Rubber controls on guitar gone sticky (to touch)help ?

marktheharp

As above. Ibanez electro-acoustic .about 10 years old.the rubberised fishman electric controls and push buttons gone sticky to touch. It's not in direct heat or sunlight.and hardly ever touch the controls,as not gigging or plugging in at moment. And certainly haven't touched it with grubby hands or anything sprayed near it.. baffled as to what has caused some kind of reaction? Is there any way to stop it getting worse or reverse what is going on ?
Thanks in advance.
Cheers Mark.

octatonic

Email Fishman and Ibanez and see what they suggest.

marktheharp

Good idea. .will do
thanks.

the_twin

It's likely to be the plasticiser leaching out of the rubber over time. Unfortunately not much you can do about it beyond replacing the affected parts.

marktheharp

Yes that sounds about right. .If it was new ,I would be more annoyed. .. obviously rubber and plastic diminishes over time...
Thanks.

Sambostar

Sounds similar to what happens on the rubberised Hercules guitar stand adjuster. Unstable plastic.

marktheharp

Come to think of it. .I had a guitar stand where the rubber just cracked, hardened, split then just disintegrated. :x

thermionic

The volume knob on my 10-year old VW Golf's radio has gone the same way. Sticky. I expected modern synthetic rubbers to be more stable tbh.