It finally happened to me!

[MetalDaze]

After years of wondering why people bitch about the volume knob location on a Soloist, it finally happened to me. I was playing the other day and bumped into it on the high strings. Not sure if my technique has changed or what, but fuck!

[Mudlark]

Took me a month or so to adjust, but now I'm fine with it.
If given the choice I'd move it back an inch and a half or two, though.

[Axewielder]

That issue is a bitch. I never could adjust my playing around the issue on my WR1. The fully recessed trem combined with that knob location is a bummer. The non-recessed trem solves the issue for me because my hand just sails over the knob. Interestingly, guitars with the pull-up route tend to be halfway between the two. For those, I've found those lower profile barrel knobs do the trick. I think I found them at Stew Mac. I'm not sure if it will work for you but it's easy to try.

[flyinbryan]

yep. I bought a soloist and an rhoads neck-thru a couple of weeks ago and both of them have a knob right where many people rest there pick hand fingers. I do a lot of muting right by the bridge when I play (such as in the van halen tune "aint talkin bout love",,,, and there is a knob right in the way on both guitars.

im moving that knob on both.

my soloist just has a single volume and a single tone, and the volume was the culprit on that one.

I removed the volume knob on it and just left it inside the control cavity, and stuck a little rubber grommet in the hole. the grommet actually helps me play by giving my ring finger something to feel and help me keep my location. sort of a little landmark you can feel.



ive ordered these parts so I can stack my volume and tone knob. im pretty old and can remember when car stereos actually had a similar arrangement for their volume and tone, so I expect it will be easy to get used to. a lot of people have suggested just not having either/or a volume or tone, but I actually use them both all the time. I adjust my sound with my tone a lot, and use my volume knob to turn down and talk during practice,,,,, like turn it down and tell the drummer something to try, or ask stuff about how it can sound better, then turn back up and play.

here are the parts you can use to stack 2 controls in one location

https://www.allparts.com/EP-4486-000-500K-500K-Stacked-Concentric-Pot_p_1442.html

https://www.allparts.com/MK-0138-003...bs_p_2280.html

[flyinbryan]

I haven't received the parts yet, but I had practice Thursday and without volume controls I had to just turn down the amp to discuss the songs, but it would have been much worse for me with the knob there.

I will post the project when I get them and do it if anyone is interested

[straycat]

If that is working for you then its a good thing.
Most people move the vol to where the tone is and leave it in the cavity.
I use the volume knob too much to control my tone because I tend to crank the amp to edge of its break up point and use the vol to get a clean tone.
Whatever works for you is all that matters.

[Axewielder]

You may or may not know this but the custom select form has an option for moving the v-knob back a half inch. Just throwing that out there.

EDIT: it's a half inch, not an inch. Either way it should do the trick.

[flyinbryan]

If that is working for you then its a good thing.

well, I will know more when I get the parts, but anything is going to be better than the factory location. kinda experimenting at this point.

soloist first then my rrxmg, which will be different I expect since it has emg pups. I don't know anything about those pots yet. like if they are just normal pots that will let me do the same, or if actives use something different.

those stacked ones are available there in 250k and 500k ratings.

[MetalDaze]

Thanks, guys. I may try out that shorter knob. I just thought it was weird that it had never bothered me before. However, I realized that both of my regular players have a TOM and this was a recessed Floyd. My RR1 and KV2 both have a recessed Floyd, but those knobs are further back than the Soloist.

Oh well, I guess I can now officially bitch about it too

[toejam]

soloist first then my rrxmg, which will be different I expect since it has emg pups. I don't know anything about those pots yet. like if they are just normal pots that will let me do the same, or if actives use something different.

those stacked ones are available there in 250k and 500k ratings.

Actives use different value pots. EMGs are 25k. I also know the Duncan Dave Mustaine Live Wires use 100k.

[TKEblue]

Various 25k pots can be a pain to find sometimes, emg is proud of their stuff. Cough cough $20+15 shipping for a push pull pot.. may be hard to find a 2 in 1 25k

I haven't tried stewmacs generic pots but avoid bornes 25k pots, imo

[Metal Spawn]

I filled/re-drilled the holes on this project Dinky...





Hopefully I'll find the time to get it finished this summer...

[Ripley7t]

Felt washer under the knob, works for me.

[kmanick]

If that is working for you then its a good thing.
Most people move the vol to where the tone is and leave it in the cavity.
I use the volume knob too much to control my tone because I tend to crank the amp to edge of its break up point and use the vol to get a clean tone.
Whatever works for you is all that matters.

this is what i did on my SL2H and I am going to do this to my PRO XL as well.

[VoiceX3]

Actives use different value pots. EMGs are 25k. I also know the Duncan Dave Mustaine Live Wires use 100k.

I know, off topic, but the 100k pots is what keeps the Mustaine's from sounding sterile like a lot of people complain about with EMG 81/85 setup.