Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: El Jefe on April 11, 2023, 09:43:37 AM
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Need some help here - I had my SC Sig in for a set up and changing out the knobs - the tech said that when he pulled off the knobs the shafts on the filter pots came out with the knobs. He claims that he put them back in and all works well, but when I got the bass back I now have a high pitched squeal when I turn the filter knobs and the Q switch is in the down position. The tech has now ghosted me.
So, is there any easy fix? Is there a chance when he put the shafts back in that he got them wrong? Any thoughts? Thanks!!
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Per Alembic there is a procedure to remove those knobs, if collet type, and even the old witch hat have set screws, too. I don't know if your pots were damaged by your tech--doesn't sound good per your post. Exercise the pot 50-100 rotations and see if that clears the squeal. Alembic site info: High quality Swiss-made collet knob for Alembic basses and guitars. Pry off the cap with the white indicator line and loosen the collet with either a 6mm nut driver or a large blade screwdriver. Do not attempt to pull the knob off without loosening the collet first or you will destroy your potentiometer.
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Doesn't sound good, but you should be able to get some new ones from Alembic if those are damaged.
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Ouch, that's no way to treat a musical instrument. Have you looked in the electronics cavity?
The upside is that here at the Club you will find all the information you need to do your own setups, and how to remove the two styles of knobs the civilized way.
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The shafts should never come out with the knobs I suspect the tech damaged the pots trying to force the knobs off of the bass the correct way and owes you a new set.
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Agree that your tech didn't know what he was doing and most likely damaged the pots. Alembic uses sealed potentiometers, doubtful that the shafts can be simply shoved back in and work properly. IMO he should pay for any needed replacement parts and repairs. So sorry that this happened to you. Suggest you print out or forward the procedure on how to properly remove the collet knobs before you contact him and ask him to pay for replacement pots. If it were my bass I certainly would not feel comfortable until the pots were replaced and I doubt that I would want the same tech to install the new pots either.
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=217.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=217.0)
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Damn y'all are awesome! Thanks for thew replies, I agree the tech didn't know what he was doing. Lesson learned from my standpoint, I'm only going to use my regular guy from now on ..
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okay, so the tech saw the info and has agreed to replace the pots - does anyone know where i can get them? Is this something I can order from Alembic easily?
And he did admit that he just pried the knobs off, didn't try to take the cap off or loosen them ...
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Agree that your tech didn't know what he was doing and most likely damaged the pots. Alembic uses sealed potentiometers, doubtful that the shafts can be simply shoved back in and work properly. IMO he should pay for any needed replacement parts and repairs. So sorry that this happened to you. Suggest you print out or forward the procedure on how to properly remove the collet knobs before you contact him and ask him to pay for replacement pots. If it were my bass I certainly would not feel comfortable until the pots were replaced and I doubt that I would want the same tech to install the new pots either.
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=217.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=217.0)
Good point, and I am not going to have him replace the pots. I will have him pay for the replacement though. The guy is a good wood worker, lousy tech.
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Sad story Jeff! Sorry you've had this trouble and I'm sure your tech is mighty embarrassed. We also hope you have another axe to play in the meantime.
It's a little complicated because I believe small circuit boards are mounted to each of the pots internally, so it's not the simplest swap. In any case, you should seek replacement parts directly from Alembic. Having this thread going may get some action. You can also try calling, best results are late morning Pacific time. And/or email Mica *at* alembic.com.
Jimmy J
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Sad story Jeff! Sorry you've had this trouble and I'm sure your tech is mighty embarrassed. We also hope you have another axe to play in the meantime.
It's a little complicated because I believe small circuit boards are mounted to each of the pots internally, so it's not the simplest swap. In any case, you should seek replacement parts directly from Alembic. Having this thread going may get some action. You can also try calling, best results are late morning Pacific time. And/or email Mica *at* alembic.com.
Jimmy J
Thanks! I fortunately do have more than a few axes to play in the meantime, but that SC is just soooo sweet :-) The tech is embarrassed - I used the web form to contact support, if I don't hear back within a day or so I'll e-mail Mica directly. I was hoping for an easy fix, dammit ...
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Yeah, pulling the pots apart is a fairly serious injury. But listen, in the meantime, if they seem to be physically moving correctly you should try sweeping them back and forth about 50 times, particularly that filter pot. (Not plugged in with the amp turned up!) Do that to all the pots and switches. Sometimes just this "exercising" can put a stop to the occasional squeal issue. Worth a try.
Jimmy J
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Oh dear. I'm just glad the wood wasn't damaged when the knobs were forced off, gripping the shafts. You can order replacement pots from us, call or email and we can take care of the items you need.
Please make sure your local tech has a desoldering iron or is handy with solder wick. A light touch is needed compared to wiring up guitar electronics that don't have circuit boards. Removing the damaged pots can further damage the circuit if they are manhandled. Sometimes an amp tech is better prepared for what we have under the hood (and I'm secretly hoping you bring the repair to someone other than the person that damaged more than one pot in this way).
And while it is possible to have a currently functioning pot loosely reassembled, it's not something I would rely on for long. Those damaged parts really need to be replaced.
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The vast majority of guitars I've seen that have had electronic work done by guitar repair guys have needed a complete rewire or something close to it. You'd think good soldering was some kind of mysterious black art or something...
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Oh dear. I'm just glad the wood wasn't damaged when the knobs were forced off, gripping the shafts. You can order replacement pots from us, call or email and we can take care of the items you need.
Please make sure your local tech has a desoldering iron or is handy with solder wick. A light touch is needed compared to wiring up guitar electronics that don't have circuit boards. Removing the damaged pots can further damage the circuit if they are manhandled. Sometimes an amp tech is better prepared for what we have under the hood (and I'm secretly hoping you bring the repair to someone other than the person that damaged more than one pot in this way).
And while it is possible to have a currently functioning pot loosely reassembled, it's not something I would rely on for long. Those damaged parts really need to be replaced.
Thank you very much! Just sent you and email, and there is also no way that I am letting that tech touch another bass of mine :-)