The modding has began...

[heartbreaker]

My LS85F is going through some chances.
I've ordered today a Faber Kit and an aluminum tailpiece.
I'm also think about changing the truss rod cover with a gibson.
Will this fit?

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw10_gibson_glocke_gitr010_prodinfo.html

Regarding the electronics, I'm thinking about jack and switch Switchcraft and CTS pots. Are these good options?

 

[luis]

Not sure those,but Rockinger ones do fit surely.

 

[heartbreaker]

Not sure those,but Rockinger ones do fit surely.

Are you talking about this one? http://www.rockinger.com/index.php?cat=WG153&lang=eng&product=3505S

 

[luis]

Yes,they are.I put them in two Love Rocks.

I also remember putting an original Burny LC-60 bell cover in my LS-70 with sucess.....

 

[mattim]

My LS85F is going through some chances.
I've ordered today a Faber Kit and an aluminum tailpiece.
I'm also think about changing the truss rod cover with a gibson.
Will this fit?

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw10_gibson_glocke_gitr010_prodinfo.html

Regarding the electronics, I'm thinking about jack and switch Switchcraft and CTS pots. Are these good options?

I have used Hosco Two Layer TRC:s (F-4007), they are reasonably priced at least here in Finland ?2,50.



Matti

 

[JohnA]

CTS pots! I really don't know what the fuss is about, they sound no different to a good Japanese 500K pot and are very stiff. If you are used to rolling up the volume with your little finger CTS pots are a pain in the butt!

 

[Anonymous]

Gibson TRCs don't fit unless you drill. Metric vs inch I guess.

CTS pots are overrated as JohnA says. They are just "vintage correct".

However, try some different caps. Also give it a try with pressed-coal resistors at 100K and 1M in parllael. I recently bought a 1958 Telefunken tape-machine for ? 10.-- on ebay. Perfect caps inside!!!

The best upgrade I know for a real Tokai is burning a Gibson just beside her.

She will remember!

Cheers! Rup

 

[heartbreaker]

Looks like I'll have to forget the Gibson truss rod cover. Maybe I'll follow Luis advice.
I'm thinking about changing the pots, because when I roll off the volume, I can only hear some differences when the volume is almost off.
Probably, the problem is on the pickup and not on the pot.
I though about the CTS because I heard about them, but I'm open to other suggestions.

 

[JohnA]

The other thing about CTS pots is that the shafts are slightly too big for Japanese guitars so you need to ream out the holes in the top a little bit. Alpha pots fit, are cheaper, sound just as good and aren't as stiff as CTS, although this is just personal preference.

Make sure you get Log pots for the volume, either Log or Linear will be fine for the tone 500K for both and get some decent caps. I wouldn't waste money on bumblebees ar anything some Orange Drops are great and loads cheaper.

 

[Outsider]

Check out www.singlecoil.com, it's a german shop that sells pots and caps and stuff. Dirk is a nice guy who runs the site, I got a set of matched pots and caps from him for my LS-85 and I'm really happy with them.

Hey JohnA, shouldn't the vol. pots be linear to get smooth fade. Aren't the log pots a little too steep, kind of on-off type? Or am I confusing the two?

 

[Angel]

I thought A taper (log) was for volume and B taper (lin) was for tone, but my princess has them in the other way, B for Vol and A for Tone, Is this correct? Maybe it's modded in any way?

Sorry for the OT

Thx.

 

[JohnA]

Definetely Log for volume, I personally think either for tone is fine, traditionally a Linear pot for tone though.

If you use a Linear pot for volume, it may be electrically a straight line, but it doesnt sound right, all the volume increace will be between zero and 2 or 3.

Angel, you're right it does sound like your vol & tone pots are swapped, it really doesnt matter that much though, if you are the type of player that leaves eveything omn 10 it will make no difference at all. If you use the vol pot a lot then I would swap them over.

 

[leadguitar_323]

Hi all, i've never heard of "log taper", in Aus they are referred to as Audio taper and linear taper. Audio for evenly incremented volume roll off and what ever you prefer for tone. :wink:

Mick

 

[Glamrockmegastar]

Hey John,
I kinda like my tone at about 4 for neck pickup. If I had a Log/Audio/ A taper tone pot would it mean it would be sitting between 1&2, and have a narrower sweet spot?

