Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm working on my first archtop. That is, a gibson cs-336 style guitar. It will have a carved top and "thinline style" body. I'm trying to decide whether to put in an access to the controls on the back or pass the controls through the f-hole. The only thing is, standard size controls won't pass through this f-hole and I don't want to enlarge them. I could possiblly use mini controls. Not sure that would be good or not. The alternative is to put in the access in the back. So, what is your experience or opinion?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

You don't go through the F-hole. You go through the bridge pickup hole. Assemble the whole harness, and through a long drawn out process and a few tools - move the pots and jacks where they need to be. Done it before at least once a year for decades - be prepared to curse a lot. GOOD LUCK!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Sometimes you do have to work through the F-holes, if the pickup rout has only a hole drilled for the pickup wire. It is a simple process of fishing the controls in place with flexible hose or some string. I have built a couple of ES 335 kits and the bodies came pre drilled and routed with only a hole drilled in the pickup cavity. They are more trouble to wire up but with mini pots everything goes in through the f-hole just fine.

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http://www.cushmanguitars.com/.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

Chris, This thing is semi hollow so going through the bridge pickup hole is not practical. Matt, sounds like you've had success with mini pots...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Steve, the mini pots worked for me. I upgraded to full size pots then discovered that they would not fit in the F-hole opening on the body. They were just a tiny bit too big to fit and with the f-holes being bound already I had no choice but to use the minis that came with the body. The minis seem to work well with no excess noise or other problems.

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http://www.cushmanguitars.com/.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

There is no reason mini pots of good quality will not work perfectly --- as an electronics hobbyist I prefer them over the large standard footprint units. As a side bar I once saw a very comprehensive YouTube video detailing the wiring layout planning and assembly procedure for a compact pick-up harness. Might be worth a "Google"

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I have reassembled a few factory guitars wiring harnesses after pot replacement, and pulled the wires through the f hole. I fed preselected heat shrink through the front holes and pulled the feed through end out of the f hole. Then stretched the heat shrink over the 4 pot shafts, switch and output socket of the pre assembled harness wired on a cardboard sheet. Then ease each component into the f hole whilst gently pulling the shrink sleeve back out bit by bit, then slide the washers and nuts on. Fasten and pull off the shrink sleeve. A guy who owned a guitar shop watched me do this because he had quoted on the job stating he did not want to do it. He shook his head and I sensed his disappointment at how easy it was. He also had done many the way Chris had.

I built a 335 with the centre block all the way to the tail so it could mount a Bigsby. I copied another builders idea of creating a diamond shaped cutout in the back behind the pots. Still use heat shrink but put the harness in from the back. It also allowed several mods to tone circuitry and pot swaps to be done painlessly. 4 countersunk screws close it up. As it was my first build I left a few marks at the cutout edges.

Mini pots were on all the factory guitars, mine has pull switches on the pots for pickup changes, single coil/humbucker etc.

For better or worse, I decided to take this approach... Rather than try to feed the tuners through the f holes.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Perfectly sensible approach, in my opinion. Some rare earth magnets and you have a clean and serviceable setup.


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