Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

[hydro]

I have a recent, stock Gibson ES 335 and am contemplating a pickup swap and out-of-phase push/pull mod. 335s of course do not have a backplate for access to the electronics and have to be drawn through the body somehow and then reconnected.

Two questions -
1) how skilled of a tech do you need to be to do this and

2) How much is reasonable to pay assuming that there's probably a setup and new strings along with it

I am NOT a tech and would not attempt this myself, I am trying to get an idea of whether this is do-able or if I should just leave the damn thing alone.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Not really brain surgery. The first wiring I ever did, first time I used a soldering iron, was putting a couple push-pulls into a 335. No prior skills.

I pull the pots out thru the F hole and lay them on top of the guitar (on an old towel). Do my wiring as normal, only leaving an extra couple inches of wire between pots, so nothing gets pulled too tight on re-entry. I test everything thru an amp while it's all out, and again when it's all in place, but before I put the knobs back on. Pull the knobs off with a washcloth; don't try to pry them off.

3 key pieces of equipment that make life easier:

- I use a stiff piece of plastic-coated wire, some guys use aquarium tubing, to get the neck tone pot in. Put the wire thru the pot hole, inside the body, up thru the F hole and attach it to the pot stem. Put it thru gently. Once in place, I hold the pot stem with forceps and put the washer and nut on.

- I use forceps to insert and lift the other 3 pots in place (stems thru body holes), all thru the F hole.

- I have a set of 3 nut drivers which keeps the finish from getting scratched. You should have these anyways, even for solid body guitars.

I can get all 4 pots in an F hole guitar in 5 to 10 minutes. I've known guys that have tried to do it with string and taken an hour.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

If you're worried about difficulty just cut the old pickups out and solder the new ones directly to the old wires. Takes 5 minutes and works fine.

 

[hydro]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Well yeah but I want to do a push/pull OOP switch. Well *I* don't want to do it, I want someone competent to do it for me.

I guess I could hard-wire out of phase but I'm not sure if I want to commit to that.

 

[Artie]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Be sure to acquire the push-pull pot first, and make sure you can physically fit it through the f-hole before you undo anything. It probably will, but just to be safe . . .

 

[blueman335]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Be sure to acquire the push-pull pot first, and make sure you can physically fit it through the f-hole before you undo anything. It probably will, but just to be safe . . .

I've had no problem getting push-pulls thru F holes, except when they're bound. Then it can be a little tight, but I've always got them in.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Get the hollow body wiring kit from TV Jones or at least look at it then hit Home Depot and make your own.

That is the key to rewiring a hollow body without loosing your mind.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[autologic]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Yeah, make sure you have the proper tools. About a week ago, the input jack on my Epi 335 Pro fell into my guitar, and even though I have tons of tools, I didn't have anything that would work well enough to easily get it back in its place. I was seriously about to just throw it out in the front yard and set it on fire. I finally fished it out with a long piece of thick solder, but it was a bad enough experience for me to put Teflon tape on the threads so it wouldn't loosen up again.

 

[hydro]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Yeah, make sure you have the proper tools. About a week ago, the input jack on my Epi 335 Pro fell into my guitar, and even though I have tons of tools, I didn't have anything that would work well enough to easily get it back in its place. I was seriously about to just throw it out in the front yard and set it on fire. I finally fished it out with a long piece of thick solder, but it was a bad enough experience for me to put Teflon tape on the threads so it wouldn't loosen up again.

Yeah this is the thing I want to avoid. I have used a bunch of different techs where I live, and will probably have a tech do it for me. But I wanted to get an idea of the hassle level so I know what to expect to pay the dude.

 

[B2D]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Yep... right technique, right tools, and some patience is all it takes.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

Yeah this is the thing I want to avoid. I have used a bunch of different techs where I live, and will probably have a tech do it for me. But I wanted to get an idea of the hassle level so I know what to expect to pay the dude.

Buy him a piece of aquarium tubing, and that'll shave 30 minutes off the job.

I've done several dozen re-wirings/PU changes on F hole guitars. It's not that hard.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

ice cream lid. Cut some holes in the same spots that you find them on your axe.
Put all the new pots and stuff into the ice cream lid and wire the whole thing up the same as the original wiring. Same lengths, same angles, same everything.
ONce you have all that stuff lined up, you should be able to get it all back into the guitar. Using strings and stuff to pull the jack and a couple of the pots into position helps too.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

ONce you have all that stuff lined up, you should be able to get it all back into the guitar. Using strings and stuff to pull the jack and a couple of the pots into position helps too.

I've rarely had to remove the jacks on F hole guitars, and usually not the toggle switch. When you have something firm to pull the pots back into place, the job can be significantly quicker and easier.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Guitar techs - how hard is a 335 pickup mod?

I saw a GREAT YouTube tutorial o this very subject a few years ago - might still be on / out there.