September 20, 2009

A new series on guitar electronics

Semi-Hollowbody Electronics Electronics, Epiphone Riviera P93, Video 50

This is part 1 of a new series on guitar electronics. In the video, I demonstrate how to get the electronics out of a semi-hollow body guitar, with some useful tips and tricks.

Once the electronics are out of the guitar, it’s relatively easy to try some experiments on the circuit to see how it sounds. I’m planning a number of upcoming experiments including:

Experimenting with replacement pots
Adding treble bleed to the volume pots
Trying different tone capacitors to see how it changes the sound
Replacing the jack with one with a longer bushing Switchcraft jack
Replacing the pickups
Putting all the electronics back into a semi-hollow body guitar through the f-hole

Every step of the way, I’ll be recording audio examples, how-to videos, and text writeup.

I look forward to hearing any comments or suggestions. Please let me know your experiences too!

50 Comments

Rosano Callao
September 28, 2009 @ 3:44 am

Thanks for your vid! I’m actually looking for something like this because
I’m also planning to upgrade my hardwares. 🙂

Reply
paulignacius
October 26, 2009 @ 8:36 pm

What the! This is the video I have been waiting for!

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theoldmacarooni8
November 29, 2009 @ 8:57 pm

lol this was very very helpful!, it was funny when yuo were pulling out the electroncis its like that john and kate plus 8 show at birth. ok we got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and babies out of that hole there.. LOL

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John
December 1, 2009 @ 8:41 am

Haha! Wait til you see me stuff it all back in there… You won’t see that
on Jon and Kate! 🙂

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theoldmacarooni8
December 1, 2009 @ 6:43 pm

Haha =)

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HFDP49
December 11, 2009 @ 4:28 pm

Hey John.. Instead of using string to fish your pot use rubberbands. Take the rubberband and wrap it around the knurling on the knob and pass one end through the other and slide it tight on the knob you can make a chain of bands depending on how long you need them.

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John
December 11, 2009 @ 6:01 pm

Interesting idea. Sounds like there could be some loooong chains of rubberbands! 🙂
How about a combination of a rubberband (to avoid slipping off the pot shaft), tied to a string for length… I’ll try that next time!

Reply
weshawk1
December 13, 2009 @ 1:15 pm

Thanks for your video. It was very helpful and saved me a lot of time figuring things out. Regards…

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mydejavooo1
December 21, 2009 @ 8:45 pm

You could also mark the pot shafts with tape or some type of marke before you drop them into the body, so you don’t have to plug in the guitar and find out which one is which, and this will make it a little easier to know which one is which. Nice video!

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- John
  December 21, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
  
  Good suggestion! 🙂
  
  Reply
bfv102290
December 27, 2009 @ 6:03 am

Could you make a video about push/pull pots and series and parallel wiring?

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skatedude513
January 12, 2010 @ 5:52 pm

are you going to post a video of you reassembling the electronics? Im thinking about doing something like this to a guitar but im worried i wont be able to reassemble it myself. Thanks

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- John
  January 12, 2010 @ 8:27 pm
  
  Yes I will. I apologize it’s taken me so long to get to it. Lots of other projects intervened.
  I’ll try to do this in the next week.
  Also, don’t worry too much, it’s not so hard. Just requires patience and determination 🙂
  
  Reply
DrTahanBlues
February 12, 2010 @ 8:10 pm

john excelente video
saludos desde caracas venezuela
la calidad de tu video es extraordinaria el sonido es excelente y el contenido es muy util ….te felicito sinceramente

Reply
bfv102290
March 2, 2010 @ 7:22 pm

When putting everything back together, how hard is it for the pickup switch to be pulled back through the hole if you tie string around the bushing? Won’t it be sideways when it’s inside the guitar and then it will have to turn itself righside up when you’re pulling it through the hole with the string tied to it?

Reply
- John
  March 2, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
  
  Don’t worry – it’s not so bad. The switch, neck and middle volume pots are so close to the f-hole that you can always stick your finger or pliers through to nudge them into the holes..
  
  Reply
  - bfv102290
    March 3, 2010 @ 8:32 am
    
    The switch on my guitar isn’t near the f-hole. I have a Gretsch G-5120, and the pickup switch is toward the top of the guitar, like where it is placed on a Les Paul. I don’t know if I could actually pull it back through the mounting hole if I just tie string around the bushing. Somehow, it would have to be right side up, and it would still be hard to have the switch’s shaft come up through the hole.
    
