Gretsch Electromatic tip

[Wattage]

Got a 5230T a while back and I really love it. Started using it for some gigs and the master volume was a PITA to use, basically it functioned as an on/off switch.

I put in a Duncan 500k pot, wired in the factory treble bleed and damn if it isn't great now. Not only is the taper excellent but the pot turns sooooo much better.

Just an FYI, a very simple thing to do and it really elevates the guitar. A better roller bridge, cleaning up the nut slots and a new MV pot have made this a pro level git

[DCikes88]

So, I forwarded your tip to my old man who has a G5422TG.

His response was: I don't care. I'm not rewiring sh*t through an f-hole unless something fries and dies.


Awesome guitar btw! I really like playing his Electromatic, I assume yours would also be a treat.

[eclecticsynergy]

Epiphone Wildkats have a master volume placed like Gretsches, but the Wildkat allows rear access to it.
Epi used cheap hookup wire inside these and their P90s sound a bit muffled.
I'm thinking a 1 Meg master volume pot could help that, without having to rewire anything through the F-hole.

[Wattage]

Yeah mine has rear access so that's easy enough. On the G5422TG it is far easier to go thru the pickup cavity than the f-hole but I get the feeling he's not concerned lol

Does the Wildkat have a treble bleed on the MV?

[ArtieToo]

Cool tip. Gretsch's always had weird control layouts. (To me, anyway.) It's why I love my Junior Jet. Simple MV/MT.

[eclecticsynergy]

Yeah mine has rear access so that's easy enough. On the G5422TG it is far easier to go thru the pickup cavity than the f-hole but I get the feeling he's not concerned lol

Yah on a full hollowbody going through the pickup cavity is pretty easy. The OP's Jet would be more difficult I think.

Wildkat's sort of in-between - no center block, but there's an island supporting the bridge and tailpiece.
Back and sides are carved from a single block of mahogany like the Johnny A; no seams except around the cap.
And the cap is solid maple, carved, rather than molded plywood like typical archtops.

Anyway, plenty of room in there. One of these days I'll replace the whole harness. And the pickups.
But for me the Kat is kind of a specialty guitar; got it for rockabilly shows or the occasional blues jam.
It's become a once in a while thing, and never was really part of my regular roster.
But maybe it should be. I like the neck profile, though the balance is a little neck-heavy.

Does the Wildkat have a treble bleed on the MV?

Nope. Considered adding one, but I never really use the master myself - just tweak the individual pickup volumes on the fly.
Second nature for me after so many decades with Les Pauls.

Once back in the 70s I added master volume wiring to a Les Paul Custom, so I could preserve the balance when changing volume.
It made sense at the time, but over time I found it wasn't as helpful as I'd imagined.

Great option for players who mostly live in middle position though.

[Wattage]

This is my only guitar with the MV set up as it is, I've had a few others but it never really appealed to me much since I usually would run flat out. Lately I have really been working the volume and tone knobs more (old dog/new trick but this adds another twist I guess. It's a lot easier to work the upper MV on a Gretsch with a Bigsby on it than the individual knobs that is for sure.

I modded up a Gretsch for client to be a Malcolm Young trib and just kept the bridge pickup but still had the 2 vol knobs, one with the treble bleed and one without. The one without worked like a mild tone knob and gave him an option to mellow it out or not.

I have to try out a Wildkat again, been a while since I've had my hands one

[zionstrat]

Got a 5230T a while back and I really love it. Started using it for some gigs and the master volume was a PITA to use, basically it functioned as an on/off switch.

I put in a Duncan 500k pot, wired in the factory treble bleed and damn if it isn't great now. Not only is the taper excellent but the pot turns sooooo much better.

Just an FYI, a very simple thing to do and it really elevates the guitar. A better roller bridge, cleaning up the nut slots and a new MV pot have made this a pro level git

Love that pretty thing!

[Ashurbanipal]

Sweet! Yeah, a roller bridge on the Bigsbied ones is surely a must - they come stock with a regular metric tune-o-matic?

[Wattage]

Sweet! Yeah, a roller bridge on the Bigsbied ones is surely a must - they come stock with a regular metric tune-o-matic?

Yes but it was pretty wonky so I found a used TP version that fit and it worked out nicely.