ManWhoSoldTheWorld Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 I've decided to refinish my black Epi SG special, and i know how to do everything except remove the pickups and electronics. I don't want to mess anything up, so could someone help me. It has two humbuckers, the input for the lead, a tone knob, a volume knob and a 3 way toggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalefish Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 If I'm not mistaken, you've gotta be ready to re-solder some of the electronics if you want to remove them.. I haven't 'emptied' a guitar without having to do some sort of soldering.. What you'd want to do is to firstly either make a diagram of the existing circuit or find one off the net so you know which wire goes where.. After that, either cut or desolder any of the wires keeping any of the parts from being taken out of the cavity.. Off the top of my head, they should be the wires to and from the 3-way switch, the ends of the humbucker wires and the wires to the output jack's 2 terminals.. Lastly, if you're cutting the wires, try to cut them right at the terminals (but don't cut the actual terminal!!) of the various components.. That way, you should be able to avoid having to lengthen any of the wires.. Hope that helps!! Oh, and if you like the heights of the pickups the way they are and don't want to have to adjust them, I think you should be able to just unscrew the mounting without having to remove the humbuckers from them.. This should preserve the heights quite well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 you don't need to cut the wires...desolder them...it is very simple just use some common sense about what you need to desolder and what you don't edit...to desolder all you must do is apply the fully heated iron to the part the wire is attached to...while applying a gentle pull on the wire itself...the solder gets hot and the wire slips right out soldering it BACK together is a little tougher to get right...but with a good iron and good solder it is not that bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalefish Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Listen to Wes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Draw detailed diagrams! I cant stress that enough, especially if youve never done this before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefm Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 If it's the same as mine then it has the one wire pickups You can keep the PU in the ring if you want...just unscrew the 4 screws at the corners and leave the short side ones alone... Then you unsolder the wires for ground and the hot side from the main circuitry... you should be able to pull the wires through the holes routed for them... if you want to remove the main electronics you should be able to without desoldering...unless you want to leave the knobs and jack where they are...Oh and there's a groundwire that goes to the bridge...watch for that too.... Ummm....I think that's good...I wasn't looking at my guitar while writing that...it's from memory...that and I'm assuming yours is the same The wiring on them looks like it was done by an 8 year old...you're probably better to take it all apart and put it back together anyway....Oh...and the volume knobs probably do that anoying thing in the middle position where either acts as a master volume and you can't quite balance them...now is a great time to fix that Oh and desoldering all you've gotta do is get the soldering iron hot enough to melt the solder...then touch it to what you want to disconnect...the solder becomes liquid pretty quick and then the wire will almost fall off itself...don't put heat on too long...it can damage some components...as soon as it's liquid should be good... Cleaning the parts of solder you can get braid or one of those pnumatic deals...or do what I do....it makes a mess and you don't want to do it for some things but guitar parts should be ok.......heat the solder then tap the part on the table...the solder will fall to the table...like I said...makes a mess...splashes molten solder everywhere...and doesn't clean it off as well (gotta check for shorts)...but it's quick and not as cumbersome...molten solder hurts...so if you're not lazy you likely won't want to be like me Soldering is a little trickier....it's good if you can wrap the wires around the junction first...then you heat the junction while touching the solder to it (don't heat the solder and wipe it on with the iron....yes it works but does a poor job and looks like it was done by an 8 year old) once the junction is hot enough the solder will almost leap into it and fill it connecting everything...it takes a bit of practice... Anyway...that should about do it....oh wait....you likely wont have transistors in your guitar...but if you do be really careful with the soldering and desoldering...I've fried a few by leaving the heat to long...they're a little sensitive to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinner16 Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Ok... I agree with everyone else.... Also you may want to get some practice with a steady hand... Play the game "Operation". You know the one where the dudes nose lights up when you try to remove a body part !!!!! In a cramped compartment you really need to have a steady hand... I can't tell you how many times I was more concerned with trying to get the tip of the iron in the right spot... to find out I just melted the insulation on a different wire from the "shaft" of the iron touching it. Just my $0.02 worth. Not like anyone will really care if the wires have a few burn marks ... but if you are building something you intend on selling... Burnt up insulation doesn't look so good...... I also try to keep the surrounding area of the body tapped off or covered w/ something ..... You never know when a drop of solder will feel like falling off the iron. Drops of molten solder on the body doesn't look so good. Also the molten solder can leave a dull haze or burn mark.... Just enough to look ugly..... Oh well.. this is all probably information that you propbably figured out already.. but I had to comment... thanks for listening .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Ok... I agree with everyone else.... Also you may want to get some practice with a steady hand... Play the game "Operation". You know the one where the dudes nose lights up when you try to remove a body part !!!!! Wow... that's an old memory for ya... BTW, like sinner said, have something over the body. It gives you a little workspace right next to what you're doing. I usually use a few layers of paper towel. One other thing: when you're desoldering... know what you want to move and where. Get the joint hot, then move. You don't have to rush, but don't sit there with the iron on your parts for five minutes while you figure out what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManWhoSoldTheWorld Posted May 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Thanks guys, that what I did, I drew a diagram. Thankfully, i only had to solder one wire to get the electronics out, and my dads really good at soldering. Since I'm getting new pups we just cut the wires and we'll desolder them later. So that was good. I've got the back and sides sanded down, and I'm finishing the sanding tommorrow. For colors I've got a nice deep burgandy satin paint, and its going to go to black around the edges, like a lot of guitars do. This is my first time working with a guitar and it's awesome. I'm going to build my own for my next guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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