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Wood Control Knobs
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I've noticed that almost all boutique bass builders (not manufacturers) are adding wood
knobs to their instruments. They usually match the body wood or offer a nice contrast. They can't
be all that hard to make. So, this is a little side project that I tried while at a crossroad point
of my custom bass project.
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These are the first 2 I made, along with a 'real' knob, The one on the left was 'lathed' on a drill press
using the little dremel tool under it. There's no way I can reproduce this. The one on the right was made using
a 5/8" plug cutter. This offered much better tolerance but is obviously too small.
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The one in the middle is new. This time I used a 3/4" plug cutter. This was cut out of a pine 2x2 and I am
realizing that a plug cutter is not going to work for hard woods.
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So, I returned the plug cutters and got a set of tenon cutters which are designed to cut into the end grain.
These worked much better. They still get hot and you have to take your time, but they get the job done. The top
dots on these we're done with a 1/8" dowel that I got at your local craft store. simply drill a hole and glue it in.
sand it flush after it dries and you're pretty much done.
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I think these look pretty damn good on my Spector Euro-5 LX, don't you?
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Experimenting with another laminating style. I really like these. I also did the inset a little different,
which I think works a lot better and looks nicer. The last ones used a counter-sink bit, this time I used a
Dewalt pilot point bit which actually cuts a flat surface other than at the point. They fit perfectly over
the nut that holds the pot in.
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Here's a test set of knobs that I made for my new Spector Euro-6 LX. Notice that they are 3 parts that matches the 3 part
laminate of the bass body. I might put a brass dot in the top for a position marker.
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After making these I got really excited about maybe making these and selling them. I got some good
response from the Talk Bass community but once I did get a few orders I realized that I didn't want
to make them for other people. It became work. When I felt like I had to do it I didn't want to
do it anymore. So, I haven't made anything for a while. Here are the 'official' styles I came up with though.
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