Vintage Guitar New Parts

[Fndrgldpphn]

I have a ‘67 T-100 that needs the POTS and PUP Selector Switch replaced. I am wondering if I could replace them with modern parts from guild. This would possibly include replacing the PUP with LB series humbuckers (yes i am aware that it did not originally come with humbuckers, but my uncle replaced the original pickup with humbuckers in the early 70’s). Any thought on putting modern parts into a vintage guitar?

 

[GAD]

You can use modern parts but be aware that the parts from Guild may be metric since they're imports and so may not fill the holes properly. If your uncle put in humbuckers are they mini-hums, full-sized humbuckers, or Guild HB1s? They all have different sized routes.

 

[Fndrgldpphn]

i believe full, I actually just asked what kind of PUP he put in and when and he told me they were for Gibson ES-335(?).

Got to love the US to Metric.

 

[SFIV1967]

he told me they were for Gibson ES-335(?).

Early 70's PAFs, probably not worth replacing as they might be really good.
Ralf

 

[parker_knoll]

Guild just uses off the shelf pots and selectors the same as everyone else, so no particular benefit to buying from them. You'll get the best prices from an electrical retailer rather than a guitar shop

 

[GAD]

Guild just uses off the shelf pots and selectors the same as everyone else, so no particular benefit to buying from them. You'll get the best prices from an electrical retailer rather than a guitar shop

The benefit is the harness is pre-wired if it happens to fit the guitar in question. Otherwise I agree 100%

 

[wdboland]

GAD is probably correct about new Guild parts being metric. I also agree with Raif, leave the pickups as is. Just replace the pots with CTS or Bourns, and the the selector switch with a switchcraft. All can be bought from Digikey.

-Wayne

 

[Guildedagain]

Buy your pots and switches and tone caps strictly from Stew Mac, they have better quality parts than you can get elsewhere. Their pot values tolerances are tighter.

Something to think about if you have to change pots is how does the guitar sound?

Potentiometer values affect tone. Very easy to measure pot values with an ohmmeter.

How Do Volume and Tone Pots Work For Guitar?

How do volume pots work? How do tone pots work for guitar? We explore all the inner workings and wiring of volume and tone pots here.

www.fralinpickups.com

What vintage 335 pickups? Do they say Gibson USA, or have Pat # stamped in the base, or have Pat # stickers, or PAF stickers?

If you can split the neck p'up down to one coil with push pull pot on the neck p'up tone control, that is quite fantastic with a PAF style pickup, gives you a Strat like neck pickup tone, sweeter and bluesier.

If you had 4 wire pickups in both positions, you can also go in and out of phase in the middle position, out of phase being a very desirable sound.

 

[Rambozo96]

I like the Bourns guitar pots. But is there anything wrong with the original pots? (Assuming those weren’t changed when the pickup swap occurred.) I think the whole time I been monkeying around with various guitar stuff I think I only had to throw out 1 CTS pot but that was because the shaft was sheared off when the bass was improperly packaged for shipment.

 

[GAD]

CTS isn’t what they used to be.

For humbuckers I’m a huge fan of The Art of Tone (TAoT) 525k pots.

 

[SFIV1967]

CTS isn’t what they used to be.

Agreed, you have to buy the selected CTS versions like from Toneshaper or Emerson Custom. I recently bought a standard CTS500-A53 and an Allparts EP-0086-000 from CTS and both have a very cheap feeling. I'm not going to use them.
Ralf

 

[JohnW63]

Veer alert...

Once you replace either pots or pick-ups the first time, it's another syndrome, right? Gear Swap Sydrome or GSS. A subset of Electric G.A.S.

I haven't felt the need to go down that path, yet. I posted Mic from That Pedal Shows' efforts to swap out pick-ups and harness, in the tech forum, it might be that I just want to find out if a guitar would sound better with X changed out to Y brand. Pots, caps, pickups...oh dear.

 

[parker_knoll]

to be honest, swapping the electrics on a hollowbody is such a faff that once you've done it once it's very easy to resist doing it again

 

[shihan]

to be honest, swapping the electrics on a hollowbody is such a faff that once you've done it once it's very easy to resist doing it again

Amen to that! Never again.

 

[GAD]

Veer alert...

Once you replace either pots or pick-ups the first time, it's another syndrome, right? Gear Swap Sydrome or GSS. A subset of Electric G.A.S.

I haven't felt the need to go down that path, yet. I posted Mic from That Pedal Shows' efforts to swap out pick-ups and harness, in the tech forum, it might be that I just want to find out if a guitar would sound better with X changed out to Y brand. Pots, caps, pickups...oh dear.

Yes! There was a time that I felt that every guitar could be improved and I would fiddle around with the electronics on all of them. Buying vintage Guilds mostly cured me of that because when I review them people would rather see them in original condition. Plus they usually sound great as-is. I've gutten $5000 Les Paul historics and made them go from good to great.

The biggest problem is that as soon as you do that the value of the guitar goes down on the resale market. If I take a $4000 guitar and put $1000 worth of upgrades in it people will only want to pay $3000 because it's not original. It doesn't matter if the guitar sounds better and looks better. People don't like upgrades that they didn't spec and they don't trust you to have done the work right.

to be honest, swapping the electrics on a hollowbody is such a faff that once you've done it once it's very easy to resist doing it again

Yeah, but once you do it 10 or so times it becomes no big deal.

 

[SFIV1967]

to be honest, swapping the electrics on a hollowbody is such a faff that once you've done it once it's very easy to resist doing it again

(Almost) no problem if you are using aquarium tube, same as the Guild factory used!
And everything needs to be preassembled carefully on a board externally in order to have the correct length of all connection wires before you insert everything into the guitar.

I'm reusing other members pictures like JHJ's Aristocrat and Jahn's Starfire VI. The Aristocrat is "easy" as all goes through the pickup cavities, the Starfires are a bit more challanging as all has to go through the treble side f-hole due to the massive center block!

New Hartford factory:

Ralf

 

[parker_knoll]

i don't think I'll ever get to the point where it's "no problem" I'll stick to fiddling with the bridge.

 

[SFIV1967]

i don't think I'll ever get to the point where it's "no problem"

O.k., lets say "almost no problem"...
Ralf

 

[parker_knoll]

what gauge are those tubes? I might get some!

 

[SFIV1967]

what gauge are those tubes? I might get some!

Many use the "Top Fin" brand Aquarium Airline Tubing. I believe there is only one "standard" size which snaps over the potentiometer heads.
The standard size has about 5.5 or 6 mm outer diameter and 4.0 mm inner diameter.
There are many brands in pet stores and garden markets that have a live fish section. I think since all aquarium air pumps and filters have the same size connectors the tubing is mostly the same if called "standard".

But do not buy the "Mini" version (right) as that seems to have a too small diameter!

Ralf