Help with rewiring 2022 Epi Les Paul Classic

[Raiyn]

Technically it's all to do with the breakdown of the dielectric, the insulating material, between the two capacitor "plates".

At some given voltage those will break down or short. The technical details are way beyond me, but in simplistic terms, I guess the better the dielectric, the smaller the cap can be for any given voltage.

Which is academic in a guitar circuit where it will never produce 5V let alone 50.

Differences in the dielectric and plate size will also give tiny, nuanced, differences in frequency response,

Allegedly. There hasn't been a blind test yet where anyone could tell the difference. Some of my favorites will throw in a cap of a different value - that literally everyone will pick up on and claim it's the expensive magic cap. The rest they'll guess at with the fervor of a failing math student with a scantron test.

 

[Darkness]

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

PS obviously what color they are makes b#gge

Technically it's all to do with the breakdown of the dielectric, the insulating material, between the two capacitor "plates".

At some given voltage those will break down or short. The technical details are way beyond me, but in simplistic terms, I guess the better the dielectric, the smaller the cap can be for any given voltage.

Differences in the dielectric and plate size will also give tiny, nuanced, differences in frequency response, I expect, which is why some will claim PIOs are to die for and polyester aren't worth putting in a Chinese knockoff of a Vietnamese knockoff of a Squier knockoff from Thailand.

All

Which is academic in a guitar circuit where it will never produce 5V let alone 50.


Allegedly. There hasn't been a blind test yet where anyone could tell the difference. Some of my favorites will throw in a cap of a different value - that literally everyone will pick up on and claim it's the expensive magic cap. The rest they'll guess at with the fervor of a failing math student with a scantron test.

Agreed. You'd probably only see a difference on an oscilloscope and the differences would be no, um, different, to taking two same brand, same model, same rating, same machine(s), same factory, both made on the same Tuesday in July examples.

 

[Diamond Dave]

Okay gang, question time: the picture shows what’s coming from the pickups into the wiring cavity. I’m pretty sure the bundle with the black shrink tube is the bridge pickup and the bundle with the white shrink tube is the neck. The white and black wires on the outside of each bundle are a little thicker than the others. So:

Which two get soldered and shrink tubed together?

Which two get grounded?

And which one is the hot?

I’ve been wiring things like the attached diagram from Seymour Duncan and assuming things are the same.

Thanks!

 

[Diamond Dave]

Found this on myLesPaul.com. Black and shield to ground, white and green tied off, and red is hot?

 

[Raiyn]

Found this on myLesPaul.com. Black and shield to ground, white and green tied off, and red is hot?

That same pic is floating here: I was gonna post it for you. No need to go to Mordor.

 

[Diamond Dave]

That same pic is floating here: I was gonna post it for you. No need to go to Mordor.

lol. To be fair, a Google search led me there. Thanks. The rest of the surgery takes place after dinner.

 

[Raiyn]

lol. To be fair, a Google search led me there. Thanks. The rest of the surgery takes place after dinner.

Watch this first:


A couple minutes dinking around with a multimeter - just to be sure - isn't a bad thing.

 

[Diamond Dave]

Too late! Surgery successful however. VERY stressful because the wires from the pickups and the switch were smaller than the smallest gauge on my wire strippers. Had to strip them all with an xacto knife. Also had to enlarge the pot holes in the top by about a millimeter to accept the CTS pots, using same xacto knife. Glad I had that.

Anyway, I now have a sweet-sounding LP with nice smooth pots without any play, and a working tone pot for the neck. Not too much to ask I guess.

Many thanks for the help!

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

an xacto knife.

I use my bare teeth.

Well. Tooth.

 

[Diamond Dave]

That might have worked…I had zero margin for error or I was yanking out the pickups, making jumpers and routing wires.

 

[Raiyn]

Also had to enlarge the pot holes in the top by about a millimeter to accept the CTS pots, using same xacto knife. Glad I had that.

That's on me as much as anyone here. Since Epi started using CTS (metric) pots in much of their production we haven't had as many 1st time modders changing them out.

Most of the time I warn folks that metric uses a slightly smaller shaft and they'll want a $5 reamer from Hazard Fraught or Northern Tool or Fleet Farm...

Just to make life easier.

The other late bits of advice are to not use metric knobs on inch shafts, and to use lock washers on the inside of anything screwed through the wood.

Can you tell it's a pet peeve?

 

[Diamond Dave]

I did notice that the one standard CTS (non push-pull) pot in the original wiring was a hair smaller than TAOT pots. But I was able to widen the holes without too much trouble, and they’re covered up by washers and nuts now. The reamer would have been useful but not a deal breaker.

I did use the lock washers.

The knobs fit but snugly.

Thanks as always. Nothing better than friendly and knowledgeable advice on a board.

 

[Noodling Guitars]

The CTS pots that Epiphone uses is a weird hybrid - i.e. threaded portion is standard 3/8" US spec, but the shaft is metric coarse spline. That's why if you gut a current model for the electronics and try putting them into an older pre-2019 model, you will need to ream the holes ,but you could keep the knobs. Very weird, but whatever works!

However, Epiphone is still using Alpha for the push-pulls. So for example, the Moderns, Classics and other models that have split push-pull controls will have a combination of 3/8" holes and M8 sized holes (e.g. in the case of the Classic, its 3 metric pots with one CTS).

 

[Diamond Dave]

The CTS pots that Epiphone uses is a weird hybrid - i.e. threaded portion is standard 3/8" US spec, but the shaft is metric coarse spline. That's why if you gut a current model for the electronics and try putting them into an older pre-2019 model, you will need to ream the holes ,but you could keep the knobs. Very weird, but whatever works!

However, Epiphone is still using Alpha for the push-pulls. So for example, the Moderns, Classics and other models that have split push-pull controls will have a combination of 3/8" holes and M8 sized holes (e.g. in the case of the Classic, its 3 metric pots with one CTS).

That’s what I found.