Live 2 aluminum knobs from MPC Stuff: a review

NearTao wrote:

Tabletop wrote:Beware of mpcstuff, they arent selling custom machined items, just rebranded, over-priced, mismatched-color **** that you can make due with...

Not saying this isn't the case... but do you have any proof that they are just rebranded?

I have seen the color differences so understand that's annoying... and price is subjective...

I dont have links to anything, so I cant provide evidence, but I have seen sites with the same knobs that mpcstuff sells and they are cheaper. A friend got a stand somewhere online, and it was the same one mpcstuff sells, without the logo. It was ~$15, the 'mpcstuff' branded one is ~$35.
Again I have no evidence & I'm not gonna look for it

no problem... was just curious...

The stock Q link knobs feel good - silky and solid / secure.

The stock big data knob I don't like - it feels plastic and hollow and it wiggles side to side.....

How does the metal knob feel in comparison?

Acidizer wrote:The stock Q link knobs feel good - silky and solid / secure.

The stock big data knob I don't like - it feels plastic and hollow and it wiggles side to side.....

How does the metal knob feel in comparison?

The aluminum billet knob sold on MPC Stuff feels good, but it does NOT change the wobble and feel of the cheap-ass pot (which it's mounted on) that Akai chose to use for the current gen MPC's. If the pot on your MPC is wobbly/wiggles at all, it will continue to do so.

I have no idea why they choose such solid quality pots for the Q-Links but then totally ignored the main data knob that almost everyone uses regularly. It seems like a conscious design decision that the engineers made after a late night of binge drinking or something.

Can’t believe I hadn’t realized that the q-links and encoder knob pop right off on the Live 2…
Been using it for over a year and dying to replace them. For some reason I thought the machine had to be opened up

Jukai wrote:Can’t believe I hadn’t realized that the q-links and encoder knob pop right off on the Live 2…
Been using it for over a year and dying to replace them. For some reason I thought the machine had to be opened up

Nope - they slide right off! And just to update this thread, I painted my factory knobs and slid them right back on. Got rid of those crappy aluminum Q-Links (which, in hindsight I do *NOT* recommend):

I'm sure I know the answer, but the aluminium ones aren't touch sensitive like the oems?

Patientrichard wrote:I'm sure I know the answer, but the aluminium ones aren't touch sensitive like the oems?

Yes, they are. While aluminum is a poor conductor of electricity, it does conduct. I detected no discernable loss in touch sensitivity when I had my aluminum Q-Links. But as I mentioned earlier, the smooth pots really, REALLY, suck bad from a usability standpoint. They felt downright awful and were very difficult to get a grip on (hence why I went back to my factory ones).

If you can find aluminum pots that have a texture/grip to them, please let us know though!

EnochLight wrote:

Patientrichard wrote:I'm sure I know the answer, but the aluminium ones aren't touch sensitive like the oems?

Yes, they are. While aluminum is a poor conductor of electricity, it does conduct. I detected no discernable loss in touch sensitivity when I had my aluminum Q-Links. But as I mentioned earlier, the smooth pots really, REALLY, suck bad from a usability standpoint. They felt downright awful and were very difficult to get a grip on (hence why I went back to my factory ones).

If you can find aluminum pots that have a texture/grip to them, please let us know though!

I'm pretty sure any decent guitar shop will have spare ibanez or other brands aluminium textured knobs for sale. Maybe they will have round shaft inlet instead of D shaped but nothing that cant be fixed with the locker nut.

EnochLight wrote:

Patientrichard wrote:I'm sure I know the answer, but the aluminium ones aren't touch sensitive like the oems?

Yes, they are. While aluminum is a poor conductor of electricity, it does conduct. I detected no discernable loss in touch sensitivity when I had my aluminum Q-Links. But as I mentioned earlier, the smooth pots really, REALLY, suck bad from a usability standpoint. They felt downright awful and were very difficult to get a grip on (hence why I went back to my factory ones).

If you can find aluminum pots that have a texture/grip to them, please let us know though!

Excellent thanks for the update.

I found some nice aluminium knobs for my Norns Shield last year, that also fit my microgranny. They have a couple of lines around the outside that give some grip.
I'll see if I can dig out the place I ordered them and give you a heads up.