Anyone installed CTS pots in an old Reborn?

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spikeymikey

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I tried a pair in my '79 today and the 'long shaft' pots normally advised for use on carved top Les Paul guitars seem too long in this guitar? Is this normal for Tokais to have less wood in the control cavity than on Gibson guitars?

If so are 'short shaft' pots the way to go on old Tokai LP's?
 
Yep short shafts, but you need to widen the holes a little bit if you're gonna use CTS pots.
 
Nice one J., thanks. Ive returned the long shafts. I should have looked more closely inside to see that existing pots were short. What a Berk, eh?
 
These are good replacements & you don't have to widen the holes:

http://www.banzaimusic.com/Partsland-BRASS-500KA-LONG.html

If your mind is set on CTS, try these; smoother turning than standard CTS & matched:

http://crazyparts.de/00000099561085602/00000098bf0c46d0c/index.php
 
Alpha pots fit great and are my preference, axesrus sell them in the UK, I put CTS pots on my reborn years ago, the holes only needed enlarging slightly, used a bit of sandpaper wrapped around a pencil, but if I was doing it again I'd use Alphas
 
Well I'll try some alphas next on the bass pickup. I put these brass shaft cts doobries in just now On the treble pickup and buggered if I can tell any tonal difference az I was told I would do? They taper different to what was in thereand I'm not sure I like thexway they do that either? Kind of on/off in a way? Put in an orange drop too - no difference in tone and I didn't think there would be either! Sure won't bother with PIO caps at this rate. I thought 50 's wiring might get me closer to the real-deal but.......at least that's what I've read?
 
From my limited experience the Japanese pots work just fine and it is hard to make a convincing case that PIO caps do much more than make you think it sounds better. Some say they can hear a difference but I haven't seen any convincing blind listening tests where anyone could say "that is the PIO guitar".

I admit though I have thrown a few PIOs in guitars when rewiring as they do look a lot cooler.
 
Right. I guess that just "knowing those (Bumble)bees are in there making their honey" works for some LOL !!

Weird thing: Since I did this I now get a weird thing where with the two pickups on together, and at full volume one of the coils seems to cut out and you have to turn the treble pup volume down to eight to get both pickups on "full" otherwise you get a smaller kind of " hollow" tone? Can anyone explain that? Is this some kind of out of phase thing happening ??? It happened as soon as I installed the Duncan. I thoght itcwas quite useful at first but now it's just annoying. I'd really appreciate knowing how to change it. :-(
 
There have been thousends of threads on caps and my conclusion is that there's people than can the difference and people that don't. I have tried about 15 different brands & types and I can say that I'm one of the people that notices the difference. I know which ones I like even without use of the knobs :D
 
Interesting stuff Jacco. Do you know anything about the grey "Nichicon" marked caps I have in my '79 already? Are they standard for reborns etc? I just experimented a bit and I think I prefer these caps over the orange drops I put in yesterday? Could be psychological but.......the treble pickup seemed a bit harsh and raspy sounding with the OD's in there which it didn't before?
 
Do you have pics Mike? Nichicon has been around for some time, might be an early 'upgrade'. They are certainly not original & prob not PIO, but some kind of film/foil config.
 
I noticed the change for a more definded sound too.
Just take those little green caps out of your Reborn and place russian PIOs or some other and let us tell your experience :wink:
 
Right,.....Its gonna be some lola-flip-ola on the front pickup magnet to see if I can fix the rubbish "coiltap" sound and I clipped out the cap on that front pickup completely which now sounds even better!! Never used the tone on that one anyway.

Just need a ruskie pio for the Duncan when I can find one.

I'm gettin there.....slowly!!
 
Hmm .........ok, who am I to argue - and I only need one! Where the best place to get either, Jacco?
 
......and I rotated the magnet 180' dgrees and......no difference!! What the hell is goin on!!???
 
spikeymikey said:
Hmm .........ok, who am I to argue - and I only need one! Where the best place to get either, Jacco?
Click to expand...

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/2-X-MULLARD-MUSTARD-CAPS-22nF-0-022uF-160v-C296-/380331185583?pt=UK_Consumer_VintageAudio_RL&hash=item588d8155af#ht_2885wt_1140

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/NOS-Cornell-Dubilier-033-600-Tone-Caps-for-Les-Paul-/220833415044?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item336ab27f84#ht_500wt_922
 
Ta for the LinksJ., very much!

And the soldering inside the control cavity or the pup itself?
 

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