Most of us would agree that music comforts our souls. There is something so calming about the music that listening to it after a long working day relaxes our minds.
While listening to your favorite music feels great, playing an instrument is an even more exciting experience, which is why millions of music lovers invest a lot of their time and energies to learn musical instruments.
Talking about musical instruments, you cannot just leave the guitar behind. The guitar is one of the most widely-played musical instruments all over the world. It is versatile, portable, readily available, and quite affordable, making it a popular choice among people who want to learn an instrument.
With that out of the way, guitars come in different types and shapes. Among all the types, electric guitars are particularly popular and usually preferred by experts. They tend to have a more crisp sound quality and are a great tool, regardless of the user’s expertise level.
However, many users of the electric guitar have been complaining about “guitar volume control not working.” No matter if you are a pro guitarist or someone who is learning to play guitar, this problem can occur.
If you have been facing this problem lately, the good news for you is that there are plenty of ways to fix this problem.
How to Fix Guitar Volume Control Not Working?
If you are facing a volume control problem, here are a few ways to fix this issue.
1. Clean The Guitar
If taken care of properly, an electric guitar can last for a lifetime. However, even after proper care, many parts of electric guitars may not work because of excessive wear and tear. Guitar volume control is one of them.
It is possible that the volume control is not working because of some dust particles interfering with the volume system. Of course, dust particles can get inside the system and cause problems. The more you play your guitar, the more dust and debris particles will accumulate inside it.
If the volume control of your guitar is not working or if it gives a cracking voice when the guitar is connected to the speaker, cleaning the guitar might fix the problem for you. You can clean the guitar in two ways; by either asking a professional to clean the guitar for you or cleaning it yourself.
It is important to note that a guitar is a sensitive tool, and it is advised to hire a professional to repair or clean it. However, if you have been playing it for years and know how to clean it, you are good to go!
When it comes to cleaning the guitar, most musicians simply buy a cleaning liquid or a lubricant, pour it on the towel and wipe it all over the guitar.
Well, as a matter of fact, the cleaning substance will do some cleaning and take care of some of the dust, debris, or grime, but it would not eliminate them off the strings.
To worsen the situation, these liquids may attract more dust from the surroundings, resulting in even more dust over time. The lubricant may feel smooth early on, but since not every lubricant is meant to be used for this purpose, using inappropriate cleaners will not fix the problem.
So, it is a good rule of thumb to use a guitar polish for cleaning purposes. It will effectively eliminate the dust while not damaging your guitar. Apply the guitar polish or cleaner to a towel and hold it with your thumb and forefinger and wipe all the strings slowly and firmly.
Ensure to clean all the sides of the strings until it is thoroughly cleaned and you do not see dust particles anymore. That’s it! Your strings will be cleaner, and it will fix the guitar volume control not working problem.
2. Check The Volume Pot
The volume port is the main part of any guitar. It controls the volume system of the guitar. The volume pot acts as a potentiometer and increases and decreases the volume and pickups as you turn the knob up and down.
The volume port is important for another reason; it shapes the tone of the guitar by changing the number of breakups produced by a pickup.
So, if the volume control of your guitar is not working, consider checking if the volume pot is working properly. Check the ground connection of the volume pot. If the ground connection is broken, the volume pot will not function properly.
It is a good idea to heat the connections of your guitar. This will fix the connections of the metal pins to the volume pot and can potentially fix the problem for you.
3. Loose Jacks
Loose jacks are another reason why your guitar’s volume control may not be working. As we know, electric guitars involve excessive plugging and unplugging of cables. This continuous plugging and unplugging can cause the output jacks to loosen up.
As a result, the cables will not connect properly, and the guitar will not give a clear sound. Eventually, you will start hearing cracking sounds when your guitar is connected to the speaker.
The cracking and unclear sound indicates a loose jack and ground wire. If that is the case, you will have to solder the ground wire and tighten the jacks.
Start by losing the strings of your guitar until your arm can access the body through the soundhole. To avoid the jack from spinning while screwing the nut, it is recommended to hold the jack from the inside.
Now, tighten the main screw with an Allen wrench. Allen wrench comes with the guitar and could be used to screw or unscrew all the screws of a guitar.
If you are lucky, tightening this nut will fix the problem. However, sometimes, the counter nut inside the body of the guitar may also go loose. To tighten it, you will have to unscrew the outer nut and use a special jack installation tool. This will bring it to an accessible position, and you will be able to tighten it easily.
Once you have tightened the nut, pull back the jack installation tool to bring the nut back to its place and put back the washer, and tighten it, so it stays in place.
4. Replace The Pickups
Replacing the guitar’s pickups is another way to fix the volume control not working problem. Pickup plays a key role in the sound of your guitar. If you want to improve the tone of your guitar, replacing the pickup is an easy way to do that.
However, consider trying the workarounds mentioned above. If these solutions do not work, then replacing the pickups is your last resort.
The best part is that the process is reversible. This means that you can always go back to your previous pickup if you do not like its replacement.
It seems to be a complex task, but it is quite simple. Make sure that you choose the right size for the pickup. Connect the wires with the pickup carefully. Lastly, place the pickups in the cavities. If it all seems too much and you are unsure about it, consider seeking professional help.
The Bottom Line
Electric guitars are highly durable, and they can serve you for years if they are given proper care. However, excessive plugging and unplugging of the cables, vigorously turning the volume knobs, and playing the guitar recklessly can cause problems.
Therefore, electric guitars sometimes need maintenance and repairing of their pots. This ensures the proper tone and volume of the guitar.
We have discussed several effective workarounds to fix the guitar volume control not working problem. If none of them works for you, consider reaching out to a professional to resolve this issue.