Top Hat knobs on a Les Paul

[SkunkWorks]

Ok sorry to bother you... Last nite i took off the knobs and washers and nuts. I thought i was gonna be able to remove the plate in the cavity to adjust the washer/nut on the pot shaft but i couldnt pull out the plate (if thats what u want me to do). So i am back to square one.

It should just pull out. Maybe the pot shafts are binding in the holes if you are pulling at a bit of an angle. Pull straight back. Once you have those top side nuts off there is nothing preventing the plate (with its pots) from being pulled out enough for the shafts to clear the holes... the wiring can make it a bit tight but it shouldn't be that difficult. Try again

 

[Basura_Ka]

It should just pull out. Maybe the pot shafts are binding in the holes if you are pulling at a bit of an angle. Pull straight back. Once you have those top side nuts off there is nothing preventing the plate (with its pots) from being pulled out enough for the shafts to clear the holes... the wiring can make it a bit tight but it shouldn't be that difficult. Try again

Will do! I didn't want to force it out if I didn't have to. Thanks

 

[samo]

sorry for ressurecting an old thread, but i just had the exact same problem today. my trad pro shipped with one of the gold top hats cracked right through (must be from when they used a wooden mallet at the factory to put the tops hats on!)

i lived with it for a year, and decided i wanted amber top hats instead so i purchased a set of 4 amber, Gibson-brand top hats.

when i put the new ones on, they were sitting WAY higher than the old ones. when i flipped them over, i found that not all Gibson top hats are created equal... (see attachment)

.

on the left, the new amber top hat has a "flange" thingie that is flush with the "skirt" of the knob. the stock one (on the right) has a flange which is recessed quite a bit from the "skirt". No wonder they didn't fit the same on the pots!

I had to do the trick with the post nuts to get them back to normal looking...

 

[colchar]

I was checking out my new LP in the store yesterday before having them set it up and I noticed that one knob sat just slightly lower than the others.

 

[bluesguitar1972]

That's what my tech did on my '75 deluxe, turned out awesome.

This is how is looked before:

Yikes, how did that make it past quality control.

 

[samo]

I was checking out my new LP in the store yesterday before having them set it up and I noticed that one knob sat just slightly lower than the others.

Funny enough, I noticed the same thing about one of the knobs too... it turned out that it was sitting lower b/c the pole was sticking right through the top of the knob (I think i saw a video on the forum, showing a guy at the factory using a wooden mallet to put the knobs on). Here's a pic of the 4 I took off - 3 out of 4 are cracked, and the far left shows how it was pushed right through the top of the knob!

Maybe that's why they starting making the knobs with the flange like that - so that you can't push the knob right "through" the post...

 

[geddyleefan]

I love top hat knobs - amber, gold, black and white or ones with the reflector tops on em theyre all badass. I find speed knobs to klunky and awkward

 

[Geardog]

I never had top hats, and recently put some on. Adjusting the knob is much more comfortable for me. I have gold & silver tops, hmmmm, maybe amber top hats next.

 

[broke_player]

when i put the new ones on, they were sitting WAY higher than the old ones. when i flipped them over, i found that not all Gibson top hats are created equal... (see attachment)

.

When I got my Jr it came with speed knobs. I wanted black top hats. I went to a local guitar repair shop to ask if they had any in stock. He went back and came out with two used ones. I took them. One fit perfect and the other wouldn't go on. It turns out the one that didn't fit was a metric one because it fit perfectly on my Epi pot. It looks exactly like the one on the left. At least that was my experience when changing knobs

 

[VA_siCkBoy]

This was the same exact problem I was having. I even took a similar pic.
I ended up buying gold top hat knobs with gold inserts. They are deeper without the flange thingy. they fit perfect. I couldn't stand the way those amber top hats sat up so high.

 

[metomnixon]

I had the same experience on my traditional. 2 of the pots were flush but the other two were sticking out a bit. I ended up going back to the speedknobs. It started to grow on me and I actually like it better now.
But I may still try to adjust it from the inside later just for shits n' giggles[/QUOTE
Its the shaft on the knob that bottoms out. take a dremmal tool and cut the bottom about an 1/8th inch. then they will sit lower. After doing all that work I decided I like the speed knobs better.

 

[edselman]

The tops hats with the flange that is flush with the skirt are vintage style. You will notice that with 1950's Les Pauls the knobs sit higher. The knobs with the recessed skirt are modern knobs that are designed to fit almost flush with the surface of the guitar. Another thing is that I ordered a US design vintage set from Stewart MacDonald and they were way too tight to use. I think that there is some degree of variation in non-Gibson knobs. Anyway, just my opinion.

 

[MiniB]

What I've done with a set of aged vintage-style bell knobs from RS is grind down the collet/flange some, then repainted it with a copper/gold paint that matches the aged gold of the original. You have to try and get the surface as smooth as possible after grinding it down.