Replacement Pots for Emperor

[pastor jim]

I am having some static problems with two of the pots on my EMPEROR. I know where to buy a replacement set (including toggle), but I'm a little unsure of how difficult it might be to actually get into the electronics. Can the wiring harness be replaced without disturbing the top, back and sides? Should I just take it to a pro, or can I do it myself?

[brianh]

As replacing pots go, it's pretty easy because they're outside the guitar on the pickguard.

 

But you should try cleaning them with Deoxit or similar before you go to the trouble of replacing them.

 

Check this link: http://www.customguitars.com/pots.html

[Blueman335]

I've rewired dozens of F hole guitars. No big deal. Unscrew the pots and pull the harness out, lay it on a towel on top of the body. Do your soldering, and then test everything thru an amp. To get pots back in, use a stiff plastic-coated wire or a piece of aquarium tubing. That's for the neck tone pot. For the rest I use a 6" forcept with a curved tip. Push the pot shaft up thru the hole, then hold it with the forcept while you put the washer and nut on. It takes me 5 to 10 minutes to get all 4 pots back in place.

 

I have a set of 3 nut drivers from StewMac, which I use on solid bodies too, so I don't scratch up the finish loosening and tightening nuts with a pair of pliers. Very handy.

[RaSTuS]

DOH !!!

[pastor jim]

As replacing pots go, it's pretty easy because they're outside the guitar on the pickguard.

 

But you should try cleaning them with Deoxit or similar before you go to the trouble of replacing them.

 

Check this link: http://www.customguitars.com/pots.html

Thanks for the post, but on the Emperor they go through the body not the pickguard.

[pastor jim]

I've rewired dozens of F hole guitars. No big deal. Unscrew the pots and pull the harness out, lay it on a towel on top of the body. Do your soldering, and then test everything thru an amp. To get pots back in, use a stiff plastic-coated wire or a piece of aquarium tubing. That's for the neck tone pot. For the rest I use a 6" forcept with a curved tip. Push the pot shaft up thru the hole, then hold it with the forcept while you put the washer and nut on. It takes me 5 to 10 minutes to get all 4 pots back in place.

 

I have a set of 3 nut drivers from StewMac, which I use on solid bodies too, so I don't scratch up the finish loosening and tightening nuts with a pair of pliers. Very handy.

 

Thank you. That's useful knowledge. I am a klutz, so maybe I'll buy the harness and take it to a pro! Again, my thanks.

[brianh]

Thanks for the post, but on the Emperor they go through the body not the pickguard.

Sorry, there are several kind of Emperors. On mine it's a floating pickup with the controls on the pickguard. Looks like this:

 

[LongMan]

Sorry, there are several kind of Emperors.

Yours is an Emperor Regent. pastor jim is probably talking of the Emperor II Joe Pass:

[stein]

Thank you. That's useful knowledge. I am a klutz, so maybe I'll buy the harness and take it to a pro! Again, my thanks.

If you take it to a 'pro', there is no reason to buy a harness. The harnesses they sell are nothing more than pre-soldered parts to make it a little easier for the do-it-yourself types. If you take it to a shop, they should not only have the parts, but the ability and skill to put them together easily.

 

I think it is something anyone with a soldering iron and the ability to read a diagram can do, BUT it does take some practice. The parts are fished through to be installed, and it can be difficult for someone doing it for the first time. If this is the ONLY time you plan on doing it, and you aren't particularly good with thinks of this nature, it might not be worth spending all day on it to learn how to do something you don't care to know how to do.

 

For a good well paid luthier or tech, it should only cost about 100 bucks for a complete replacement. But it could be much less if he can find a simpler fix, or if he works for less.