Members Coralkong Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Hi all. I have a Peavey JF-X 1 (purchased a few months ago), that I want to put new electronics into, namely, better pots and new pickups.Problem is there is no way to access the electronics except through the F holes. How is this done, exactly? Do I have to pull the whole thing out (wiring harness), rewire and thread the whole thing back in? I assume this would include the jack as well. Or, am I missing something?(Like do they bundle extra wire or something inside the guitar?) Thoughts? Better off to pay someone to do it? I'm fairly handy with a solder gun, etc...just have never done this to a semi-hollow.There is no access plate on the back, though I imagine I COULD add one. This looks like a collosal pain in the ass, so any experience here would be appreciated. I love the guitar, really does play well for an inexpensive guitar, and the finish is rather killer, but the electronics leave a bit to be desired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwire Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 You can try the search engine here, but it's hit or miss as to how helpful it is. This topic has been covered several times before. A forum member uploaded a video to YouTube showing the process. You might have better luck finding it there. Basically, you have to pull everything out through the pickup holes. The center block has a rout to allow everything to fit through. The most common method is to tie fishing line to the pots and jack so you can pull it back through. My advice? Do what I did and pay a tech to do it for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rose Pickups Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 I did mine after reading some info about it. I used rubber bands knotted together to pull the pots back into place. I also used a 1/4' jack minus the sleeve to pull the jack back into place. I wired nearly everything outside my guitar and with the long strands of rubber bands going into each hole, pulled them through slowly all at the same pace so they are in place at the same time. The first time I did it, I wired something wrong, so I had to redo it. Make sure you wired everything correctly. You can also use long runs of surgical tubing in each hole and stick the tubing on each shaft of the pots. The Dan Erlewine guitar repair book has some good ideas for rewiring hollows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coralkong Posted November 27, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Well, you know the search engine here---I think there's a note on the top of the page saying it's down again. (AGAIN). Anyway, I only paid $299 for the guitar, so I was gonna try to do it myself, but in this instance you may be correct to pay someone. Problem is, after it's all said and done, I don't really want to pay someone $200 to rewire a $300 guitar (plus the parts!). However, it is a nice guitar, and it really does play quite well. I guess this is the "price" one pays for a cheap guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlackCat Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 You can try the search engine here, but it's hit or miss as to how helpful it is. This topic has been covered several times before. A forum member uploaded a video to YouTube showing the process. You might have better luck finding it there. Basically, you have to pull everything out through the pickup holes. The center block has a rout to allow everything to fit through. The most common method is to tie fishing line to the pots and jack so you can pull it back through. My advice? Do what I did and pay a tech to do it for you! Funkwire: What guitar is that in your avatar? I can't tell if it's just the angle of the photo but the body looks extra deep to me. I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwire Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 It's a Fusion Blues FB-700. It's fully hollow, so yeah, it's a little deeper. My semi-hollow is a Washburn HB-35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Hi all.I have a Peavey JF-X 1 (purchased a few months ago), that I want to put new electronics into, namely, better pots and new pickups.Problem is there is no way to access the electronics except through the F holes.How is this done, exactly?Do I have to pull the whole thing out (wiring harness), rewire and thread the whole thing back in? I assume this would include the jack as well.Or, am I missing something?(Like do they bundle extra wire or something inside the guitar?)Thoughts? Better off to pay someone to do it? I'm fairly handy with a solder gun, etc...just have never done this to a semi-hollow.There is no access plate on the back, though I imagine I COULD add one.This looks like a collosal pain in the ass, so any experience here would be appreciated.I love the guitar, really does play well for an inexpensive guitar, and the finish is rather killer, but the electronics leave a bit to be desired. Not a problem. Just take your time and work carefully. Plan ahead. The string method works very well. Make sure all your solder points are perfect. Take out the current wiring harness and copy it with your new components pups, etc. Before you begin to slide everything back into the body, make sure to test and everything works perfectly while out side the body. Using the string method, everything should be coaxed in simultaneously. Do not force the components in, that's the easiest way for it not to work when you're finished. Slow and easy is the key. I love semihollows and have done many rewirings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Hi all.I have a Peavey JF-X 1 (purchased a few months ago), that I want to put new electronics into, namely, better pots and new pickups.Problem is there is no way to access the electronics except through the F holes.How is this done, exactly?Do I have to pull the whole thing out (wiring harness), rewire and thread the whole thing back in? I assume this would include the jack as well.Or, am I missing something?