Duo-sonic - is this normal?

[carterbrandon]

I have a (bought mail-order) 2019 Fender Duosonic HS. I find the two-position tone dial is much looser than the volume dial - is this normal? If not, what's the process for making them a bit more alike?

[MKR]

What do you mean by looser? Do you mean it physically wiggles around when you touch it?

[carterbrandon]

No, much less stiff to turn (no resistance to it), so less controllable.

[MKR]

That's weird. I definitely don't think it's normal. Not sure if there is any possible fix or if it's just a bad pot. I would think it's a bad pot. I know Fender QC has been not that great with these guitars. i have heard of a few instances of bad switches on there duo sonics. I had to replace my switch which really wasn't that big a deal considering everything else about the guitar.

[Professor Bill]

A quick thought: Does the volume pot work? In other words, does the volume roll off correctly or at all? If you're getting a range of control, it might just be as simple as the knob needs to be raised up because it's sitting too close to the nut and pickguard. I think those knobs have a set screw on the side that you can loosen and adjust how high the knob sits.

[carterbrandon]

I don't often mess with the dials, but I did notice once that one or the other only took effect all in one go, i.e. there wasn't a smooth graduation as you turned it - it all happened just before it hit the extreme of the turn. Or maybe that was the effect of the modelling amp. I'm not good at this stuff (years playing exclusively acoustic) - from your replies I think I need to take it to a technician. Hopefully they will know about these wierd push-pull dials.

[Embenny]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the pots based on the feel. The tone pot is a push-pull, and the volume knob is a plain pot. They're different models, and possibly even from a different manufacturer. Not a shock that they'd have different rolling resistance.

You can put a little rubber washer under a knob to increase friction and make the pot harder to turn, but that won't work with a push-pull once you pull it.