Sheraton upgrade advice

[crispo77]

Hi,

 

I have a sheraton that sounds great but want to make the electrics a bit better as the switch is a little suspect. Ive seen this rewire kit on ebay, would it fit OK?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Prewired-Guitar-ES-335-Harness-ES-335-3-Way-Assembly_W0QQitemZ180242983805QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item180242983805&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

 

I havent soldered since leaving school and I was crap then, will it be straight forward?

 

Also I would like to put some really good pickups in. Do I just need to solder them to this wiring? What would everyone recommend as gibson 57's seem very expensive, although I do want an awesome sounding guitar at the end

[TWANG]

The Mojo wiring and parts are all pretty first class.

I usually use sprague orange drops,

CGE pots are fine, though most go for CTS or Alpha..however you have to be sure they are offering you metric size pots..

to fit your knobs and shaft holes.. and you have to be sure your sheraton will accept full size pots through the F holes, as that's how they

are installed.

 

I understand the new chinese sheratons will take full size pots through the f holes.. my korean won't, so I have to use mini pots.

But I'm also sure that will full size usa pots, you'll have to drill your pot shaft holes larger in order for these to pass through.

And you'll have to make sure you have usa knobs to fit the pot shafts, too.

 

They use oil in paper caps.. some swear by them. they are fairly spendy.

They use a switchcraft switch, and that's pretty standard. I've not had to drill the switch hole on my sheri for the upgraded switch.

 

They use good wire, and they have a nice neat soldering job all the way around.

It has to be solid because you have to thread the parts into place via the f hole.

 

first time I did it there was a lot of swearing. It's not uncommon to pull too hard and find yourself with a broken solder connection if

you don't get things done nicely to start with.

 

Basically, they are getting pretty much full price on every part.. list price.

And then wiring it up on a card for practically nothing.

I think it's expensive beyond reason, but hey.. it IS a good job and all good products.

 

Just be sure about which model/year sheri you have and get the right pots.

I'm sure they have options at Mojo Musical Supply for doing just that.

 

You can buy the right parts and wire them up yourself if you know how to solder.

But threading them through is the hard part.. and there are youtube videos, though they aren't really very comprehensive..

that will help a great deal.

Plus there's us, of course!

 

Pickup choices vary quite bit.. and good pickups come from many sources.

GFS is a favorite in this forum, and users report good sound, and a decent price.

 

I use Kent Armstrong Pickups in both my Sheraton and my Epi LP.

I'm going to try some Razors out soon.

 

If I were you, I'd look at the gibson specs.. then try to match those specs to other brands.. then try to find reviews and users..

*you'll find many here!* of the alternative and I believe you'll have an excellent chance at getting a better sound out of your sheri.

 

I have to say, I just fixed the switch on my epi lp and it's never given me any trouble since.

So that's an option.. and not hard to do, even on a sheri!

Which would save you some bucks for those pups!

 

But. you are going to pull the guts of your guitar putting in new pups. no way around it. and for my money, better to do it all at once.

So.. I suggest two things:

fix the switch and leave it stock for a while, until you get the bucks to do it all, giving yourself time to research costs and the pups.

 

or just go for it..

 

TWANG

[TWANG]

oh . about the soldering.

really it's pretty straightforward.

 

You want to know the rules..

like always turn the pot down before applying heat to anything it's connected to.

and don't use one of those big guns with a trigger and extreme heat.. a pencil iron will do..

and use as little heat as you can.

 

you have to connect four wires. plus your ground wire.

the rest mojo will have..

(I forgot.. did they have the output jack on that card, too? If not. then two more!)

 

wiring diagrams are easy to understand. and you should probably have not much trouble..

use good solder. I like the silver solder you get at radio shack best.

 

and review threading that stuff into the guitar before you try it.

and be patient.

you can't bull your way through any part of it.

 

tWANG

[lpdeluxe]

I rewired my '95 Samick Sheraton II for mini pots and Seymour Duncans. PM me with your email address and I'll send you the step-by-step of how I did it.

 

And Twang's right: the soldering is straightforward.

[TWANG]

+1 lpdeluxe!

 

TWANG