Souping up the electrics in an Epiphone Dot

the_jaffa

Hello,

I've got a really nice Korean Dot that feels and looks great imo but is slightly let down by the electrics.  I've been chatting with Ash at Oil City about getting some pickups but wondered whether it would be worth sorting the loom and the pots whilst I have the guts out through the F holes.

Can anyone suggest good options for upgrading these bits that I can look into please?  What would be sensible for the pots and would the wiring make that much difference?

I'm new to guitar modding so please don't assume any knowledge and feel free to patronise me.  I want to learn.

Cheers all

WezV

its worth doing if you are after the upgrade, but i will also point out that you don't need to remove the wiring loom to replace pickups in these guitars.   it makes the job a lot easier and you can still do the loom later if you need to

http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0058.html 

the_jaffa

I had a feeling that that was the case but thinking that I could maybe sort it all at the same time.  Get it all spot on in one hit.

octatonic

If you really are a new to guitar wiring I REALLY wouldn't suggest you dip your toe in with a semi.

They are quite tricky to do.

It is almost a certainty that you will scratch the f-holes up getting the pots out.

Seriously, start with a Tele- treat the modding separate to what you want to do with this guitar- and give it to a pro who knows what they are doing.

dogload

If you do decide to take the plunge and take the electrics out, please make sure you secure some threads to the pots and jack before you remove them so you can pull them (or their replacements) back through the holes. I have learned the hard way that NOT to do so is making life very difficult for yourself! 

thermionic

If you're changing pickups the pots will come out through the pick up holes, no need to try and squeeze them through the f-hole, surely? You just need to tie string to them so you can pull the new pots through the right holes. At least when you have everything out of the guitar the soldering should be much easier.

I never got round to changing pickups on my Dot but I did change the switch by pulling it through the f-hole quite easily. Some Dots have wider (not as finely-cut) f-holes than others though.

ESBlonde

There are a number of 'guides' on you chewb showing the best way(s) to remove and replace the loom of a semi. Take your time and don't rush it. Plan and prepare first with your string or surgical tube and then go for it.

Our own @shugz will advise and supply top quality components or complete ready looms is you wish. Highly recomended.

One example:

the_jaffa

Cheers all, just got back from a night ride on my bike but good to see some top info on here.

Although I've not done any guitar modding before, I have done setups and I am a bicycle mechanic so pretty used to being methodical and careful with stuff. Just going to take my time and not rush. Should all be a good learning experience. Worst comes to worst, I can take it to a pro to sort out I guess.

Any more info or tips would definitely be appreciated though.

Cheers

thermionic

If you're adept at taking bikes apart and putting them back together then you should have no problems - as long as you can solder and can read a simple circuit diagram of course. 

I would usually suggest Dan Erlewine's book (the Repair Guide) as there's a short section in it with some diagrams, but I guess the youtube videos are just as good.

OilCityPickups

octatonic said:

It is almost a certainty that you will scratch the f-holes up getting the pots out.

What a load of old rubbish ...
First, get yourself a roll of 2" low tack masking tape .... and mask the area ... that sorts out the scratching issue ... then watch the many videos and read the articles on the job.

Make notes and take photos as you strip out the harness .... particularly which pot goes in which hole.
Make a card former with the pot holes in exactly the same place as on your guitar front, then try the old harness there first .... making sure everything fits. Then make up the new harness on that same former.
6mm silicone glow fuel tube (used by nitro car racers) is about £2 for a couple of yards ... that will slip nicely through your pot holes, out through your f hole and then slide firmly over your pot shafts, allowing you to pull everything back into place.
I still use string cos I learned to do this in the 70s
 

frankus

I feed all the gubbins into the body from one of the pickup holes - but surgical tubing or that nitro wotsits makes the job amazingly easy

Fretwired

I upgraded my Epi Dot - shugz of this parish made an excellent wiring loom with new pots and I picked up a set of Gibson '57 pickups on evilBay and a TonePros bridge. My local guitar tech installed them all and hey presto a brillinat guitar was born. A Another forumite Tony Rath has played my Dot and was blown away by it ..

GuitarMonkey

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I still use string cos I learned to do this in the 70s   

I've used string (kite string is good) and silicone tubing (easier) but I generally manage it with just my fingers.

OilCityPickups

GuitarMonkey said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I still use string cos I learned to do this in the 70s   

I've used string (kite string is good) and silicone tubing (easier) but I generally manage it with just my fingers.

Dirty boy! (in a Harry Hill voice)

the_jaffa

I've got a load of the plastic tubing already as I use it for brake bleeding on the bikes.  I have a load of unused stuff so that should sort that.  Also got a roll of the low-tack masking tape so good to go there too.

The cardboard former to re-house everything once out sounds like a great idea though.  Makes a lot of sense rather than just having everything floating about.

@fretwired - that sounds really encouraging, which of the Tonepros bridges did you go for?

TheOtherDennis

Fretwired said:

I upgraded my Epi Dot - shugz of this parish made an excellent wiring loom with new pots and I picked up a set of Gibson '57 pickups on evilBay and a TonePros bridge. My local guitar tech installed them all and hey presto a brillinat guitar was born. A Another forumite Tony Rath has played my Dot and was blown away by it ..

I did that with mine, same type of pups as you, got Arrowhead of this parish to do the actual fiddly stuff, and while the bridge sounds fab, the neck one is a teensy bit shit.

the_jaffa

I'm going to go with a pair of Oil City Blitz Spirits for that PAF style sound.

guitarcookie1

thermionic said:

If you're changing pickups the pots will come out through the pick up holes, no need to try and squeeze them through the f-hole, surely? You just need to tie string to them so you can pull the new pots through the right holes. At least when you have everything out of the guitar the soldering should be much easier.

I never got round to changing pickups on my Dot but I did change the switch by pulling it through the f-hole quite easily. Some Dots have wider (not as finely-cut) f-holes than others though.

There is no hole in the pickup cavity on my Epi Dot, everything had to come out through the F-hole. Easy as long as you tie some string around the pots shafts first.

thermionic

That might explain why the f-holes seem wider now (especially right in the centre slash). I had an early Korean Sheraton which had fine, elegant f-holes. It would have been tricky to get pots out through those, but I don't know if the centre block had a cut in it under the bridge pickup.

GuitarMonkey

thermionic said:

That might explain why the f-holes seem wider now (especially right in the centre slash). I had an early Korean Sheraton which had fine, elegant f-holes. It would have been tricky to get pots out through those, but I don't know if the centre block had a cut in it under the bridge pickup.

They don't. You're fine getting the mini pots out but getting full size CTS pots in is very tricky. I remember on one of mine (a dozen or more years ago) that I cut away the centre block on the treble side of the bridge pickup rout to allow me to feed the wiring through.

the_jaffa

So, besides the practicalities of getting the bits in and out, has anyone got any recommendations for good pots, switch and jack to look into?