The volume control on my vintage 56 stratocaster is bad and I can’t find another potentiometer to use. How can I keep it original?

The easiest thing to do is exchange volume control with one of the two tone control in the same harness. I seldom use the tone control that is in good condition. It may be a little dirty but can be cleaned with a quality cleaner made especially for volume controls. I would ask a electronic…

What is the standard hook up wire for popular guitars?

The majority of guitar companies including Fender and Gibson use 22 AWG (American Wire Gauge) standard hookup wire. Fender used a cloth braid wire in the early days and with vintage models now built. Fender also uses Teflon coated hookup wire. The Teflon wire works better than soldering, but I like the cloth braid for…

A repairman told me to use two 50k pots into my guitar and now that I did that the tone is mushy with now clarity in the high end. What did I do wrong? Burke lane, woodstown, new jersey

When you start repairing guitars and working on different types of electronics, you can be unfamiliar with the common terms used in guitar building and guitar repair. Most likely the repairman thought you to understand that you should use 250K pots and not “two 50K” pots. Most passive guitars use audio taper potentiometers with values…

Where can I find a centralab 1452 lever switch that’s used on fender telecaster and stratocaster guitars? Scott neubert, nashville, tn.

First, I want to give you some information about the #1452 Lever Switch. On a three way Lever Switch each position is 30° from the center position. The mounting holes on the switch take a 6/32 Machine Screw and are secured to the mounting plate. Early Fender Broadcasters, Esquires & Telecasters used a Round Head-Slotted…

Where can you get different colored cloth braid hookup wire used on vintage pickups besides the typical white and black?

You would need to contact a supplier who sells the cloth braid wire and see if they can order it but it usually means you need to order many feet as a minimum order. Often I make my own using unwaxed cloth braid wire using different color “Sharpie” markers. At times I need Green or…

The stock value for the stratocaster tone capacitor is .02 mfd. I have seen your recommendation for .05 mfd. Why do you use a higher value? Lee goldblatt-jamacia, ny

Fender used a .1 mfd in the drawing on their original wiring diagram. The Fender American Standard uses a .022 mfd capacitor. In late 1969 Fender started using a .05 mfd capacitor to achieve less bass when the tone control was used. I like using .05 mfd-150 volt capacitor especially when rolling the tone control…

What gauge wire is best for wiring my guitar harness? Ken johnson-chicago, ill

The wire I like using best is stranded 22 AWG (American Wire Gauge). The insulation’s that are most common are cloth, PVC, and Teflon. The cloth and Teflon have higher resistance to heat from soldering irons. PVC can melt and shrink if exposed to high amounts of heat from soldering irons and wax potting. Leo…

What kind of hook wire is used on the my 70’s stratocaster? Ken roth-buffalo, new york

The early hookup wire used during the 50s & 60s is commonly known as cloth braid push back hookup wire. It was saturated in wax and braided with a variety of colors such as natural (white), black, yellow, red, blue etc. The standard wire used on Fender Guitars is 22 gauge, 7 strand and sometimes…

I’ve seen lacing and spot tying material for wiring a harness in amplifiers. Where can I find a similar material to lace my pickup harness. Jeff greene-liverpool, england

There are several types that can be used. A company called Western Filament, Inc.-4680 San Fernando Road, Glendale, California 91204-1897 (818-247-5880) makes several types of lacing materials: Type I Nylon lacing tape consists of a flat braided, high tenacity nylon yarn impregnated with wax or other materials to meet industry standards. Type II Polyester lacing…

I’m looking for a plastic tubing to insulate wires in my wiring harness. Jeff hopkins-east orange, new jersey

One of my favorite suppliers for plastic tubing is the Markel Corporation-P.O. Box 752-Norristown, PA 19404 (610-272-8960/ 610-270-3138 fax#). They are a great supplier of insulating sleeves. Some of their products are: FLEXTITE TEFLON TFE-Extruded tubing of DuPont Polytetrafluoroethylene FLEXTITE TEFLON TFE-250-Extruded and expanded tubing of Dupont Polytetrafluoroethylene HYGRADE THERMOFLEX 1200-Tightly braided fiberglass sleeving HYGRADE…

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