    Reply
    - John
      March 3, 2010 @ 8:46 am
      
      Ah! Sorry, I forgot to ask you what guitar you had! 🙂 In any case, you’ll have the same concern with the pots – the shaft has to come up through the hole first. If you tie some string or dental floss around the threads, when you pull it through, the threads will come first. Unlikely it’ll pull upside down unless it gets really tangled. Once it’s under the hole, you can reach through with some needle nose pliers to nudge it or grab it. Will require a lot of patience, but you can do it!
      
      Reply
      - bfv102290
        March 3, 2010 @ 9:13 am
        
        I don’t really have any way to reach in and push things through. My guitar has a master volume knob on the cutaway, and then bridge and neck volume and master tone are near the f-hole. The switch isn’t either. Should I just tie dental floss around the actual shaft of the switch itself?
        
        Reply
        
        John
        March 3, 2010 @ 9:26 am
        
        I meant that you can reach pliers through the switch or pot hole itself (not through the f-hole). In other words, pull the string through the hole until the switch is under it, then reach through the hole with pliers to get the switch head through, then pull it the rest of the way through.
        You could try tying around the switch shaft but it might slip off- tying around the threads is better for grip.
        
        Reply
        
        bfv102290
        March 3, 2010 @ 12:40 pm
        
        I’ll plan on doing that. I’m also installing DPDT switches for series/parallel and coil-splitting. Those switches each require a 1/4″ mounting hole, so hopefully that will be big enough to reach needle nose pliers into. And I have some waxed dental floss that is really strong. Any kind of thread would most likely break since it’s so thin.
        
        Reply
elmorejones
April 10, 2010 @ 5:30 pm

Excellent John, been waiting for this kind of instruction. Thanks !!!!

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yuraaa1990
May 20, 2010 @ 2:54 pm

veeeery interesting !!!! 🙂
thank man !

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jeremydmccann
May 24, 2010 @ 6:30 pm

first off, these are great videos that you put on here for us all. Secondly, I love the care you show your guitar. It is nice to see people treat their instruments with such respect so as to avoid scratches etc… Keep up the great work!

Reply
- John
  May 26, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
  
  @jeremydmccann – Thanks for the kind words! It’s really a miracle I’ve made it through the 30+ videos in this project so far without any major accidents or dings. All it takes is one slip of the screwdriver, or one scrape of a pot lug… Being careful helps a lot, but it takes luck too 🙂
  
  Reply
bluecrow00
September 7, 2010 @ 5:34 pm

amazing videos they are exactly wath I was looking for, tanks for posting them and greetings from mexico

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jaseonthebass
September 14, 2010 @ 11:15 am

f-hole lol

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alchfive
March 22, 2011 @ 2:54 pm

Thanks. Getting ready to put new pickups in my Artcore.

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Suriyathepjuti
July 28, 2011 @ 2:12 am

Excellent John, Thank you very much.

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Despotes518
September 25, 2011 @ 7:52 pm

Thank you for this!! Was so scared to replace stuff on my semi-hollow. Much more comfortable doing it now.

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FunkyMrFresh
December 5, 2011 @ 8:58 pm

Very helpful indeed… thanks for posting! Cheers.

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wookyoftheyear
March 26, 2012 @ 1:42 am

Excellent videos man. I don’t have a hollowbody yet, but was thinking of going the cheaper route, then upgrading the electronics as I go along. This made me much more interested in going that route since I can see that it’s indeed doable! Thanks!

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Sebasstian86
September 8, 2012 @ 3:20 am

Hey Johh, these video’s are very helpfull.
I’m planning on replacing the pickups on my ibanez artcore semi-acoustic. What I was wondering, is wether it would be possible to pull out the entire wiring harness through one pickup hole? Maybe by dropping the bridge pickup down into the body and pulling it through the neck pickup hole?

That way I would have a functioning wiring harness and can fuck up all I want on a new one, with all the gizzmos I want…

Reply
- John Cooper
  September 14, 2012 @ 9:57 am
  
  Is that a full hollow body model, or semi-hollow? In a semil-hollow there’s usually only a tiny hole drilled in the center solid block for the wires to go through – not big enough to pull your whole harness with pots/etc out. But with a full hollowbody, you may be able to drag everything out through the pickup hole.
  
  Reply
  - Sebasstian86
    September 14, 2012 @ 12:38 pm
    
    It is a full hollowbody, pretty fat, so that’s what I was hoping for. I’m just gonna have to go ahead and attempt it. It’ll be the first pick-up change I’ve done. I’ve built pedals before and can at least soder wiring up to work. The fact that the controls arent neat on a control panel just makes it a bit more challenging.
    Thanks for the reply!
    
