Another tip

Wiring, soldering and fitting Pots and switches in hollow bodies can be very fiddly to say the least. After struggling with a previous couple of projects I came across this idea in a book.

Take a sheet of paper and tape it over the front of the body control area. Push a pencil through the holes and then transfer the paper to a piece of hardboard and mark the centres. Then drill the correct sized holes for each of the controls and fit them to the board. You will then have an exact layout that corresponds to the guitar.

Once the controls are in place you will find it much easier to solder the wiring.

Detach the compete assembly from the board, tie a lenght of cotton to each pot shaft and jack socket and thread through the relevant hole. Solder the pick up leads to the volume pots. pass the assemply into the F hole cavity and carefully draw each pot through, drop the fixing nuts down the pieces of cotton and fianally fix in place.

Top Tip

I have often been asked what is the best way to remove bridge and stop bar post inserts, well the safest and simplest way, if the instrument is fairly new and the inserts are not too tight in, then just drop a wooded dowel through the insert screw hole, screw the stop bar post into it and tighten down. This should lift the insert out easily.
However if this does not work straight away then find a tube of rigid plastic or metal that the insert will pass through, then get a bolt which is 10 mm longer and the correct thread for the insert. Cut a hole in a piece of an old mouse mat(the type with ribber backing) to protect the surface of the body, screw down with a socket or spanner and this will lift out the insert.

SG Custom Deluxe Just Finished

This was an old Westfield SG set neck body which I’ve had kicking around for a while, it had no hardware and was painted black though had been silver at one stage. It stripped easily and revealed a nice mahogany body with a decent grain and so was begging out for a translucent finish

All the hardware I had already some of which I was going to use on the 335, however as I’d already decided to go with Grover tuners and bought the Burstbuster pups I used the bridge and controls.

So all the parts on this SG are Gibson with the exception of one volume pot which is a CTS, the pups are classic ‘57’s, ABR1 tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar, Gibson Deluxe gold tuners with green tulip knobs, Abalone trapezoid inlays, ‘60’s style NOS Gibson headstock veneer.(this was the only part that I bought for this project)

I am very pleased with the outcome , for more pictures clik here or on SG Custom Deluxe on the projects list on the right