Having a hard time replacing knob

N

NewWave

New member
Hi,It's been awhile..
I have a fender excelsior amp that I gutted. Put most of 'em together already but there's one thing that has been bugging me and turning me crazy. The "knob", volume and tone knobs wont slip into the slot. The slot of the potentiometers is very small (rectangular shape not circle shape, which makes it even worse) and move around. Now, I can't even turn the thing up. Any ideas on how to make it stay in place so I can place the knobs?

One more question, Does anybody know if I have to bias this amp when switching tubes or not?
 
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Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

This might be something to take to a tech... If you're not familiar with bias and the voltages in an amp, you should take it to someone who is experienced. As far as the knobs, can you post a picture. Your description is not painting a clear picture in my mind.
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

Is there a grub screw you need to back out to get it to slot in??
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

No set screw.?
These are the same knobs and same pots, that worked before you gutted the amp.?
Shimming with tape on the pot shafts...glue...putty.?
best
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

Thanks for the replies.
Dont think there are any set screws (the attachment keys).
And yes they worked before.

Took some pictures..

IMG-20130719-03777.jpgIMG-20130719-03779.jpgIMG-20130719-03781.jpg

A little bit blurry but you can see the slot in the first picture and it moves around (I suspect it has got something to do with being cheap (about 300 us for a tube amp)!
 

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Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

I'm constantly amazed at how they cut corners to put out a Chinese piece of gear for cheap. I see knobs that are plastic but look metal, and pots that don't work with regular knobs.

The only thing that comes to mind is replacing it all with better stuff.
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

You've yanked the shaft out of the control pot. Those are now ruined. Seriously, get this thing to a tech.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

+1 on needing to replace the pot, that is trashed. At a guess you're going to have to put a mismatched knob on there too.
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

Yeah, that's the only downside to the Chinese Fender stuff that I've seen. I've gutted a Chinese tele and turned it into a $1300 level Fender. All the electronics, pots, etc were garbage, but the neck, body, and tuning pegs were fine.

I've thought about getting an Excelsior, and I'm glad you posted this because now I know how many things need to be changed.

First, switch the hi/lo for a pot.
Install a high end speaker.
Change all the tubes.
Consider any mods of the 3 inputs.
And now....replace the volume, tone, speed.....or don't mess with them and see how long they last.
 
Re: Having a hard time replacing knob

lol! That's why its moving around!
I know nobody near me that's a tech tho, it probably going to take some time before I can turn this thing again.
and GearJo I'll say if you want a lofi amp that's flabby when cranked like fender champ for example it's in the ballpark and if you like tremolo it has 'em as well.

But I personally regret buying it. Its not versatile. Instead of having that many imputs fender should've placed a tone knob instead. And paying 300 usd more I can get a marshall new dsl combo and be happy with it for years to come. As far as tubes I've tried quite a few. After trying JJs,Svetlana and Shuguang. Power and Pre. I prefer to stick shuguang in there and definetely change the stock tubes. Mine arent even align
 
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