![]() ![]() Any washer or nut that is too big to fit through the jack will do. Thread the F hole end of this wire through the jack, and tie it to a washer or a nut. This will ensure it doesn’t fall through the jack hole while you’re working on the other end. Tape the jack hole end of the wire to the guitar with masking tape, or tie it to the strap button. Make sure the wire is long enough for one end to stick out the jack hole, and the other to stick out the F hole. When you see the wire in the cavity pull it up through the F hole. Run a length of wire (approx two feet is usually plenty) through the jack mounting hole and down into the cavity. It’s best to start with the component that’s furthest from the F hole, which is usually the jack. You’ll be using extra wire to pull the electronic parts through the F hole and into their mounting holes on the body. Don’t worry: if you did everything correctly up to this point, you shouldn’t have any problems getting it back together. It’s now time for the most challenging step: fitting everything back into the guitar. Use a multimeter, circuit tester, or just plug the dangling jack into an amp and tap on the pickups. It will be very difficult to troubleshoot problems once the controls are back in the body. At this point, I strongly recommend testing your wiring before proceeding. Once you’re satisfied with your wiring, solder your pickup leads to the controls. If you need to know how to wire up the components, Seymour Duncan has plenty of good wiring diagrams to help you. You will not cause any problems by using a little too much wire, so don’t be afraid to make long connections. If your wiring is too tight, it will be very difficult to get it back into the guitar. Always use more wire than you think you will need. Wire up your pots, switch, and jack on the template. It’s also a good idea to write what is supposed to go where on the template with a marker. You can enlarge the holes with a pencil or a round file until they are big enough for the controls to be mounted snugly. To make the template, put a piece of non-corrugated cardboard over the guitar, use finger pressure to find where the control holes are, and very carefully poke through the cardboard with a punch or a nail to make a hole for your template. It’s a good idea to make a template for your wiring on any guitar where the controls aren’t mounted to a pickguard (like a Strat) or a control plate (like a Tele). Set aside any components you want to re-use, get any new components ready to wire up, and heat up your soldering iron if you haven’t already done so. Removal of the old components is now done. ![]() Just feed the leads of the new pickups back through the holes in the pickup cavities. If you’re replacing the pickups as part of your re-wiring, you can do this now (I did not in the example photographed here). You can either de-solder the pickup wires or use wire cutters to clip them off. I use a hand towel to protect the finish.Īt this point you should have the pots, switch, and jack out of the guitar with the pickup wires still connected. Start with the components closest to the center of the F hole (usually the switch) and work your way back, using the wires to pull components toward the F hole. You should now be able to gently extract the pots and switch through the F hole. The pots and switch will fall through into the cavity. Once the knobs are off, you can use your wrench to remove the nuts from the pots, jack, and switch. I use a rag wrapped around the knob to pull them off without scratching the finish. Start by removing the pickguard and putting it aside. I’ve included plenty of pics to help illustrate each step. You won’t need any uncommon tools or equipment – just a wrench set (or an adjustable wrench), plenty of wire, a pair of needle-nose pliers, a soldering iron, and a bit of patience. My tech charges extra for doing electronics work in a hollow-body, and he’s definitely not the only one.įortunately I did some research, performed some trial and error experimentation on my own semi-hollow (a very nice Epiphone Dot) and found what I consider to be the best way to wire up a hollow body guitar. In fact, it’s widely considered to be one of the most difficult jobs in the wide world of guitar maintenance. Have you ever looked at a semi-hollow or hollow body guitar on the wall at your local music store and wondered how the heck they get the electronics in there? The short answer: it’s do-able, but not easy. ![]()
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