek. 

Although I do rather like the wooden ones on my Bex4. I absolutely can't stand the Gibson/Epiphone speed knobs, the black ones on my Dot (yeah yeah, I needed to slice some cheese) look like cheap toy ones. 

[el borracho]

14 hours ago, darkandrew said:

and as for the Epiphone Jack Casady bass - is that a bakerlite knob from a1950's radio set?

I have vintage Bakelite knobs (probably from a 40s/50s radio) on my Ibanez Musician along with a matching truss rod cover. It was missing the knobs when I got it - witches hat ones were fitted. I knew there was some in the garage and they fitted. They have probably spent more years on my bass than on the original radio.

[drTStingray]

4 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Given the choice I'd have these on everything:

That knurled finish means there's no slippage and you can feel how much turn you get.

I like those too - the ones on Musicman basses feel particularly satisfying and robust - however similar ones on cheaper basses do not -- rather like the same analogy with machine heads/tuning pegs etc. I suspect it may have something to do with the quality of the pots they're fitted to also. They come in black as well - and the original ones fitted to Stingrays had flat tops, not domed (the reissue Old Smoothie has them).

The very early Musicman Stingray basses from 1976 had what are called radio knobs and they do indeed look like something from a radio (black plastic with a silver top). Funnily enough, possibly because of their rarity, radio knob Stingrays are quite sought after. I've never even seen one other than in photos. 

Edited February 14, 2018 by drTStingray

[Skybone]

8 hours ago, el borracho said:

I have vintage Bakelite knobs (probably from a 40s/50s radio) on my Ibanez Musician along with a matching truss rod cover. It was missing the knobs when I got it - witches hat ones were fitted. I knew there was some in the garage and they fitted. They have probably spent more years on my bass than on the original radio.

Likewise, I have the Bakelite-style chickenhead knobs on all of my basses & electric guitars, because a) I like them, and b) because they are on the front of my Matamp. They look far better than the original knobs that were on the guitars (generic speed knobs or MXR/J bass style knobs), plus they give a real 60's vibe.

[ead]

7 hours ago, drTStingray said:

I like those too - the ones on Musicman basses feel particularly satisfying and robust - however similar ones on cheaper basses do not -- rather like the same analogy with machine heads/tuning pegs etc. I suspect it may have something to do with the quality of the pots they're fitted to also. They come in black as well - and the original ones fitted to Stingrays had flat tops, not domed (the reissue Old Smoothie has them).

The very early Musicman Stingray basses from 1976 had what are called radio knobs and they do indeed look like something from a radio (black plastic with a silver top). Funnily enough, possibly because of their rarity, radio knob Stingrays are quite sought after. I've never even seen one other than in photos. 

I didn't even know these existed.