Tech Help please!!! PROB with my volume POT!

[dariopalladino]

Hello everyone,

 

I must confess I am new in the Gibson world.

 

I bought a 1973 Les Paul Custom on e-bay, it sounds good and everything but there is a prob.

 

When I play the Rhythm or the Treble pup alone all is fine, the volume and tone pots respond perfectly, nothing wrong.

When I put the toggle in the middle position the overall volume drops a LOT and there is no way to play at a decent volume.

What's funny if I turn the bridge pick up as if to lower the volume, I get an overall increase of volume and it seems as if only the neck pup is working, or at least I get a sound about 80% coming from the neck and the normal volume is restored.

Brought the guitar to a luthier, said the wiring is fine only the 2 volume pots seem not original but that doesnt mean anything since he did not go as far as removing all pots and measuring them. He said even the toggle switch seems ok but he admitted having no great experience with this kind of stuff...

Anyone can help???

thanks!!

Dario

[Prince Malagant]

Hi Dario.

Can you post a good pic of pots and wiring? 2 or 3 PU's LPC?

[dariopalladino]

Hello There

 

here I posted some pics,

Thanks in Advance

Dario

 

 

http://www.n-rjya.it/lpcpots.htm

[Prince Malagant]

Hi friend.

She's a 2 PU's guitar, I see.

Well ... what an horrible soldering work!

Surely not a standard Gibson wiring and soldering job: it's a little miracle if the guitar plays any sound

Dario: clean ALL the existing solder from pots and cable shields and re-make all the soldering standard and clean.

You can see a standard Gibson schematic here:

And an elegant, clean original wiring from a '69 LPC:

 

Note in both examples caps wiring between volume and tone pots.

I'm pretty sure that your volume pots are not original: you can replace it easily purchasing a couple of CTS Audio pots, short shaft 500K.

Have a nice work.

[dariopalladino]

Hi there Gianni!

 

Thanks to you I have all the information I need to do this on my own.

I will get the pots first of all, the CTS Audio, do you recommend them?

Are they the best (or nearly) you can get?

Obviously the condition of the wiring is poor to say the least, and I would also say the vol pots are not original.

Also it has been refinished, it's surely not an untouched baby.

But believe me the baby got a sound that makes it all worth the effort.

Hopefully I will get this thing right, I will keep you posted,

Thanks a lot for now

Keep Rocking

Dario

[dariopalladino]

By the way this is it, you can see the original ad I saw online last year when I bought it.

 

http://www.n-rjya.it/lpcustom.htm

[Prince Malagant]

CTS are hi-quality components, mounted usually on many Gibson. It's a good choice.

I'll be happy to have good news from you, your baby is truely amazing.

Bye!

[dariopalladino]

Sorry to bother again Gianni

 

Are these the ones you mean? Says standard lenght...

Thanks!

 

http://cgi.ebay.it/Chitarra-Potenziometro-CTS-USA-Pot-Pots-Volume-500K-aud-/180461455796?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Accessori_per_Chitarra_e_Basso&hash=item2a045749b4#ht_2335wt_950

[dariopalladino]

Or maybe this!!?

 

 

http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/CTS-Poti-500-K-linear-for-Gibson-Humbucker-Guitars-/280528970203?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Allgemeines_Musikinstrumente_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item4150d461db#ht_500wt_1154

[Prince Malagant]

Choose Audio ( not linear ) , like the first link you have posted.

The shaft lenght is correct in both the pots, but the 2nd is Linear type ( tone control, tipically ).

[Prince Malagant]

If you're about to change all four pots ( not a bad idea, IMHO ) , remember that you have to use Audio for Volume. For Tone controls, Audio or Linear pots are both useable.

My personal choice is Audio for both Volume and Tone controls.

Bye!

[dariopalladino]

thanks man!

[dariopalladino]

Dear Gianni,

 

I bought 2 new pots, the ones you advised.

Changed only one though, the one doing funny.

Cleaned a bit of the mess and rewired the tone controls just like shown me in the picture you sent me.

Now the tone controls do work, bridge on bridge pup, neck on neck pup. That's fine.

Nothing changed as for the rest though. When the toggle is in the middle I get less output volume, just like before.

And when I lower the volume (say to 8,5) of the bridge Humbucker I get a higher reasonable volume again.

This makes me think my old pot was not bad anyway, since the brand new pot is doing the same job.

By the way when the selection toggle is in the middle both tone controls are working fine, which did not happen before.

I even tried to switch the phase wire on the pot. What happened is that the sound became a bit more fuzzy and the tone control did not work any longer although wired properly. So I wired the phase back the way it was before.

What do you think?