Where to get UA knobs?

[Che_Guitarra]

Title says it all.  I'd like to buy some UA style knobs to pretty up a couple of DIY builds.  Can they be bought or are they special order only?

 

[ding]

I've seen some on evilBay but they are expensive. Like $22 each. They are called RCA knobs. I was looking for 8 of them and at that price I would have ended up paying $176 + shipping. Needless to say I got something more affordable. If anyone has a more affordable source for these I would be game.

 

[emrr]

Inexpensive Chinese remakes on ebay. Like $12 a half dozen or something.

 

[ding]

Yeah the price is right but the construction is sloppy and the style is not the same. They are different. They are supposed to look like this…

But they look like this…

They are like 6 for $12 though. I wish there was a middle ground.

 

[emrr]

I haven't seen them in person, have you?  The differences look negligible, unless picky.

Among the RCA types, there must be 4 different vintage makes, and they all look a little different too.

 

[ding]

I have not seen them in person but you can easily see the mold joint lines and they are not Phenolic plastic they are ABS which is not good quality. I guess I am just picky about my knobs. I much rather get lower price good quality bakelite plastic that has been worked on with more care. Just search for "bakelite plastic knobs" and you will get something nice.

 

[ding]

I might just bite the bullet one day and buy/report on them for anyone who is interested. $12 is not the end of the world. 

 

[anjing]

The inexpensive ebay ones, i have them and use them for my eztube mixer.
They fit nicely on the pot shaft and they are mechanically sound, so they do the job but they don't feel as good as the real stuff. If you look closely... they do look cheap.

I guess it comes down to how many you need and how much you are willing to pay. I think money is better spent on iron were it actually has  an impact on the sound contrary to the knob that has no sound properties(other then suggestive properties).

Try googling leeds radio, the guy is in brooklyn and has lot's of vintage knobs for sale. Pricey but good(about the same price as the different ebay offerings), you might prefer that to ebay if like a real human interaction. I did get some real rca knobs from him and they are gorgeous! Email him because sometimes he has stock not listed.

Good luck!

Pierre

 

[Timothytitus88]

I have bought a half dozen of the evilbay knobs, and indeed the quality is not good. Very scratched up and cheap feeling, even if the shape is kind of right.

for the price, I had a feeling that would be the case, but it was worth a try.

I bought some other chicken head knobs at the same time and the quality was way better - actually very good (but still something like 10 bucks for 20 of them)

But the RCA style ones just seem nasty. Perhaps they could be buffed up or something, but I have not tried yet.

Cheers,

T

 

[benqbasic]

I have bought a half dozen of the evilbay knobs, and indeed the quality is not good. Very scratched up and cheap feeling, even if the shape is kind of right.

for the price, I had a feeling that would be the case, but it was worth a try.

I bought some other chicken head knobs at the same time and the quality was way better - actually very good (but still something like 10 bucks for 20 of them)

But the RCA style ones just seem nasty. Perhaps they could be buffed up or something, but I have not tried yet.

Cheers,

T

+1

I have some here and haven't used them for this reason. I might try buffing them at some point.

 

[shabtek]

a company called 'sato' makes a similar looking quality knob..20mm shaft only last I looked

 

[ding]

you mean this...
http://www.satopartsusa.com/prod_detail/default.cfm?sku=PN7UFP&title=K%2D2195%20Plastic%20Knob
At least its Phenol plastic which is good in my book. It still looks a little more modern than the retro looking RCA knobs but Phenol can be sanded and polished easily unlike other types of plastic. Might give it a try in the future. Anyone bought these before?

 

[ding]

I don't see the shaft size dimensions. Anyone know? like what does this mean.
"1/4 inch shaft diameter is not suitable." for what?

 

[ding]

Talked with Tim from Sato. Very nice, polite person. 1/4 inch 6.1mm shaft.

 

[Ptownkid]

The UA ones are not all that nice either...and I'm pretty sure you can buy them directly from UA. I have in the past.

 

[ding]

I wrote an email to UA, lets see. I bought 8 of the sato. Once they get in I'll post a pic and description.

 

[emrr]

The Sato sure look like the ebay. 

 

[ding]

The Sato sure look like the ebay.

They sure do. Lets see. Might have thrown a few bucks down the drain. 

 

[ding]

I received the sato knobs today and here is my opinion. One of the biggest reasons why I did not get the Chinese knobs from eBay is due to the plastic and the size. I need a few different sizes and there is only one size and are made of ABS plastic. Now on to what I think of these. The look like the modern UA knobs. They don't have a "soul" if you will. They are shiny and new and sparkly and well, new. They feel heavy since they are bakelite they don't feel cheap in weight. Craftsmanship wise I give it a B. You can see where they where broken off from the factory mold but that is a bit hidden and overall somewhat invisible. The mold lines are very subdued and can't really be seen unless you are looking hard. They offer 4 different sizes so that is nice. The shipping was extremely fast. I live in Florida and they shipped out of California and they where in my doorstep in 3 days. Will I use them? Sure. Would I prefer to have the vintage $24 kind? Most definitely, I am a bit of a knob whore. For now I think I will sink my extra money into some sweet, sweet Cinemag iron. YMMV.

Alain

 

[Brian Roth]

I see the center hole for the control shaft is sized for 6 mm diameter vs. 6.35 mm suitable for a 1/4" shaft.  Is there a metal insert for the set screws, or can the knob be drilled out easily to go onto a 1/4" control shaft?

Bri