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Nylon bushings for guitar pots? SOLVED (kinda)

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  • Nylon bushings for guitar pots? SOLVED (kinda)

    I would like to replace the full-size pots in my 1988 Heritage H535 with the smaller DPDT push-pull pots. I usually just center them and crank 'em down with a dress washer but for this guitar I'd like to do it right and use a nylon bushing to adapt the smaller p-p pot for the larger diameter hole in the top. I'm sure that these are available somewhere so I'm looking for a source.

    Yeah, just google it, right? The problem is coming up with a search string that will produce the hits I am looking for...

    Any links or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Steve A.

    P.S. Here are the dimensions: the threaded bushing on the smaller metric pots is 8mm; the threaded bushing on the larger domestic pots is 9.5mm (3/8").

    P.P.S. I always hate to ask for something without first offering something in return so here's a tip regarding pots:

    When using a knob for a solid shaft pot on a splined shaft I usually fill the small gap with something. I had initially used small pieces of an appropriately gauged sheet metal but when working on the amp or whatever those little pieces could fall out and land somewhere where they could create problems.

    Yes, I could — and often did — glue them in place but I found that cutting a thick credit card into tiny pieces worked just as well.

    P.P.P.S. Here is Premier Guitar Mod Garage article on adapting different sized pots and knobs (but nothing about adaptor bushings.)

    https://www.premierguitar.com/articl...knobs-and-pots

    P.P.P.P.S. I found 'em!

    AllParts EP-4100-000 Pot Adapter Bushings

    https://www.allparts.com/EP-4100-000...gs_p_1364.html

    Now to find an affordable listing on eBay...

    Success! I just ordered the last two 5 packs from a seller who offered free shipping for orders over $10. It worked out to $1.30 apiece, kinda pricey but still reasonable when your OCD insists on things being just right.

    P.P.P.P.P.S. The next mission (if you choose to accept it) is to locate an Asian source for the adaptors at a more reasonable price. Or perhaps Mouser sells them but I would only look in a printed catalog (their on-line searches never work well for me!)
    Last edited by Steve A.; 11-25-2017, 07:17 PM.
    The Blue Guitar
    www.blueguitar.org
    Some recordings:
    https://soundcloud.com/sssteeve/sets...e-blue-guitar/
    .

  • #2
    Planned wiring...

    The Heritage is undoubtedly my nicest guitar - it has been stored away in a closet for 15+ years just so I wouldn't be tempted to screw it up with my nefarious schemes...

    I had replaced the crappy Schaller bridge, tailpiece and pickups with Gibson hardware and Lindy Fralin A4 humbuckers around 1999. More on the bridge later...

    My wiring plans... First of all a P-P phase switch on the bridge tone pot to get those Peter Green tones. For the two volume controls I will be able to switch from interactive (Gibson) wiring to independent (Gretsch) wiring. I love getting the full range of blends in the middle position with Gretsch wiring but without a master volume the output cannot be not completely muted (very noticeable at high gain settings.). As for the neck tone control I'll probably wire in coil cuts for both pickups. (With the phase switch I can select either of the bridge pickup coils. Whoopie!)

    Steve A.

    P.S. As for Gibson bridge I installed many years ago it was a Nashville T-O-M but I mounted it like an ABR-1 with studs screwed into the threaded bushings and 2 spinner discs to set the height. One end of the "studs" had a rough edge so I'm sure that I got bolts with the correct thread from the local hardware store and cut them to length. Ouch! I replaced that mess with the $12.xx Mighty Mite factory clearance T-O-M bridges and bushings from StewMac.

    P.P.S. The original Schaller pickups had a really cool "Spirit in the Sky" vibe which got *really* old after about 5 minutes.

    P.P.P.S. According to Kid Andersen the secret to getting Hubert Sumlin's tone on those great Howlin' Wolf songs from the 60's was to have the two pickups on your Les Paul out of phase while turning down the tone control on the bridge pickup and turning up the tone control of the neck pickup... set the two volume controls to taste (try starting at 5 and 5.)

    Watch "Hubert Sumlin Tone Secrets!" on YouTube
    from Kid Andersen



    #1. Pickups need to be out of phase (Hubert used P90's but humbuckers work, too.)
    #2. Set Bridge PU tone to 0
    #3. Set Neck PU tone to 10
    #4. Turn up gain/volume/treble on amp
    #5. Adjust Bridge & Neck pickups to taste (start around 5 & 5)
    Note 1: You need a Les Paul style guitar with two volume and two tone controls to do this. It works even better if you rewire volume controls so that they are independent (switch leads going to pickup and to selector switch.)
    Note 2: The video mentions that the two pickups need to be magnetically out of phase but just reversing the two leads coming from the pair of bobbins works, too.
    Last edited by Steve A.; 11-25-2017, 09:48 PM.
    The Blue Guitar
    www.blueguitar.org
    Some recordings:
    https://soundcloud.com/sssteeve/sets...e-blue-guitar/
    .

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