Crackly knobs on amplifiers

[mikemo6string]

I have three acoustic amps, all of which I use. They all have developed a little scratch and crackle. They also get a little dusty, especially the old Fishman Loudbox and the Schertler, which has controls that are on the top of the amp.

My question is really two part. What can I use to lubricate those knobs/pots? I've heard of contact cleaner, but is there any special way to use it on an amplifier? Also, can I clean the amp with anything to get rid of the dust? I obviously don't want to get any moisture in the controls, but I'd like to get rid of the crackles. They're not too bad, yet.

Cheers.

[GmanJeff]

You want a product called DeoxIT, which is a contact cleaner and lubricant meant for electronics. To address dust, just use compressed air in a can, of the type typically sold for use with computer cases and keyboards. It is sometimes called a compressed air duster.

[zhunter]

https://www.amazon.com/DeoxIT-F100L-...aig+fader+lube

This. Or the 5% spray variety if you prefer. I find the liquid more convenient and accurate to apply. And I use a small ~1-1.2" wide paintbrush to dust off stuff. Gets in the tight spots, brushes the dust away.

hunter

[Mandobart]

Many brands of contact cleaner are pretty harsh on rubber and plastic so don't just start indiscriminately spraying. When I was an electronics tech in the USN we used compressed air and vacuum to clean out our gear.

[ricdoug]

The politically incorrect and best solution is to squirt Ronson lighter fluid down the potentiometer/rheostat shafts while turning there shafts rapidly multiple times clockwise and counter clockwise 100% multiple times to flush out the contamination buildup and letting it dry up open for at least a week open to prevent flammability. Ric

[cattzap]

Ive fixed this many many times by just turning the knob alot. Costs nothing. There is a wiper inside most pots and there is a lube. It's generally just small bits of dust and tuning it full distance stop to stop tends to wipe the dust away and smear the lube back thru it. I use the pinky and onto the side of the palm if you can imagine that. Like rolling it on the side of the hand. Sometimes its kinda close to another knob or something so just improvise. Certainly worth a try...free and you not squirting anything anywhere. Sometimes too its not that easy to get to where you can actually squirt anything into them.

[spike66]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

Many brands of contact cleaner are pretty harsh on rubber and plastic so don't just start indiscriminately spraying. When I was an electronics tech in the USN we used compressed air and vacuum to clean out our gear.

When I was a USAF crypto tech decades ago they made us wash circuit boards.

[jseth]

The easiest thing to try is to just turn the knobs A LOT from stop to stop... like 10-30 times each knob...

It is astonishing how many times this works to "fix" a scratchy-sounding pot on any sort of amplifier...

Spraying any sort of tuner/cleaner haphazardly on your amp is not a good way to go... even a high-quality spray like De-Oxit (which i have and use from time to time).

Start out by exercising your wrist and turning those knobs a bunch!

And please come back here and tell us how good that worked for you!!!

[mikemo6string]

I tried the "wiggle the knobs a whole bunch of times" thing. It worked on both amps, though my old Fishman Loudbox is still a bit noisy. It's much better, though. I had tried turning the knobs before, but not vigorously back and forth many times.

Thanks. And if the problems get worse, I'll try the spray.

This forum is a great resource.

[jseth]

I love it when a plan works out! The Fishman, though... with that one, I would check the battery in your guitar and ALL cables thoroughly... amplifying an acoustic guitar is fraught with tendencies towards "odd" sounds coming through, perhaps due to the wide frequency range and response of the components, I'm not sure...

I do know that it doesn't much going wrong to make some weird noises through an acoustic system... more like your home stereo (if you still have one!) than a good ol' Fender electric guitar amp...