Hollow Body Electronics

[sjaguar13]

What do I need to get a hollow body working? It came with no electronics at all. Do I need any special type of pickup to work, as in size or anything?

[Brian]

Need a little more info bro, is there a cavity where the original pickup(s) were?

If so what are thee dimentions, also how many holes for knobs and stuff?

A picture would really help if you can post one.

[sjaguar13]

Here's a picture. Two knobs, I'll have to check on the dimentions of the pickup cavities. What are the two other holes for, a toggle switch and something else?

[otgordin]

Along the same lines, I have an old harmony rocket that needs to have one of the pots replaced... But i can't figure out how to desolder it and put in a new one without having to take off the top. Thanks

-Vadim

[renablistic]

niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice body... gots potential. It looks like A teisco to me. A teisco Del-Rey, am i right? It's either that, silvertone, or harmony.

[renablistic]

if it is a teisco del rey go to teiscotwangers.com, and look it up. Then try ebay for the vorrect PUPs, normal wiring and pots willwork.

[Brian]

That ol'burst finish kicks I'm still trying to figure out the second cut out on the horn's though. Seems like there should only be one unless of course it had slider switches to do coil splitting in one of them.

BTW, to get to the electronics and hold them up after you release the lockdown nut you can use surgical stat's, the pots should make it all the way to the F-holes with the amount of wiring usually found inside.

[sjaguar13]

What's a slider switch? Do I just need two pots, pickups, and a switch to get this beast working? Where does all this crap go? Do I just let it hang inside? I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea to fix this guitar up.

[www]

Look here

This a slide switch. You need two of them. Two pickups with mounting rings. Two potentiometers (pots) and a bridge.

look here

The wires will go inside and if your neat you can hide them. I am not an expert on wiring so you can ask more on that later. It is a reletively easy fix. Check out pics of other hollow bodies.

I have had to use dental floss to pull the pots through on my Gibson. Don't give up, once you start you should see how easy it will be. And you can get a lot of support here.

[DividedByJames]

Sliders are like the ones on Fender Jaguars and Jazzmasters. Check out the two way version or the three way..

If I remember correctly, wiring it is a pain, because you want to use the correct length of wire so that the wire doesn't slap the top or back when it's moved around. For ES335/Gretsch-type I think you install the pickups and measure the wire to reach about 3/4" into the F-hole (which I think is where you have to do all the soldering to keep the slapping to a minimum). I think you tie a string to the pots and run it thru the pot hole. When it's all soldered, you pull the string so the pot shaft comes thru the hole, and then you lock it down with the nut. But you might be able to get away with some of that because you have two switch locations, and can run the pickup wires and/or pot wires to either of those areas.

[DividedByJames]

oh...and the pickup routs look like the dog-earred P90s so you could get those.

[sjaguar13]

What's coil spliting, and would I need a two or three way switch for that? Do I wire the whole thing, then start shoving through the holes?

[DividedByJames]

I would wire the chasis together first before bringing it to the guitar. This wwould be all the interconnecting pots and switches in one central area. Keep the pickups and whatever goes in the holes in the horns separate.

Switches...it's totally up to what you want and what pickups you get. Coil tapping only works on humbucker-esque pickups (ie. 2 independant coils and generally 5 wire is prefered). If you put regular humbuckers in it , for example, you could have one switch be a three way (each pickup or both) and a two way acting as a coil tap. I referenced dogearred P90s last time...I dunno if these come tap'able.

What I'd do (for my needs) is wire together a vol, tone, and output, and have a long lead wire hanging off it. Feed one string thru the Vol pot hole, out the F-hole, and around the vol pot. Likewise another string with the tone for the tone pot. Then pull them thru lock'em down and no more messing with those. Take the long wire run it inside to the top (near strap button) switch area and cut off excess wire leaving maybe 1-1.5" protruding from the hole to work with. Attach this to output of a three way. Install pickups...run hots to 3way removing (or securing with twist ties) excess wire where there is only the same amount of 1-1.5" wire protruding. From there attach separate wires to the coils. There are 2 per pickup...this allows the pickup wire to remain intact rather than "V"-ing it all the way from the pickup itself. Run this wire to the other switch area. Use same amount of wire protruding, and wire for coil tapping.

Thats what I'd do--you can do whatever your heart desires. Also I've never used the Jaguar/Jazzmaster switches before so I don't know if it will work like a regular push pull pot. If you need more knobs you could also get concentric pots and add another tone or volume.

OR you could wire it Gretsch stylee and make the switches tone circuits and make the bottom hole a 3 way toggle.

There are many possibilities...you just need to figure out what sounds you need. I just happen to have a bit of geetar-A.D.D. so I need every possible combination. Well for a while...until I get bored of the guitar and start another project.

[sjaguar13]

I desire being able to play the guitar for as cheap as possible. The guitar is almost junk. I don't want to pour a lot into it. I found some chrome dog earred P90 style covers. I measure my pickups and ring and it is too small for this guitar. I emailed the guy with the covers to see if they would fit. How do the covers work? Would I just mount the pickup under the cover or would I actually have to take the pickup apart and replace the top part with the cover? I'm liking the tone switch idea.

[renablistic]

I'll give ya $300 for that bod.

seriously

but I'm broke.

sorry.

I love that body.

With a re-finish anyways...

[sjaguar13]

I'd sell the whole stupid guitar for $75. Think if I parted it out, I'd get more for it? I'm having a really hard time finding pickups that fit.