eor Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 ok, i kinda got the itch. my sheraton is probably going to the tech anyway for a bigsby issue, so i'm amassing parts and things it needs to have done so i don't have to keep going back there. bench charge, so i better get my money's worth. ok, the wiring. aside from the intermittent cutting out of the the bridge pickup when switching from the neck/middle positions, it's fine (no, contact cleaner didn't fix it). merely fine. but can it be better? the vol/tone sweeps are useable, but not really that inspiring. it has some sweet spots, but i'd like more distinction, and more clean up-ability when rolling back the volume, without losing all the volume, if you know what i mean. so what's out there? throw out some names, brands, parts and what have you. how would these kits compare to what's already in there? don't know what's going on in there already, to be honest. would i be better served by buying the parts separately instead of a kit (since i'm not doing the work myself)? thoughts? experiences? i might want to do this to the les paul at some point, if this goes well. those kits are way cheaper, too. here's a few that i found after poking around a bit: mojotone 335 kit acme 335 rs guitarworks 335 dr vintage 335 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Eor, RS Guitarworks sells what they call a superpot. It is a volume pot sold both individually and in some of their kits. It has a combination audio and linear taper. It is expensive for a pot but not exorbitant. Considering what a guitar costs to begin with (not to mention your "bench work") a few extra bucks might be worth it. Aside from that, I've had similar discussions recently with others. Most recent was about some P94s but it would pertain to any type of wiring scheme a long as you are not going to push pull pots or "Jimmy Page" wiring. If you are interested, it is something to read and view. It may help you "get your feet wet". Read and view everything and click on all links. Start here: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/61124-let-me-rephrase-the-question-p94-swap-questions/ Good luck in your journey, Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amx05462 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 i found that gibson pot vs what comes in epiphones are a big improvement same with the switch. epis seem to come with that cheapo covered toggle for the pickups. my 56 gold top for example got it cheap because 1 pickup didnt worl so i just went to another place that had all the parts i needed plus a set of gold knobs to replace those orange things . went right through it including the pickup wires. shes sweet now. my origonal wildkat same problem but i tookit back and got a red one for a hundred less no problems with that so far but i opened the switch cavity... same junk switch so i changed it right out. the dot never a problem but the dot studio. electronicly . junk so id go for gibson parts and some of that nice shielded wiring avalable on the net at angela instruments. and defenitly a new switch. might as well do the output plug while your in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Eor, By the way, in terms of kits: The RS and mojotone are very popular kits. The RS does offer the superpot. I am not familiar with the DR. Vintage but it looks very similar to the RS. Also, as your Sheraton is an Elitist, you might already have Gibson electronics in your guitar. I don't give many opinions on any of them as I build my own when I need them. Willy Follow the yellow brick road and Kansas will never seem the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejaid Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Just put one of these BCS 335 Harness in my Dot with a new set of pickups and wow did the guitar come alive! Did it all myself too, and it wasn't very hard. Just take your time. The price is the lowest I found for the quality parts used, and BCS customer service is excellent. I highly recommend them. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenrisulfr Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 So eor I pretty much had the same issues you describe with your Sheraton Elitist. No, contact cleaner doesn't work but have you tried, or asked your tech to try burnishing the contacts? You can do it yourself with a "Europen" type of tool or with a polishing wheel of a Dremel. That worked like a charm for mine; no switching noise or cutting out anymore at all. I no longer need to replace the switch. I *was* considering the tonemojo harness for my Sheraton Elite... But in all cases the prices are sort of a joke. You're going to pay $100-$200 plus shipping and build-time for $35-$40 worth of parts (that's CTS pots and Sprague Vitamin Q's, or the equivalent) and an hour's worth of labour anyone who owns a solder pen can do. Hmmm... the link deejaid provided is actually a pretty reasonable deal; I've used Bourns before and I think they're nice pots. In any case, make sure you measure the height of the pickup selector switch and report that to anyone you're going to have the harness made by if you're going to order with the switch assembly wired. The Sheraton Elite/Elitist tops are thicker than an ES 335 and the standard switch shaft will not be long enough. I believe they are also thicker than the AIUSA tops as well. Also I should note that the Sheraton won't accomodate an "L" type switch. Deejaid: Is your Dot an Elitist? Did you have any issues with the switch shaft size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejaid Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Regular Dot, not the Elitist. I can't recall now if I had to make the switch hole larger, but for the pots I did have to enlarge the holes. Used a dremel tool and it worked great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eor Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 ok, this project is back in action after being tabled due to funding issues :) after watching the vids in the other