Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

[357mag]

I picked up this new CTS harness and was planning on putting in my Epiphone Les Paul. My guitar has this molex connector that I would prefer to be removed, but when I was looking at it and thinking through this I realized that if I removed the molex connector I would in fact be shortening the wire coming from the switch. It's the wire coming from the switch that goes into the molex.

So I suppose I could just keep the molex connector in place. That's one option.

But if I want to remove it what are my options?

Do they make replacement Les Paul switch wires? I don't know.

The switch wire must be able to be soldered to not just the neck volume pot but also the bridge volume pot.

I've enclosed a photo of my cavity with the molex unplugged.

[357mag]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

Oh I just saw they make prewired Les Paul toggle switches like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Prewired-Switchcraft-USA-3-Way-Toggle-Switch-Les-Paul/282276713572?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3Dfa842b7bf1fc4bfda3777f5f127e84bc%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D322369582682%26itm%3D282276713572%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

But I don't understand exactly what wire goes where. When I look at the wiring diagram for my CTS harness it shows a hot wire and a ground wire from the switch going to the neck volume, and it also shows a hot wire and a ground wire going to the bridge volume.

This prewired toggle switch isn't gonna have enough wires.

Am I going wrong somewhere?

[67Mopar]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

Why are you concerned with the not so original wiring? You purchased a new wiring harness.... Remove the wiring, and install the new harness kit.

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

Why are you concerned with the not so original wiring? You purchased a new wiring harness.... Remove the wiring, and install the new harness kit.

That’s the way to do it. Just replace everything.

But I also have to ask why are you changing the wiring? Is there something wrong with the existing pots?

Don’t expect some magical improvement in tone.


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[357mag]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

That’s the way to do it. Just replace everything.

But I also have to ask why are you changing the wiring? Is there something wrong with the existing pots?

Don’t expect some magical improvement in tone.


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Not doing this for tone changes. Got nothing to do with tone anyway. Mostly doing this for a nice and clean replacement with old fashioned wiring setup.

The diagrams I got with my new harness show different wiring from switch than what those wires are on the new toggle switch. Hence my confusion.

[67Mopar]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

Not doing this for tone changes. Got nothing to do with tone anyway. Mostly doing this for a nice and clean replacement with old fashioned wiring setup.

The diagrams I got with my new harness show different wiring from switch than what those wires are on the new toggle switch. Hence my confusion.

Just wire it using the new scheme. From the 3 way pickups selector, there is 1 x (output) wire to the jack, two wires (1 x N volume pot center terminal + 1 x B volume pot center terminal), and 1 x bonding wire that is soldered to the tailpiece bond wire + pot housings. Use 60/40 or 63/37 tin/lead solder.

[ehdwuld]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

You should be able to just unplug all the original stuff
Push in the new stuff and wire it up

If your just unsure what to do because this is your first time
Take it somewhere and ask if you can watch while a professional does it

[Mincer]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

I would just attach a new molex connector to that. But I generally don't switch out wiring unless there is something wrong with it.

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

Not doing this for tone changes. Got nothing to do with tone anyway. Mostly doing this for a nice and clean replacement with old fashioned wiring setup.

So you like to waste time and money? [emoji1]
I guess most hobbies do.

I’m a luthier with a workshop and all, and the guitars I own that I didn’t build still mostly have the factory wiring, but I’ve replaced the pickups.

The old fashioned way isn’t better. The Molex connectors actually make the whole thing easier to work on.


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[357mag]

Re: Have a question about putting in a new CTS wiring harness in my Les Paul

If the new switch comes with a new wiring diagram then I'm good to go with that. But I don't know that it will. As long as I find out where all wires go then good.