hofner 4572 rewiring

[kistrui]

hi
i'm new to this forum and the main reason i joined is because i have a hofner model 4572 guitar. so the two pickups are 511's, single coils, two volume pots, 2 tone.
now...i have a few questions i hope one of you can answer:
#1: the pots are really old ...should i buy new ones or should i just clean them up so they don't make that cracking noise when turned?
#2: if i do replace the pots, i understand 250k are the most apropriate for single coils ..right?...so..is there a specific pot i should be looking at here?..or just regular 250k pots?
#3: i want to rewire the guitar because i feel i'm losing a lot of signal because of the old pots and the poor quality of the wire. so..is there any specific wirei should know about? what's the highest quality wire i can find?
#4: i have the wiring diagram for my 4572 model hofner, but i still can't figure out what to do about the constant soft buzz i get from the guitar, on any amp.
really hope you guys can help me out. i love this guitar and its tone and i really want to make it sound better.
my next post will have pictures and the wiring diagram.
thanks

[Mark Hammer]

There are several sources of pot noise, some fixable, some less so. What you hear as pot noise is essentially intermittent contact between the movable wiper and the resistive strip inside the pot. Age permits dust and other grime to accumulate inside the pot and interrupt contact between wiper and strip, much the same way that time permits stuff to be strewn across the highway such that the "contact" between your tires and the road is temporarily interrupted and a bumpy ride results. At the same time, the wiper CAN make contact with the resistive strip because it applies pressure to the strip. Over time, even though the wiper is smooth, that pressure can erode the compound that makes up the resistive strip, and small gaps form between the strip and wiper, like gaps in the pavement. And just like the tiny bits of asphalt that used to be in the road surface now provide bits of gravel to make your ride bumpier and noisier, the micro-dust produced from wearing out the resistive strip becomes part of the grime accumulated inside the pot and interfering with contact.

The first type of dirt is relatively easy to clean. If it is minimal, you can insert the nozzle of contact cleaner and give a shpritz. If it is more substantial, you can pry the tabs that hold the back of the pot on, and clean the thing out with a Q-tip and some isopropyl alchohol.

The second type of dirt represents something "missing" in the pot itself, and is less readily fixed. Personally, I use some stuff called "Stabilant" (www.stabilant.com) which forms a nice conductive layer that makes up the 1-2 micron gap produced by erosion. It is hard to find for some folks, though, and much older pots that have seen a lot of use may have erosion on the resistive strip that is essentially nonrecoverable by any means. At that point, it's time to change the pots.

If you are a stickler for authenticity, replace what's on there with identical value units. The "rule" about pot value is entirely arbitrary, though. Some folks like the pot to provide the loading to tame the upper treble of brighter pickups. Some folks (which includes me) prefer the least loading possible and prefer to adjust the treble content at the amp or pedal level, simply to have a flexible choice about treble content. Certainly, if you are concerned about preserving the tone of the instrument such that you are wondering about wiring and wire quality, then you will likely want higher-value pots, like 500k.

As for wire quality, as long as the shielding is decent, I strongly doubt that it makes any difference.

[kistrui]

thanks for all the info. i recently found out that i need co-axial cable for my rewiring, only i can't find any site that ships to Romania. anyway...thank you

[Mark Hammer]

It is not necessarily the very best wire, but if you can find one of the cables that connects a CD/DVD drive to a computer soundcard, that will provide usable shielded cable that solders and handles nicely.

[kistrui]

kill the humming for my 4572

hi,
i've been playing mostly acoustic since my last post, and now i got my electric mood on....and i figured out i still don;t know what to do about the humming i was telling you about. so...no effects, pedals, any amp, i still get that humming noise and it's really bugging me. what can i do to kill it? http://www.hofner.com/gab/en/showroo...tegory_id,176/
here's the wiring diagram for my 4572. please help me out.