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guitar electronics modifications


guitarstu

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i'm interested in anyone's stories and/or tales of woe about modifying a guitar's electronics. i took an inexpensive epi sg junior single pick-up and modified the electronics by moving the stock bridge pick-up to the neck position, and adding a seymour duncan classic classic humbucker to the bridge position--outstanding sound from an inexpensive guitar!

 

what's your story?

 

guitarstu

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Originally posted by guitarstu:

i'm interested in anyone's stories and/or tales of woe about modifying a guitar's electronics. i took an inexpensive epi sg junior single pick-up and modified the electronics by moving the stock bridge pick-up to the neck position, and adding a seymour duncan classic classic humbucker to the bridge position--outstanding sound from an inexpensive guitar!

 

what's your story?

 

guitarstu

 

What's your question? I have done 100's of guitar mods and electronic hot-rodding. There is much that can be done with guitar pickups and wiring, it just comes down to what you are looking for.

 

Phase Switching

Coil Tapping

Coil Splitting

Series-Parallel Switching

Dial-a-Tap (Variable splitting)

Active electronics

Using capacitor and resistors to alter tones

On-Off Switches

Momentary buttons

Rewiring switch configurations

Strat to Tele mods

Magnet switching in pickups for different tones

Pole piece switching for different tones

Switching out Potentiometers for different tones

Etc.

 

I have a HUGE catalog of schematics, mostly custom that can be emailed if you need.

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hey bonafide,

i have a question for you. what could be wrong with the wiring on a 2 humbucker guitar (a dearmond jazobx) that would cause the rhythm pickup volume control to be basically "on" or "off?" i.e there is no taper to the pot. everything else works fine. i just paid somebody to put a new pot in to correct this and the exact problem still exists. (though i now have a nice new 500k pot in there) thanks in advance for any help.

 

-d. gauss

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In the 80's I worked with a luthier for a time. I've done tons of mods and built a few guitars (all of my electrics). Done some re-frets, repaired acoustics etc.

 

I guess the coolest thing is making a guitar from scratch exactly the way you want it. For instance, I discovered the magic wood combination for me; a solid rosewood neck and an American cherry wood body will sustain better than any Les Paul I've ever played.

 

I have never ever heard of a pickup that's either on or off from the volume pot. I'd check all the solder joints and prolly end up just replacing the pu.

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Originally posted by d gauss:

hey bonafide,

i have a question for you. what could be wrong with the wiring on a 2 humbucker guitar (a dearmond jazobx) that would cause the rhythm pickup volume control to be basically "on" or "off?" i.e there is no taper to the pot. everything else works fine. i just paid somebody to put a new pot in to correct this and the exact problem still exists. (though i now have a nice new 500k pot in there) thanks in advance for any help.

 

-d. gauss

 

Hey d. guass,

That is good question. Where exactly does it appear to turn 'on' and 'off'? The beginning of the taper or the end?

I can tell you that it sounds like a linear taper pot,That would give you the impression of a radical 'on' or 'off' taper. Though it doesn't make sense if you just had it replaced. I am going to assume that whomever replaced it had the experience to use the right audio taper pot. Also, If the pot has been wired in reverse, meaning the hot lead to the switch or output jack is connected to the 'in' lug of the volume pot as opposed to the 'out' lug it has a similiar effect. Guitars are sometimes wired this way so the volume pots are independant of each other. On a Les Paul type wiring (2 pickups, 2 vol. 2 tone) when the pickup selector is in the middle, either volume control will shut off both pickups. That is because they share a common 'hot' and 'ground' in this position. Wiring one in reverse solves this problem but adds another.

Also could be the wrong value, but as you said it was just replaced.

 

Any other symptoms would help if you can think of any.

 

Rodney

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