Drilling holes in my ES120

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Waddy Peytona

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I'm replacing the pickups (SD '59s), pots (CTS), and caps (orange drops) in my ES120. It appears that the CTS pot posts are larger than the original posts so I need to widen them to 9.4 mm. I've never done a mod like this before...fortunately for me I have a good friend who is an electrical engineer who is happy to help with the wiring and soldering.

Before I drill out the existing holes I thought I'd consult the wisdom of the forum...those of you who have done a similar mod...did you drill with a 9mm bit and then rasp out the extra .4 mm? And did you take any precautions to prevent chipping of the finish?

Thanks.
 
johan said:
I think you can get full size CTS pots with smaller shaft.
Click to expand...

Ah, that would make sense wouldn't it. Thank you. I'll contact my supplier and see if different pots are available.

However, failing that...any tips on drilling?
 
On my Edwards I had the same problem ...

I didn't know that before what Johan mentioned, so I took a round file !!! :wink:

And then you have to work very, very carefully - bit by bit, until the pots will fit into! 8)

Don't take an electric tool, like a drill or something else. The rotation speed ist too high - you will chip the wood.

Good luck! :wink:

Roger
 
FWIW...

I came across this guitar repair link:

http://www.ampge.com/SKGS/sk/repairtips.htm

It has a really interesting tip on enlarging holes without chipping the finish. The basic idea is to use a bit slightly larger than the hole you intend to drill and RUN IT BACKWARDS over the exisiting hole to remove an area of finish around the hole. Then you can use a sharp bit with light pressure to drill the desired size of hole.

I haven't been able to source the smaller CTS pots that were mentioned above. I think I'm going to give the above method a try. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
Hi!
I?m brandnew in this forum, so "hi to everybody"! - Funny, but just today i was doing the same thing, that Waddy is planing!
For the widening of holes I always use "countersinkers" (hope this is the right word!) , that works perfect also for tuner holes! Today I was putting a CTS 500klog pot in a LS85, and I had to widen the hole to 10mm. So I used a 10mm countersinker, and a cordless driver drill to make the CTS fit! You can do it slow, without any problems! And you will get perfect holes without any risk!
The CTS (a log one) now is in the Guitar, but I can?t understand, why they are using linear pots for volume?
nice day, "ACY"
 
Hallo, ACY, willkommen auch hier!

Welcome to the forum! We know each other from different forums!

Nice to have another well experienced forum mate here!


Roger
 
ACY said:
Hi!
For the widening of holes I always use "countersinkers" (hope this is the right word!) , that works perfect also for tuner holes! "ACY"
Click to expand...

Hi ACY

I ended up doing (almost) exactly as you recommended. Working SLOWLY I chamfered the hole with a countersinking bit. Then I took a new 9 mm wood bit and drilled it the rest of the way out. The pot post was 9.4 mm so I then took a new round wood rasp and opened up the hole to about 9.4 mm.

It worked perfectly. If I had a 9.5 mm drill bit it would have been unnecessary to rasp out the hole...I know some folks use a 10 mm. Anyway the countersink bit removed just enough lacquer to avoid any chipping.

My ES120 is now finished: my electrical engineer friend wired in the CTS pots and switch, orange drop 22 caps, and new SD '59s in the bridge and neck. I played it with the band today and what a difference!! It really brightened up the humbucking tone and cuts through much better.

Thank you everyone for your helpful input.

Waddy
 
Hi Waddy!
I just finished work on my "viola", changing the two vol.pots to CTS, making a ?59 wiring with mallory caps, giving it a switchcraft jack, and a pair of great pickups! Also "viola"?s having an aluminum Gotoh stop tailpiece now, and this guitar really sounds great now! Wow!
good on ya, "ACY"

viola_satin_01.jpg
 
Hi!
I made a comparison with my two LS85?s, played them with the orig. STP - then I changed the orig. STP to the aluminum STP and played on! I was really surprised about the difference! With the orig. STP the two Guitars been very close, with the same character. After the changing the Alu Tokai sounds:

faster
more open
the highs sound thicker with more upper mids (the other one sounds a bit thin in the highs)
the bass response is less muddy
the sustain even become a bit better than it already was

The two Guitars sounded very different now (imho), and did not have expected such a change in sound. Now I can understand people, that say the guitar sounds more "woody" wit an aluminum STP.

If you get a chance trying such a STP, do it! I play most of the time just with one cable without effects in old marshalls (2203), and after that success the second Tokai also got an alu STP!
nice day, "ACY"
 
Hi Waddy!
I run a musicstore myself (but I?m more musician than anything else!) , and I was using the Gotoh Aluminum Stoptailpiece GE101A which also has a very nice shaping. There is two different looking STP?s (both Alu) from Gotoh (see pic, which is from Stewmac) , and I?m using the vintage profile. I?m shure you can order this Gotoh part at your local dealer, as Gotoh is almost everywhere to get! I?m shure you?ll like that sound!
good on ya, "ACY"

5851_2lg.jpg
 

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