replacing a tricky tone pot

[jeremyo83]

really not sure what to do with this one.. very likely to be out of my field.

I have an Epiphone Dot (semi-hollow electric) with a non-functional tone pot (ie: @9, completely open, @10, completely closed). Ideally, I'd like to get in and replace most of the electronics on it, at least all of the pots.

The problem is, these guitars have no access to the electronics. I've already upgraded the pickups, and that involved cutting the old pickups out, and splicing the new pickups into the old wires.

There are only two ways that I can see this being possible;

a) cutting a hole in the back of the guitar and putting a plastic cover over the hole like you would see normally covering electronics

b) taking the top off the guitar, fixing the electronics, and putting the top back on (one of my friends suggested this, but this, i know is way over my head)

Question 1: will cutting a hole in the back and fitting a plastic cover over the hole change the tone of the guitar a great deal or affect the integrity of the the structure? any words of caution here?

Question 2: if I take it to a luthier, I'm not sure it will be worth my money to get this done. I mean, I'd love the tone pot to be fixed, but truth is, I don't use it that much. It's just flexibility that I do like to have, and do occasionally use. any input here?

[UnklMickey]

Jeremy,

don't even think of cutting new holes!.................REAL bad idea.

the answer is much simpler than you think. chances are, your pickups and wiring were the last things assembled on your guitar.

you will probably have to take the entire harness out as a complete unit, through one of the pickup openings.

Runewalker and others will be able to tell you more about their experieces with hollowbodies.

[jeremyo83]

hey, now there's a nifty idea!

leave it to the people that do this for a living to come up with a better idea than I had.

thanks unk, I really didn't want to make any new holes or try anything stupid.

if anyone else has any experience or tips for me with this, please let me know! (rune?)

j

[flateric]

I did a complete electrics upgrade to my Epi dot a few months ago. Fitted 4-conductor GFS humbuckers, new tone pots and a series/split/parallel mini switch. Getting the harness out was a little tricky but the pots do fit through the widest part of the lower F-hole ok. Once reassembled, getting them all back in again is a test of patience and dexterity.
Tip: to help relocate the pot shafts take some strong thread, poke it through the shaft hole, out of the F, then tie around the shaft of the pot. Poke the pot in thru the F, then use the thread to help guide it back into position.
You can do this to the 4 pot shafts before removing them all, leaving all the threads in place, ready for tying on to the new ones, but I ended up in such a knot I redid them, it's easy enough to poke a thread thru each shaft hole and out the F-hole to help.
Good luck, it is fiddly but it can be done!

[jeremyo83]

thanks so much!
that's 3 answers in one day. the string is a great idea too.

+1 for your help.

[Runewalker]

I had a couple of old posts on this concept of reworking a 335 or hollow body's wiring.

guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=pup&thread=1142301592&page=1

guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=coffee&thread=1141624437&page=1


As Unk says do not even consider violating the integrity of the instrument with the jigsaw.


It was eye opening to see it done by the factory luthier. They soldered the harness outside the guitar, then attached the pup wire, then threaded everything through the bridge pickup hole NOT the f-holes.

Note that because you cannot easily shield the cavity, you should use shielded wire for the hookups. Perhaps not as big a deal for humbuckers, but once your start with the GN@ penchant for coil cuts, OoPs etc, then the hum comes with a vengence without some shielding.

I have seen a woven screen that I have considered forming a enclosing pouch for the harness as an enveloping screen, but that is theroretical and not actually tried.

The hollow or semihollow installations are much like building a ship in a bottle. Much patience and manipulation required.

RW