    Reply
richrhocks
September 18, 2012 @ 10:21 am

Funny where he gouges the body of the guitar at the beginning while taking off the pickguard. LOL!

Reply
- John
  October 21, 2012 @ 9:08 pm
  
  That looked worse than it really was- fortunately it didn’t leave a mark. But you’re right, you can’t be too careful with the finish. I shouldn’t have waited til 2:00 to bring out the dropcloths.
  
  Reply
ThePlipster
October 21, 2012 @ 10:06 am

Very helpful. I was just about to buy a hollowbody but then I was like wait…. How are you supposed to work on one of these?? After this video I feel confident enough to pull the trigger. Thanks for taking the time to make this!

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- John
  October 21, 2012 @ 9:06 pm
  
  Great! It’s not easy, and you will get frustrated, but (as I hoped to show here), it is certainly doable. Good luck!
  
  Reply
  - ThePlipster
    October 21, 2012 @ 10:24 pm
    
    Thankfully it’s not in need of any repairs right now but I like to know I’m able to make repairs myself if something goes wrong
    
    Reply
stratcatavarious
December 26, 2012 @ 11:23 am

WOW – awesome John
Really helpful and thanks for the tips

Do you know what the gauge of teh wire is ? Or if its better to just replace the wire with a certain gauge like 16 or 18 AWG ?

Reply
- John
  December 30, 2012 @ 9:40 pm
  
  The shielded wire is 26 gauge, like the one from stewmac. The non-shielded wire is stranded 22 gauge. 16 or 18 would be unnecessarily heavy.
  
  Reply
PennyDraftRocks
January 27, 2013 @ 6:24 am

Thanks for the very detailed video. Exactly what I was looking for. I have an Oscar Schmidt Delta King……beautiful guitar, bad electronics. Again, Thanks for taking the time to put these together! Rob

Reply
orangequartermusic
March 25, 2013 @ 9:52 pm

Let’s say you want to refinish the body, but keep the pots and selector switch. Where is the best place to cut the wires so you can wire them back in later?

Reply
- John
  April 6, 2013 @ 10:27 pm
  
  I would prefer not to cut the wires. I’d probably unsolder the bridge wire from its ground point (probably the back of the pot), unsolder the pickups from the switch (or whatever they’re soldered to), and then leave the rest of the components wired together in a group, removing them all together.
  
  Reply
Fabio Copani
April 3, 2013 @ 1:54 pm

Hi JohnPlanetz, you made great videos! I have a question: I want to take my old pickups apart, do I have to get out of my epiphone dot the whole electronics? Will I be able to take out only the volume pots and unsold the pickups or the wire is too short? Hope you answer soon!

Reply
- John
  April 6, 2013 @ 10:29 pm
  
  You could remove the pickups and cut the wires a few inches from the pickup. This would leave enough slack to resolder the wires together when you put them back in. If you don’t want to cut the wires, then yes, you’ll probably need to remove the entire group of pots/switches.
  
  Reply
- Guillermo Celano
  July 19, 2013 @ 2:01 pm
  
  Hi John,
  Great video. What about the ground cable? you didn’t take it out, doesn’t it usually becomes a problem because all the electronics are connected to it? It won’t come out unless you cut it. Right?
  Thanks
  
  Reply
  - John
    July 19, 2013 @ 2:09 pm
    
    The bridge ground wire is usually soldered to a common ground point like the back of a pot. I can’t quite remember what I did in this video, whether it was long enough and still connected while I was mounting the electronics in the cardboard, or whether I had to remove it. In any case, if it’s too short, you can cut it or unsolder it. Then you can keep it connected by soldering a longer wire to it, or attaching an alligator lead to it.
    
    Reply
Giacomo De Checchi
September 2, 2013 @ 6:44 am

Many thanks for posting this! I have an Epiphone Riviera P-93 and I was just wondering how to pull out the electronics and such, should I need to. I’ve watched some of your other videos, too, and they’re all very accurate.

Reply
CodedToast Mark R
September 29, 2014 @ 7:05 am

Why dont manufacturers just put a cavity plate on the backside of the
body>?

Reply
Martin Noutch
July 27, 2015 @ 4:53 am

Thanks. Replacing bad wiring in my hollowbody – appreciated the cloth trick
for the control knobs too.

Reply

A new series on guitar electronics

50 Comments

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