(Like do they bundle extra wire or something inside the guitar?)Thoughts? Better off to pay someone to do it? I'm fairly handy with a solder gun, etc...just have never done this to a semi-hollow.There is no access plate on the back, though I imagine I COULD add one.This looks like a collosal pain in the ass, so any experience here would be appreciated.I love the guitar, really does play well for an inexpensive guitar, and the finish is rather killer, but the electronics leave a bit to be desired.you have the pickup holes to work with too. It really isn't that tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minnehond Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 It's not nearly as tough as most people make it out to be. Just take it all out through the F-hole, then make a cardboard template of all the holes (volume and tone pots, switch and jack). Wire up your new pots and switches and jack on the cardboard and don't forget to wire it up in such a way that the wires won't be visible through the F-hole once in place. I didn't bother with using tubes or wire to get everything back in to place, way to messy. Just put everything back through the f-hole (after wiring up the pickups ofcourse) and use some small pliers or a tweezer to pull the pots and switch up into their respective holes. You can install the jack by using a piece of iron wire to shove it in the right spot and by using another piece of iron wire (make a small hook at the end) to lift it up. If you use vintage wire the wiring harness will pretty much keep it's shape after pushing it back in through the f-hole, making the task much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dman11 Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Dental floss:thu: Tie a length to the pots and remove old pot and then tie to new pots pull string and voila!.Very easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 String works fine and like t-bone said it's really not as hard as people make it out to be. Heck I've done it without string several times; you just need to be really good with your fingers. The only soldering that should be done inside the guitar is the pickups to the volume pots. There is more than enough lead to pull the pots through the f-hole to get to them. I'd unsolder the pots and then rip the whole harness out; replace the parts one at a time and then put the harness back in. Solder the pickups back on there and button it up. Just take your time and be sure to cover the body anywhere the iron is close to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 211dave112 Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Heck I've done it without string several times; you just need to be really good with your fingers. thats what she said. anyway.... i rewired my epi dot once and used string, it is a pain, but i'm sure that was just me being impatient. as long as you're realistic and take your time it's not too hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rob Dobbs Posted November 28, 2009 Members Share Posted November 28, 2009 This should answer all your questions about the handy work, with pictures alone:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mario_valenta/sets/72157603886350865/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoopermazing Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Hello, I've rewired exactly one guitar. It was an Ibanez Artcore AFS75T (thin-line full hollowbody.) I used dental floss in order to fish the components back into place. Now, I'm about to attempt a more ambitious rewiring project (the infamous Jimmy Page wiring scheme.) I'm inclined to believe that surgical tubing would guide the components back into proper alignment better than dental floss. Is surgical tubing with an inside diameter of 3/16" the proper size for this job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tartanphantom Posted February 4, 2010 Members Share Posted February 4, 2010 Don't use surgical tubing, it's too flimsy. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot plumbing department. take a pot with you. they have clear vinyl tubing there in all sizes. It works much better than surgical tubing. You can test fit it with the pot, and then buy whatever you need by the foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rose Pickups Posted February 4, 2010 Members Share Posted February 4, 2010 also dont forget the tubing once on the pot is big so you have to make sure it will fit back through the hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Smilin' Bob Posted February 4, 2010 Members Share Posted February 4, 2010 It's hard to find string of the same diameter that's anywhere near as strong as dental floss. With it, duct tape and shoe goo, there is nothing you can't fix! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted February 4, 2010 Members Share Posted February 4, 2010 This is what I do. I attach old guitar strings to the pots/jacks etc. Then I pull everything through the F-hole. I tape the strings to the holes so they don't pull through while I'm working. Then I prep the patient: Sometimes shims need to be added or removed: Then I test everything. While the strings are off, it's a good time to condition the fretboard. Pull everything back through, install strings, you're ready to roll. By the way, TV Jones pickups rule on semis or hollows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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