A bad case of 'knob touch'

HankMcSpank · #1 06-13-2008, 10:47 AM

Hiya,

I just bought an Ibanez RG1520GK, but the seller didn't have the trem, so I ordered the standard (Ibanez) replacement.

My problem is, if I push the trem arm fully into the trem arm hole, then I can't move the trem out of the way because the guitar's volume knob gets in the way.

I therefore have to pull the trem arm out slightly, in order to clear the somewhat tall volume knob.

Is this a common problem?

DEADTUNES666 · #2 06-13-2008, 11:36 AM

Sounds like the trem is sitting too low. I've had that happen but a quick set up should fix it.

ButchRG · #3 06-14-2008, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEADTUNES666

Sounds like the trem is sitting too low. I've had that happen but a quick set up should fix it.

...or the volume knob is sitting too high. If it's the stock barrel knob, just loosen the little set screw and lower it a bit. I had the same problem with my 2550 and that fixed it.

HankMcSpank · #4 06-18-2008, 06:32 AM

Actually, in the end, it was the trem sitting too *high* (basically the higher the tremolo unit is at the *rear*, pushes the far end of the tremolo arm down towards the body).

The solution is to adjust the tremolo down (by tightening up the spring adjuster underneath) which pulls the rear of the trem unit down, which in turn lifts the tremolo arm up!

thanks for the replies.

S-man · #5 06-18-2008, 07:53 AM

That would create more problems then not being able to move the trem arm.

The trem is supposed to be perfectly level. I'll bet that guitar needs a full setup.

Good Luck.

HDS · #6 06-18-2008, 08:26 AM

I have a bad case of 'knob touch' too, when the wife has no shirt on I cant keep my hands off them =)

HankMcSpank · #7 06-18-2008, 12:18 PM

My choice of subject was in fact a play on the 'story' Moby spun while being interviewed for a UK magazine (called "Q"), here's a summary....

"The supposedly clean-living artist claimed that he often rubbed his exposed genitalia up against celebrities in public, as part of a game called "Knob Touch." In Q, Moby described the game as "If you`re at a big celebrity party, with two or three friends, you take your penises out of your pants and just walk around. No one will notice, `cos it`s really crowded. You see how many celebrities you can touch with your penis. You just have to walk up and brush them. It`s nothing really. I`ve never been caught."When pressed for details on the victims of the attacks, he told the magazine, "Winona Ryder. Dennis Rodman. It`s just like the littlest brush. It`s the funniest thing. Cos if you`re standing with some friends and you send one of them off - `There`s Drew Barrymore, go do knob touch`. It might sound distasteful and awful, but it`s funny. There`s no sexual thing about it. You`re standing there watching this happen, and it`s the funniest thing in the world."

I thought the term could equally be applied to my trem arm plight!!

ColinMmmmm · #8 06-18-2008, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HankMcSpank

My choice of subject was in fact a play on the 'story' Moby spun while being interviewed for a UK magazine (called "Q"), here's a summary....

"The supposedly clean-living artist claimed that he often rubbed his exposed genitalia up against celebrities in public, as part of a game called "Knob Touch." In Q, Moby described the game as "If you`re at a big celebrity party, with two or three friends, you take your penises out of your pants and just walk around. No one will notice, `cos it`s really crowded. You see how many celebrities you can touch with your penis. You just have to walk up and brush them. It`s nothing really. I`ve never been caught."When pressed for details on the victims of the attacks, he told the magazine, "Winona Ryder. Dennis Rodman. It`s just like the littlest brush. It`s the funniest thing. Cos if you`re standing with some friends and you send one of them off - `There`s Drew Barrymore, go do knob touch`. It might sound distasteful and awful, but it`s funny. There`s no sexual thing about it. You`re standing there watching this happen, and it`s the funniest thing in the world."

^ That's pretty funny.

mike570 · #9 06-18-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDS

I have a bad case of 'knob touch' too, when the wife has no shirt on I cant keep my hands off them =)

LOL! Nice!

This is due to a bad setup. (The guitar I mean...) Setting the trem up right will fix it.

Crazy_Guitar · #10 06-18-2008, 01:57 PM

I have the exact same problem in a RG2550 that I am setting up for a customer.
The bridge is so low that even with the knobs all the way down, the knob touches the tremolo arm!

How to solve this????

rty13ibz98 · #11 06-18-2008, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy_Guitar

I have the exact same problem in a RG2550 that I am setting up for a customer.
The bridge is so low that even with the knobs all the way down, the knob touches the tremolo arm!

How to solve this????

shim the neck pocket.

rich

HankMcSpank · #12 06-19-2008, 05:54 AM

I'm puzzled here....why would shimming the neck pocket, solve the prob of the trem arm hitting the top of the volume knobs?

Algiman · #13 06-19-2008, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HankMcSpank

I'm puzzled here....why would shimming the neck pocket, solve the prob of the trem arm hitting the top of the volume knobs?

Shimming the neck pocket will angle the neck back a bit. To compensate you have to raise the bridge a bit. With the bridge raised, there is more clearance for the arm.

Crazy_Guitar · #14 06-19-2008, 06:07 AM

It was the first thing that I thought about.
But I really don't want to do that because I really like the profile being so low!

(The d*mn guitar reminds me of a FGM!!!)

There must be some other way...
Does this happen with all Edge Pros? I have countless experience on Edge and Lo-Pro Edge and I have never ever seen such a thing!

HankMcSpank · #15 06-19-2008, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Algiman

Shimming the neck pocket will angle the neck back a bit. To compensate you have to raise the bridge a bit. With the bridge raised, there is more clearance for the arm.

But what I'm saying (in my case), is that the rear of the tremelo unit itself needed to go down a bit. The tremelo arm mount hole is in such a pivot position on the unit that if you take the rear of the tremelo unit down a little (by tightening the stprings at the rear of the guitar), the whole trem arm lifts higher (away from the body)

Dropping the read of the trem (by tightening the rear springs), also takes the action down a little, so no need for any shims.