Hollowbody electronic maintenance/rewiring advice

[CTN]

A friend of mine has asked me to check out the electronics on his hollowbody archtop jazz guitar. Having only ever worked on acoustics and solid body electrics before, can anyone give me some advice on working on hollowbodies?

I already know that i'm in for a helluva pain in the ass dealing with the f-holes and lack of control cavities...but are there tricks/tools to make the job easier?

[SrDeMaFp]

Tie some fishing line around the pot shafts before loosening the hex nut on top.

[CTN]

that makes a lot of sense!

[Funkfingers]

Think "ship in a bottle". Everything has to come out through one small opening - usually, the bridge PU orifice.

[CTN]

ooh that sounds a lot more doable than fishing through the f-holes!

[ImmortalSix]

Look up ad nauseum in the dictionary, then search.

[LtKojak]

Watch this video... it might give you some good ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPfOO...layer_embedded

HTH,

[Funkfingers]

^
Nice one, Pepe.

I love the way that YT chooses related videos. 335 Assembly followed immediately by "Two Hot Girls In The Shower #30". Soooooooooo classy.

[CTN]

Watch this video... it might give you some good ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPfOO...layer_embedded

HTH,

sweet, thanks man. that was really helpful!

[DrNewcenstein]

nvm - brain fart

[CTN]

*sprays febreeze*

[tone4days]

dental floss works too if fishing line isnt doable

you can make a hack for getting the output jack back in place by soldering a 1/4 plug to a wire hangar

good luck
t4d

[Bludave]

First determine whats wrong or at least could be wrong. What kind of hollow body is it? What problems are present? Are the pickups working? Is it a bad switch? These can all be isolated BEFORE considering pulling all the guts out. I have seen guitars come into my friends shop for repairs and all it needed was a little contact spray in the pots. It could be a simple fix. But if you have to get in there, the video is a good place to start.

[CTN]

well my friend said every time he plugs it in, all he can hear is massive uncontrollable feedback.

My guess is a grounding problem, or a short circuit or something to do with a volume pot. Buddy thought it was the pickups but based on his description, I'd say the pickups are probably fine and that the issue lies in the wiring somewhere.

[jake_xms3_punk]

if its a full hollowbody feedback is inevitable. usually caused by facing or near the amp, high output pickups and overdrive. has he always had this problem? if not i'd check the wiring/pickups

[CTN]

no, he hasn't always had this problem. he's a jazz player, so he's got pretty low output pickups, probably PAF style. And if he ever does use overdrive, it's just a touch.

I know of the associated feedback problems with a hollowbody, but what he described to me doesn't sound like that at all. I'm willing to bet there's a loose wire touching some other wire somewhere in there..or something wiring related anyway.

Pickups don't just crap out when they're taken care of (like he does with all his instruments)

[freddarl82]

First off, yes, it does sound like there could be a wiring issue such as a short, and there's a chance it could be corrected without pulling the guts. A flashlight and inspection mirror would be a way to start. You might be able to fashion a "tool" with a piece of wire, bent coat hanger, etc., to manipulate the wires around without removing them.

Here's a tutorial from MyLesPaul Forums. Billy (aka "Hillbilly") does this stuff for a living at RS Guitarworks. Whether you choose to do the fishing line, dental floss, or aquarium tubing, Billy offers a few more things to think about before you get started.

Another technique for the output jack: Fish a piece of lightweight, flexible wire through the jack hole to the bridge pickup cavity opening. Run the wire through your output jack, then attach a nut larger than the 1/4" opening of the jack. Now attach another fish-wire to the nut that is long enough to remain hanging out of the bridge cavity as you fish the jack through. Pull the wire from the output jack hole end, and the nut will pull the jack along to the hole. Once the jack is secured, pull your fish-wires back out via the end you left hanging out of the bridge cavity.

Hope this helps!

[DazH]

Here's a simple tool that makes the jack mega simple to install (sorry I havent finished the guide, but i'm pretty sur eyou'l work out how to use it anyway)