link (thanks willy!) i ended up going with this: Vintage 335 Upgrade Kit but i ordered it unassembled, so after shipping and adding an extra length of wire, came out to $113, i think. i called them up and asked some questions and went with their suggestions. i rolled with the jensens instead of some of the fancier, pricer caps because the bumble bees/tiger whatevers have more upper mids and are brighter than the jensens, which are warmer. i don't need more brightness with the mini humbuckers, so it seemed like the right thing to do. i avoided the bourns pots used in some of the other guys offer because i liked the cts sound/sweep a little better, and because the bourns were described as low friction, and i like knobs with a lot of tension. the way they feel stock on the mij is fine, but the stock pots on a mik sheraton were way too loose for my tastes. strangely, i forgot to ask about the tension on the cts. doh! now i specified that i had a mij epi, and not a gibson, and they recommened the short shaft, short switch and long jack combo. we'll see, i guess. so i'll keep you guys posted when the work is all done. excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eor Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 update! people are avoiding my guitar like the plague. between the f-holes and the mini humbucker routes and the lack of an access panel, techs are either flat out saying no or quoting super high for the harness swap. about $150 for just labor, not including any actual setup work or string changes or what not. so i'm in an odd position now. i'd still like to have it done, but i don't have the equipment or knowledge to pull this off on my own. if i do it myself, after the cost of a decent soldering kit, trial and error and the pain and suffering involved, paying someone $150 will probably seem like a good idea. :) guess i'll sit on it for now and consider my options, but if i find someone who'll do it for less i'll probably jump on it. not that i'm unwilling to learn, but this sheraton is my #1 and i don't want to take any chances with it. on a lesser guitar i might have given it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Lunatic Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Those so-called techs you mentioned are obviously friggin amateurs, and have no right calling themselves anything but amateurs. While it's true that re-doing a semi-hollow is more difficult than a solid body, it's not rocket science. Lots of DIYers do it; we read about it all the time in forums such as this one. A cheap soldering iron, some monofilament fishing line, and lots of patience is all that's required. Videos like this one show the procedure quite well: Any moderately skilled do-it-yourself-er should be capable of doing it. Do you have any friends or relatives who fit that description? Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 update! people are avoiding my guitar like the plague. between the f-holes and the mini humbucker routes and the lack of an access panel, techs are either flat out saying no or quoting super high for the harness swap. about $150 for just labor, not including any actual setup work or string changes or what not. so i'm in an odd position now. i'd still like to have it done, but i don't have the equipment or knowledge to pull this off on my own. if i do it myself, after the cost of a decent soldering kit, trial and error and the pain and suffering involved, paying someone $150 will probably seem like a good idea. :) guess i'll sit on it for now and consider my options, but if i find someone who'll do it for less i'll probably jump on it. not that i'm unwilling to learn, but this sheraton is my #1 and i don't want to take any chances with it. on a lesser guitar i might have given it a shot. then you need to find yourself a real tech. if the task you are proposing is too much for them, you don't want them touching your guitar. 2 things should tell you this: one, while that job is a tedious one and a pain to do, it is not really even considered a hard one with any kind of real experience. also, what you are wanting to have done is a valid request, and a professional will not turn it down just because he doesn't "feel" he wants to do it-a real proffesional will do what is requested. another thing: i know you have bought the parts, but what are you doing having to buy kits if you have a tech? if he is worth his salt, he would be able to advise you on what you may want as well as be able to get the parts if he doesn't already have them. in short, he should not need a "kit" supplied by the costomer, he makes the kit himself for you. my advise would be to use this forum to it's advantage: ask the great folks here if they know any real, actual competent techs or luthiers in your area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eor Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 i should clarify. it isn't that he can't do it, its just that he really, really, really doesn't want to and is pricing himself out of the market, if you like. the other tech is a bigger name guy, so his prices are just higher anyway. i wouldn't mind doing it myself, but i know that a- i don't have the tools for the job b- i don't (often) have the patience for this sort of thing so between the start up costs (soldering kit, etc) and my investment of time (and the guitar's downtime) it may not be worth it. then again, i'd like to be able to do my own guitar maintenance, as i've blown a lot of cash on techs in the past. and since i'll soon be moving to parts unknown, i may have to learn myself how anyway. but again, tools (luthier tools especially) aren't cheap. videos i've seen (like the one posted) make it seem relatively easy, though. and for whatever reason, my area (ventura county, ca) is like a guitar tech wasteland. googled a few names that went absolutely nowhere. i have to travel back down to the la area to get stuff done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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