Waldorf Blofeld ~ replacement knobs (?)

The Lounge Other Gear
1

Hello!

i hate the feel of the waldorf Blofeld knobs. i know there’s a lot of people also bringing up issues of the encoders/pots not tracking well or feeling good, but i am very more specifically referring to the feel of the metal knobs on my fingers.

you can pop the blofeld knobs off and pop on new knobs, but i am not sure which to get. the elektron knobs are almost a good fit, but they are a bit too short. photo reference! https://i.imgur.com/L7lhbAX.jpg

what i’m needing is > 6mm D-SHAFT knobs. the blofeld knobs are 20mm in height, while the elektron ones are 16mm in height.

looking at ali express, most of the knobs i’m seeing are 16mm in height. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190806015328&SearchText=6mm+D-SHaft&switch_new_app=y

anyone have any suggestions on how to specifically find a soft/gripped/comfortable knob that’s 6mm D-SHAFT / 20mm in height?

anyone have any experience with this?

i just hate touching the blofeld knobs, is all : )

2

Following. Best solution I’ve found thus far is to wrap small rubber bands around the knobs. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

3

If the Elektron ones fit, the DJ tech tools will as well.

4

Found myself wanting to do this also, these look perfect and also come in black?
But how expensive, 100 euro for 8 :fearful:

These are close in height but have a pointer and smaller diameter:

5

Means Prophet encoders would also fit.
Nice grippy, ridged rubber on the sides.

$39

although, height is around 16mm (measured on my Pro 2 knobs)

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6

I’ve literally just bought some of those for an Evolver that’s heading my way!

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7

Found a photo in the Blofeld Love thread here to show what a shorter Elektron knob looks like. 8001b5897084db070823f99666af29b5372ce9e5

And then I just took a comparison photo of that same OT knob compared against a Sequential/DSI knob:

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So it will go down a little more (1.5mm?)

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8

And I’ll be needing them for my Prophet 12 that arrives on Monday. It has one non-original knob. :slightly_smiling_face:

Will also have to see if a firmware update is enough to fix my Blofeld, as one encoder has been acting up a bit (is slow to respond) lately. Probably a hardware issue though…

9

I’ll give this a try and post an image when Blofeld and prophet knobs both arrive - back end of next week. The aluminium knobs are very close to the metal body there so there’s room for a little gap with non OG knobs maybe.
Cheers!

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10

Another possible - not the most stylish, 17mm height, you can pick your own caps so can choose one without a pointer

https://cpc.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp005750/knob-skirtless-d-shaft-black-6mm/dp/SW06026

11

I personally don’t mind gap. My SFC-5 V2 has gap, due to nuts (that make these pots so DAMN FIRM!) and I don’t even notice. The skirted knobs here do help hide those nuts, though.

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IMG_75841000×878 174 KB

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12

Agreed - surprised how flush those Blofeld ones are when I think about it

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13

It’s worth mentioning for anyone looking at these Prophet knobs for potentiometers (not encoders), they are reverse d shaft.
So for most (just about all) other non-Sequential/non-DSI gear with pots that require an indicator, the Prophet knobs with indicators will be 180 degrees backwards.

I had high hopes for putting a set of Prophet knobs on my SFC-5, but no dice. Turns out I really like how grippy the SFC-5’s knobs are anyway. And the bright white indicators are great for tuning the oscillators and other fine tweaks.

And here is one more compatible knob, the DJ Tech Tools “thin encoder” chroma cap
19mm with skirt. Would suit the blofeld okay, and cheaper than most, at $2 each.

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14

Awesome, I’d forgotten about chroma caps! DV247 stocks these for UK customers.

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