Recent content by switchman

All the info here is good so just to add to it... There's a couple more reasons switching to a lower string gauge can cause open string buzz even if the nut wasn't touched. The string can be loose in the slot. Wound strings could be .002-.006" narrower dropping half or whole gauge. If an A slot...

Gently crimp the legs of straight leg capacitors to reduce the chance they break off at the base and can't be repaired like the one on the right.

Swapping a wiring harness out today...Flat wide shoelaces from Converse or other sneakers are great for removing super tight press-fit knobs. Wrap the lace around and pull up gently like a strap from both side. It might seem little awkward on push-pulls but still works

The one I measured here was an open cover from Phila. Luthier the part you posted the link to. I had bought some for a mod like you described. I had a Fralin P-92 I wanted to reverse the offset on, but there's no reverse 3+3 cover made. So I made a plastic insert to go in the open frame. I...

The history of this stuff is wild...Same is true for blade switches. The CRL 3 way still used on Teles goes back to 1939. Check out the array of 4 in the metal panel. Somewhere else I had read these were used in elevators but I can't find it.

Holy smokes! I knew they came from old phone systems, but they're literally from the very first switchboard almost unchanged since 1880's!

Found a better pic of the same model at a music shop in Brazil With those readings my theory is Bare is ground and White is hot, but the meter is set too low on 20k range so it can't read it. Set it to 200K range and it should read 20.7K. The two 10K+ readings are each coil. 5.2k is parallel...

This comes up a lot - do you modify the guitar or the pickup? I usually swap the baseplate rather than modify the guitar. Its reversible but routing the guitar isn't. That's not a cheap guitar so if you're going to mod it you don't want to devalue it. This thread has lots of tips -...

Sure...I looked into Molex but they need a crimping tool right? I had to change a broken one on an SG once I remember it was a pain. These attach with solder and pushback wire fit no problem. Not the best pic but here they are installed.

Excellent...I make these "handles" and attach with double sided tape to hold small parts from above at a distance. Similar to push blocks for a jointer. Takes a little getting used to. Look forward to seeing how the Jr turns out! EDIT - it occurs to me I should explain for any human or robot...

I was looking for a way to do a simple quick connect setup on guitars where the jack is in a separate cavity from the switch and pots. Like when I want to test different pots or switches, or on a Strat swap an entire loaded pickguard. I read a tip from Doug Kauer to use RC car connectors...

The only place I remember seeing Outer Coils in Series is this diagram guitar electronics published over 20 years ago. It's odd they say its the PRS Rotary sounds from that time - this was before PRS moved to blades. I had access to the PRS line and service diagrams then. It was Inner Coils in...

It still amazes me how other than the sunbursts and butterscotch the entire style of vintage Fenders was nothing more than 1950's car style. Even down to same exact paints. Copy something that works it's a great recipe for success!

Here you go..let me know any questions. I use symbols and shorthand for some terms to help fit on a printed page at a larger size. I don't know what pickups you will use. This assumes conventional Duncan PAF types So...this requires the Neck pickup magnet to be flipped 180 to make its inner...

This is VERY crude, but it was faster to photo-edit to show what I meant because the switch layout doesn't match my templates. Left side is cleaned up a little with Duncan color codes overlaid. Right side traces the output to ground paths in P4. Blue is Neck, Orange is Bridge. The outlined...