Help: Very loose tone pots

lukedlb

The tone pots on my strat are very loose. Both use push/pull to activate different pickup combinations. I prefer very stiff pots so I get more accurate changes. These are often moved accidentally and therefore unintentionally darken my tone. 
Is there an easy solution to stiffening the pots?

Funkfingers

IMO, the easy solution is to control your strumming/picking hand so as not to knock the controls in the first place.

mrkb

lukedlb said:

The tone pots on my strat are very loose. Both use push/pull to activate different pickup combinations. I prefer very stiff pots so I get more accurate changes. These are often moved accidentally and therefore unintentionally darken my tone. 
Is there an easy solution to stiffening the pots?

Wouldn’t have thought so, the push/pull operation stops you using an o-ring or felt washer under the knob. Changing pots would be the only option, but sourcing better push/pull pots is tricky- you could move the pickup selection bits to a separate switch which opens up more options.

ICBM

Try working some thick grease down the mechanism - take the knob off, pull the switch up and put the grease on the narrow part of the shaft, then push it down and wipe off any excess. Do that a few times if necessary and see if it helps.

lukedlb

Funkfingers said:

IMO, the easy solution is to control your strumming/picking hand so as not to knock the controls in the first place.

Trust me, it takes the slightest brush to move it. I’ve never had the problem before. I play with a very rhythmic right hand. I do try to take care but that’s the last thing I want to worry about. 

lukedlb

mrkb said:

lukedlb said:

The tone pots on my strat are very loose. Both use push/pull to activate different pickup combinations. I prefer very stiff pots so I get more accurate changes. These are often moved accidentally and therefore unintentionally darken my tone. 
Is there an easy solution to stiffening the pots?

Wouldn’t have thought so, the push/pull operation stops you using an o-ring or felt washer under the knob. Changing pots would be the only option, but sourcing better push/pull pots is tricky- you could move the pickup selection bits to a separate switch which opens up more options.

What about a washer with a reduced hole so that it grabs the pole? 

Roland

One method of stiffening knobs is to use an O-ring around the pot shaft. It adds friction, which you can vary by how far you push the knob onto the shafts. For push-pull knobs use two O-rings of different diameters, but not so different that one fits easily inside the other. 

ICBM

That won't work with a push-pull, unless the looseness isn't a problem when the knob is up.

lukedlb

ICBM said:

That won't work with a push-pull, unless the looseness isn't a problem when the knob is up.

Even looser when up. @Roland ;
One pot is spring loaded when pushed down; the other has to be pulled up. Of the two, the spring loaded one is definitely looser.