atj13 Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I have just purchased a wiring upgrade kit for my Epi G400. It was slightly modified from the standard kit, it has: Sprague orange drop caps Bournes 500k push pull pots x 2 (Replacement pups will be coil split) CTS 500k pots x 2 ( all are short in length for SG body) switch craft three way switch (with cream coloured knob) braided wiring Switch Craft input jack this cost me $NZ 88.00 (U.S. $66 including freight.) When proguitar shop in Oregon have the Seymour Duncan zebra humbucker set back in stock (SH2 jazz and JB for bridge) I will be ordering these. I cant do the work myself (may be some drilling required) but have approached a suitably qualified guy to do the work. Quite looking forward to this project, its a gift for my son for Christmas and I had been ready to push the button on some P-Rails but they seem to be a jack of all trades but master of none so will go with the zebras instead (they do look great as well as sounding great). The G400 has been great but is a little underwhelming sonically. It should stop him wanting new bloody guitars all the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 It should stop him wanting new bloody guitars all the time! ROFL.....No it won't. cool project though, a lot of Epi's suffer from poor electrical components and often (as you already mentioned) underwhelming pickups. These upgrades will definitely bring out the best this guitar has to offer. and Good on Ya for getting it done for your son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSAR Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Nice! Your son should love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny 6 String Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I have just purchased a wiring upgrade kit for my Epi G400. It was slightly modified from the standard kit, it has: Sprague orange drop caps Bournes 500k push pull pots x 2 (Replacement pups will be coil split) CTS 500k pots x 2 ( all are short in length for SG body) switch craft three way switch (with cream coloured knob) braided wiring Switch Craft input jack this cost me $NZ 88.00 (U.S. $66 including freight.) When proguitar shop in Oregon have the Seymour Duncan zebra humbucker set back in stock (SH2 jazz and JB for bridge) I will be ordering these. I cant do the work myself (may be some drilling required) but have approached a suitably qualified guy to do the work. Quite looking forward to this project, its a gift for my son for Christmas and I had been ready to push the button on some P-Rails but they seem to be a jack of all trades but master of none so will go with the zebras instead (they do look great as well as sounding great). The G400 has been great but is a little underwhelming sonically. It should stop him wanting new bloody guitars all the time! Sounds like a good kit, and the Duncans will be a great upgrade. Good for you for encouraging your son's tone quest. But as bigneil mentioned I doubt it will stop the wanting, needing, or desiring of new gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atj13 Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 ROFL.....No it won't. cool project though, a lot of Epi's suffer from poor electrical components and often (as you already mentioned) underwhelming pickups. These upgrades will definitely bring out the best this guitar has to offer. and Good on Ya for getting it done for your son. thanks, appreciate of course its an Epi and not a Gibson SG or a Yamaha SG (if only) but it will sound markedly better and agree the wanting will only be postponed, I too suffer from that sickness.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmeadows85 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Aside from soldering, you could probably swing this project yourself. I am assuming the drilling you refer to will be enlarging the holes on the SG to accommodate the CTS pots? All you need is a step-drill bit. I purchased one for under $15, which is probably less than what someone will charge. Check out this video: It is for a 335 copy (Epi Dot or something), but they show how to use the step drill. Go to around 1:55 335 Install Super easy to do, BUT I did put some masking tape over the holes to prevent any fatal accidents to the top of the body. But with an SG, you could drill from the actual cavity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Aside from soldering, you could probably swing this project yourself. I am assuming the drilling you refer to will be enlarging the holes on the SG to accommodate the CTS pots? All you need is a step-drill bit. I purchased one for under $15, which is probably less than what someone will charge. Soldering's the easist part. If you can change a light bulb you can solder. The first rewiring/soldering I did was on a 335 (pulled the pots out and put in two push-pulls). The second was putting the 4 push-pull Jimmy Page system in a Epi Les Paul. No prior experience, no handyman skills, no electrical or soldering knowldge what-so-ever. All you need is a good wiring diagram, good lighting, a fan, and an old towel to set things on. Take your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atj13 Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 Actually I have just checked the wiring kit again and the pots are all Bourns. Hope these are okay because I read somewhere that either CTS or Bourns can be quite stiff to turn, hope this is not the case. They are all shrink wrapped so I cant really check, might have a look and if they are I could easily send them back and exchange perhaps for another brand. They aren't all that expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasbluezman Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Actually I have just checked the wiring kit again and the pots are all Bourns. Hope these are okay because I read somewhere that either CTS or Bourns can be quite stiff to turn, hope this is not the case. They are all shrink wrapped so I cant really check, might have a look and if they are I could easily send them back and exchange perhaps for another brand. They aren't all that expensive. Personally, I prefer the pots to be stiff. It helps against accidental bumps, and volume change when not wanted. Plus, they will loosen over time. I put CTS matched pots in my Epi LP Custom, they are stiff, but smooth turning also. I changed out everything except the pickups. From what I remember, the Bourns aren't supposed to be as stiff as the CTS's. The whole upgrade is not hard at all. Plenty of youtube videos to watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.