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My Historic knobs are falling apart

RocknRollShakeUp

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Jul 7, 2006
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766
So the knobs on my 2014 Historic R7 LP are falling apart from spontaneous cracking. I understand that this is pretty common.

Can one contact the CS to get replacements under some kind of warranty...probably not, but just wondering.

Where can I buy CS Historic replacement knobs?
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
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I think each Historic I own has some cracked knobs , I have one Historic Firebird V three of the reflectors came unglued .

Disclaimer : You don't play the knobs , A little character added !!
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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5,657
same thing on my 2014 R9 and I am afraid to touch the tone knob on the bridge pickup , it's turns fine , I just don't like how it's sitting on the shaft
 

RocknRollShakeUp

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I don't mind the look and the "character" :dude:...but the bridge volume one is about to literally fall apart as the crack has transected the knob almost completely.

I have looked at some of the high end reproductions but since this guitar is a stock gloss finish I don't know if I really need vintage reproductions as they are bloody expensive. So getting replacements from Gibson will prob. be the way for me to go.

Are there differences between Gibson USA and CS knobs? I don't see specific CS knobs anywhere so maybe they are all the same.

I see "Gibson" knobs on Sweetwater, does anyone have any experience with these?
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PRHK030--gibson-accessories-top-hat-knobs-vintage-amber

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PRHK020--gibson-accessories-top-hat-knobs-gold

What would look better on an ebony top R7, vintage amber, or the gold ones?
 

AA00475Bassman

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I bought some aged knobs on Ebay for a Explorer no cracks in a year , if you like i will photo & post let me know !!
 

Tor

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Aug 7, 2019
Messages
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The "Gibson true historic plastic" line, are far from the same quality and look from what i got on my 2018 CH R9. I order a switch tip from the "True historic line" from Gibson, and it looked nothing like the switch tip i got on my 2018 CH R9

It was too dark, and you could clearly see and feel the seem where the two plastic part where put together. It was not polished and had some strange small "nibs" on the inside..
It did fit the guitar, but looked like some cheap crap.

Ended up ordering a new tip here: https://www.creamtone.com/collectio...h-amber-toggle-switch-tip-for-gibson-les-paul

Seems like they manage to get the volume / tone knobs right as well:
https://www.creamtone.com/collectio...-and-historic-gibson-truvintage-exact-replica

As for the historic ones, you should be able to feel a small "downward" dent in the middel of the volume/tone knop, and it the little plastic hat inside of the "see trough" part of the knob,(aswm explenation)
Should be lower then the once you see on the standard Gibson.

Capture1.JPG

It seems to me that most of that historic or "aged" vintage knobs you find for sale dont get this right.
Which again makes me think that they are just regular Gibson knobs that got some paint on them.. But hey, I could be wrong :spabout
 
Last edited:

renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,951
I'm guessing 50% of the knobs on my Historics, M2M, etc. are cracked.
 

BluesForDan

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Aug 31, 2002
Messages
6,798
cracks are not uncommon but totally splitting in half? not so much.

can you provide pictures? I've had dozens of Historics since 2002 and many had knobs with cracks but none were structurally unsound. I've never had a knob break into pieces.
 

sws1

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Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Messages
2,846
Never had a historic knob crack. PRS, yes. Gibson, no. (And I never played the PRS)
 

RocknRollShakeUp

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Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
I bought some aged knobs on Ebay for a Explorer no cracks in a year , if you like i will photo & post let me know !!

Please do provide a picture! You are a very kind person, thank you!

But this brings up another point, my guitar is a Gloss finish, and albeit it is a tiny bit aged now, but it is still pretty clean looking and would the aged knobs look good on a gloss finished guitar? Maybe I'm being too much of a diva about this and aged knobs would look good!
 

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
The "Gibson true historic plastic" line, are far from the same quality and look from what i got on my 2018 CH R9. I order a switch tip from the "True historic line" from Gibson, and it looked nothing like the switch tip i got on my 2018 CH R9

It was too dark, and you could clearly see and feel the seem where the two plastic part where put together. It was not polished and had some strange small "nibs" on the inside..
It did fit the guitar, but looked like some cheap crap.

Ended up ordering a new tip here: https://www.creamtone.com/collectio...h-amber-toggle-switch-tip-for-gibson-les-paul

Seems like they manage to get the volume / tone knobs right as well:
https://www.creamtone.com/collectio...-and-historic-gibson-truvintage-exact-replica

As for the historic ones, you should be able to feel a small "downward" dent in the middel of the volume/tone knop, and it the little plastic hat inside of the "see trough" part of the knob,(aswm explenation)
Should be lower then the once you see on the standard Gibson.

View attachment 10242

It seems to me that most of that historic or "aged" vintage knobs you find for sale dont get this right.
Which again makes me think that they are just regular Gibson knobs that got some paint on them.. But hey, I could be wrong :spabout

Thank you for the great info.

I was hoping not to have to fork out a hundred or so clams for knobs...but maybe I have to..and again Gloss finish with aged knobs..would it look tacky?
 

RocknRollShakeUp

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Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
cracks are not uncommon but totally splitting in half? not so much.

can you provide pictures? I've had dozens of Historics since 2002 and many had knobs with cracks but none were structurally unsound. I've never had a knob break into pieces.

I'll take a picture today or tomorrow and post it. It is actually two cracks that go all the way through, and I think if I pull on that chunk, it will come right off the shaft. When I first became aware of the problem I wiggled the chunk ever so slightly and I think I saw infinitesimal movement, but movement nevertheless, and I stopped so it wouldn't come off.
 

Tor

New member
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Messages
26
Thank you for the great info.

I was hoping not to have to fork out a hundred or so clams for knobs...but maybe I have to..and again Gloss finish with aged knobs..would it look tacky?

Well, it depend on the amount of ageing that have been done to the knobs. You see the knobs on creamtone's page that i linked too? They cost a bit, but the seems right! And the aging seems to be very subtle :)
So in that case, no i don't think that would be tacky :)

One of my tone knobs got a little "white" mark on it, at the very bottom. So I'am gonna pull the trigger one this one.
 

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
cracks are not uncommon but totally splitting in half? not so much.

can you provide pictures? I've had dozens of Historics since 2002 and many had knobs with cracks but none were structurally unsound. I've never had a knob break into pieces.

OK, pictures:

wildwood featherweight ebony R7
JWNQ3vQ.jpg


Bridge volume knob, as you can see it is split and starting to separate
FvcRDIc.jpg

gCrITja.jpg


The Neck knob is starting to have issues too, but the splits are not full thickness yet
UkqhwTV.jpg

s3YevaY.jpg


Also you can see that the Bridge knob is developing a crack toward the opposite side, and once it reaches full thickness, it looks to me like the thing will just fall apart. There is also a crack at just shy of 90 degrees to the full thickness split that is on its way to going all the way down too.

I just emailed Gibson Custom via their website to ask if the knobs are under warranty, and if not, where I can buy a set. We'll see what they say.

EDIT: LOL, my eyes are going bad..I just looked at the pictures more closely and the Neck Volume knob is also starting to split between the 10 and the 0.

I need some new damn knobs!
 
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