Keep Your Volume Knob from Turning (accidentally)

[MarkRhodes]

I've run into this problem with my PRS SE Custom, as the volume knob is close to the bridge pickup and A) I've reverted to something like a Benson grip and B) my hand is the size of a Cornish hen. I unintentionally turn the knob at times, reducing the volume.

I asked Tommo at troygrady.com about this and he suggested putting a rubber washer under the volume knob.

Here's a short video on that subject by another player.

[princeplanet]

Tape it down! - unsightly i know, but transparent tape will do the trick. It's a studio hack I learned, if you set a knob carefully and you don't want it moved...

[fep]

Tape on the face of the guitar, I'm scared.

I like the rubber washer idea better.

[MarkRhodes]

Tape it down! - unsightly i know, but transparent tape will do the trick. It's a studio hack I learned, if you set a knob carefully and you don't want it moved...

I never thought of tape. And it won't harm the guitar's finish? Regular Scotch tape?
An advantage to tape is that you can easily remove it. Removing a washer requires removing the knob, not something you want to do while playing.

Another thing about the washer (-from what I've heard with someone who's experimented with this) is that it doesn't keep the knob from being turned; it makes it less responsive to accidental touches. (So much depends upon the size of washer one uses.)

Tape. Well, I never... Thanks, man. That's good to know.

[sgosnell]

I've used some of the non-slip material, which is pretty much the same as what is sold for getting a grip on a jar lid. It's sort of a waffle pattern, comes in big or small strips. I cut it to size with scissors and put it on the shaft, then the knob, and it works well for preventing accidental turning. I keep it on my reverb pedal knob, which wants to turn easily. The knob can still turn, but it requires a little force, just enough to keep it in place unless I really want to turn it. I suppose a rubber washer would work, but I prefer to use what I have readily available, already on hand. I have a big roll of the non-slip stuff, for putting under my guitars while working on them.

[princeplanet]

I never thought of tape. And it won't harm the guitar's finish? Regular Scotch tape?
An advantage to tape is that you can easily remove it. Removing a washer requires removing the knob, not something you want to do while playing.

Another thing about the washer (-from what I've heard with someone who's experimented with this) is that it doesn't keep the knob from being turned; it makes it less responsive to accidental touches. (So much depends upon the size of washer one uses.)

Tape. Well, I never... Thanks, man. That's good to know.

Scotch tape shouldn't harm any finish I wouldn't think, just the tiniest bit will do the trick - I've even put gaffer's tape on knobs many times, some times long enough that I've needed to use a drop of citrus oil to get rid of any residual gunk, and never harmed any finish. Mind you, they have been mostly solid bodies...

[sgosnell]

The adhesive on Scotch tape will eventually harden and become unsightly and difficult to remove, if left in place long enough. I've never needed to keep a knob immobile. There are knobs available that lock in place, mostly used on pedals. You lift the knob to move it, but as long as it's not lifted up it can't move. That seems a far better option, albeit more expensive.

[Maxxx]

Remove it completely..

I had that issue with a Jackson Soloist Pro in my speed/thrash/metal days. So I removed the knob completely leaving just the metal split pillar that extends out of the pot
and that thing is impossible to turn accidently even if you rub your hand or palm all over it.

[oddo]

The secret is to wire it up backward. So down is up and up is down. Every time you bump it, you're turning it up. Turn it all the way up (down) and it won't move any more when you bump it. ;-)

[339 in june]

Thanks for the tips !
I always thought there was no solution to this problem on a Strat

As for the idea of wiring the pot backward, I won't go for that because I fear not being able to think about the reverse movement to be done when adjusting volume. But this solution will work for sure.

[rpjazzguitar]

I wonder if using a knob with a very small diameter might help.

[Cunamara]

I don't remember ever knocking the volume knob while playing. But I pick with my hand by the end of the neck so I'm usually pretty far away from the volume knob (I'm 6'3", have commensurately long arms and my hand just naturally falls there on every guitar).

[rpjazzguitar]

If you look at a picture of that model guitar, the knob is located where it can be hit accidentally - more easily than on other guitars.

It seems to me that if you took the knob off and just had an exposed shaft, it would be very difficult to move it by accident. Of course, having a knob on there has some advantages, which led me to my suggestion of a really narrow knob.

It would also be good if the knob had some kind of pointer on it -- something you can easily feel. Barney Kessel had chicken head knobs on his guitar, which makes sense.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I’d try a higher friction pot. CTS are higher friction than Bourns or Alpha, so they’re harder to turn. If you have access to a stocking dealer, try pots from different makers to find the stiffest ones. But IME, most CTS models are harder to turn than most Bourns or Alpha pots.

Smaller diameter knobs will also help you. The radius of the knob is the effective length of the lever you’re rotating around the shaft’s centerline. The shorter that lever is, the harder it is to turn the knob.

The harder it is to turn, the less likely a glancing blow is to turn it.

[sgosnell]

My preferred quick-and-easy method is to just put something under the knob. I use a small piece of non-slip shelf/drawer liner cut to size and forced around the shaft. I use it under the reverb knob of my Quilter Soundblock, because the distance between no reverb and too much reverb is barely detectable, and when I get it set right I don't want it to move. It works for me. It's cheap, and I have a few rolls on hand. If one is cheap, a small rubber band twisted around the shaft can work, or anything else that increases the friction sufficiently. This is far cheaper and easier than changing the pot, and easily reversible.