 

[hawkeye2u]

I have a hard time to understand the modding of guitars!

Why buy the guitar if you are not happy with it in the first place.
Value of the instrument will be lowered, just read all the comments on the forum re original or not.

I leave all my instruments alone, clean & polish at a regular basis, thats all.

I used to fiddle around, but it cost me a lot of money, for only my ears, not the audience on a gig!! Who wouldn't have a clue of what pups or whatever mod you would have done to it!

Mod the guitar now and 10-15 years down the track when you want to sell it you won't get your money back as it is modified, even solder joints has to be original for some people!
Think about it
If you are not worried about all the above, great! go ahead and mod until your ears are satisfied

This is just my 2 c worth
No offence to anyone wanting to modify their gear

Cheers
Hawk

 

[heartbreaker]

I understand your point, hawkeye2u, but for some of us, selling our guitars is not an option.
I'm not thinking about selling my guitars. I have a Ibanez RG all beated up, but I'm keeping it.
I believe that moding to make the guitar sound better is always a wise decision. Obviously, the moding that I'm thinking about is reversible.
So, If I change my mind and want to sell the guitar, I can always install the original hardware, sell the guitar and also sell the spare parts.

 

[JohnA]

Hey John,
I kinda like my tone at about 4 for neck pickup. If I had a Log/Audio/ A taper tone pot would it mean it would be sitting between 1&2, and have a narrower sweet spot?

If you currently have a linear pot in the tone a Log/Audio pot would probably have to be up at 7-8 before you got the same effect. This diagram explains it pretty well:

 

[Rustyslide]

Why buy the guitar if you are not happy with it in the first place. Value of the instrument will be lowered, just read all the comments on the forum re original or not.

There are lots of great playing, acoustically sound instruments that don't quite do it amplified. Also, many things, guitars included are aimed at as a wide an audience as possible, hence hot pickups, "modern" (since '62!) wiring on LPs, etc.

Some of us don't worry about the value, as we buy good stuff to begin with and intend to keep it.

I used to fiddle around, but it cost me a lot of money, for only my ears, not the audience on a gig!! Who wouldn't have a clue of what pups or whatever mod you would have done to it!

I'm quite convinced "tone" matters only to the guitarist and no one else, but, if the artist is pleased with the sound, he or she is more likely to make good music. I know that I don't play as well if I don't think it sounds good.

Also, it's just fun to tinker. I also find it easier to call BS if, while not completely understanding the physics, have at least tried something (I'd much prefer to completely understand the physics, though).

 

[Glamrockmegastar]

This diagram explains it pretty well:

Thanks John, got it now!

 

[Anonymous]

The fact of the matter is that sound (waves) is transported through a medium, usually air. Never tried playing under the surface of the pacific ocean close to Monterey (altough I might at some point). It will still be the same, just faster as water has a higher density then air.

As we all have learned at school this follows a simple equation based on what Mr. Maxwell stated some 200 years ago. Therefore logarithmic pots instead of linear ones when it comes to whatever you have to do through another medium. I guess we all know about db in a studio. Logarithmic too.

On the frequency-side (aka tone-pots) it really depends on what you want to achieve. I suggest trial/error unless you go for band/low/high pass filtering. I got best (in my opinion) results with a ?47 cap and a 100K in parallel (which basically is a broad-band band-pass around 4k.5kHz).

But the real key is how your amp reacts. And the amp will mainly react to vol-pots (i.e. the resistor). Please keep in mind (unless you've got active EMGs) that the vol-pot is a part of your amps input circuit. And by definition (just read Mesas or Fenders specs) they expect a log-pot. The cap is not that important for your amp, he is important for your pickups, which of course is neither. The pickup (with the string) builds an induction which is buffered by the cap

Btw: the human reception device (aka EAR) works logarithmically. Again waves.

Seriously: I do not believe a linear pot can work for vol unless you have an active piece (like EMG) taking care of it.

Cheers. Rup

After reading all my crap above: it is important, but fingers are more important (and the heart, and the soul, and the Tokai). 8)