Gibson PCB to Vintage Wiring?

Inspector #20

Inspector #20

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Gary (Tone Man) and I have been discussing installing one of his harnesses into my 2016 Gibson SG. We are now curious to know if Gibson changed the layout (spacing) of the volume and tone pots when they reduced the control cavity size????

You may remember how the Norlin era SG's had a totally different control layout...

Also, I am still unsure if the pots on the PCB have the same 3/8" diameter as the Bourne pots Gary likes to use.

Until we can confirm this, we are holding off on producing a custom harness....

Gibson 2016 SG.jpg SG Comparison.jpg
 
Hell make it urself Robert.i make all mine. ya i think the Norlin guitars had a little bigger control cavity but im sure the Bourne pots will fit the holes.plenty of great drop in wireing harnesses on good ol ebay.
 
How about you pull the knobs off, place a piece of paper over the pot shafts and make a template where the pots, switch and jack are located?

Looks like plenty of room for full size Bourne pots.
 
Now, the other crazy thing is the 4 conductor GFS wiring....one of the guys on Reverb makes wiring to adapt many pickups to Gibson PCB's and he isn't sure this GFS will work with the unique way the PCB circuit is wired....
 
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So, after all of this research....my best option is to pull out the PCB, install shielding and point-to-point wiring...PROVIDING that Gibson did not alter the position of the volume and tone pots....then use a conventional 5 wire pickup....which would be much easier than the GFS Kwik-Plug 4 wire arrangement with the unused white wire....much, much more work than I wanted to do....
 
Robert,

I mean this to be encouraging, not negative, but you're really over-thinking this. Forget harnesses. Forget templates. The only times I ever used templates were to give myself more easy room when I built a custom ground buss in my Jackson and when I replaced the electronics in my semi-hollow. Templates can be useful, but don't enslave yourself to the idea. If you must, make one out of corrugated cardboard. Or, use the lid of a shoebox.

Get the pots, the caps, the jack, and the wire. Pull everything out. Shield the cavity however you want. Tape some paper over the rest of the guitar body to protect it. Install the pots, jack, and switch. Then, start soldering everything into place. I'm sure GFS has a wiring diagram for what you want to do.

You'll be done in no time!
 
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good answer. build your own harness, by making a card board template. I made mine by simply
shoving the cardboard onto the bare posts of the pots before I removed them from the guitar.
I pushed the pot shafts through the cardboard and my template was done. Crude, but effective.
SG wiring orig@100.jpg

Or just buy a ready made harness from Sigler music, or from Martin SixString, or from
RS guitar works, or from Stewmac. Any and all of these outfits will sell you a ready made harness that
will drop right into your new SG.
Sigler Wiring Harness@100.jpg
Then you'll need to solder a couple of points with the proper two conductors from the pickups.
and seal off the un needed pickup wires with heat shrink tube, and you're done.

Good luck. If you look at Stew Mac's website, they give great technical info on the measurements and dimensions
of the products they sell. And they explain about the different shaft knurling, and which knobs will fit on which shafts.
http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Wiring_Kits/
 
Well gents,

The time has come for me and this SG to part ways. I have already spent more time and effort on this single guitar than ANY other guitar I have ever owned....
 
Col Mustard said:
good answer. build your own harness, by making a card board template. I made mine by simply
shoving the cardboard onto the bare posts of the pots before I removed them from the guitar.
I pushed the pot shafts through the cardboard and my template was done. Crude, but effective.
View attachment 1763

Or just buy a ready made harness from Sigler music, or from Martin SixString, or from
RS guitar works, or from Stewmac. Any and all of these outfits will sell you a ready made harness that
will drop right into your new SG.
View attachment 1764
Then you'll need to solder a couple of points with the proper two conductors from the pickups.
and seal off the un needed pickup wires with heat shrink tube, and you're done.

Good luck. If you look at Stew Mac's website, they give great technical info on the measurements and dimensions
of the products they sell. And they explain about the different shaft knurling, and which knobs will fit on which shafts.
http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Wiring_Kits/
Click to expand...

Good suggestions to be certain!!!
 
Robert Herndon said:
Well gents,

The time has come for me and this SG to part ways. I have already spent more time and effort on this single guitar than ANY other guitar I have ever owned....
Click to expand...

I have to admit, it does sadden me a little to read this. I do empathize with your decision, however. I know you've struggled with this, but it's a little sad to see it all end this way.

Ultimately, however, you are the one who has to be happy with the guitar. If this has just proven to be too much of an ordeal to get it to the point where you think you would be happy with it, perhpaps it's best to let it go and put it in the hands of someone else.

Do you have any intentions on replacing the SG, or do you think you'll just stick with your current herd?
 
smitty_p said:
I have to admit, it does sadden me a little to read this. I do empathize with your decision, however. I know you've struggled with this, but it's a little sad to see it all end this way.

Ultimately, however, you are the one who has to be happy with the guitar. If this has just proven to be too much of an ordeal to get it to the point where you think you would be happy with it, perhpaps it's best to let it go and put it in the hands of someone else.

Do you have any intentions on replacing the SG, or do you think you'll just stick with your current herd?
Click to expand...

I woke up this morning and for the first time in almost 2 months, wasn't pissed off over this Gibson.

I've spent more time emailing and researching than playing...and, as was pointed out to me herein, I over think things a bit, but, that's me and I have to live with it....all a glorious part of OCD and Aspberger's....LOL

I look back now on my 2004 emails to Nicholas Chemsak at Gibson about all the troubles I had with my (then brand new) 2003 SG Standard. 12 years later, and I'm having the same issues with a 2016. (See the email in the "Bad Gibson Serial Number Thread" herein)

I know I will lose money on it, but after losing a home to foreclosure in 2008, losing a few hundred on a guitar is nothing.

At low volumes, the SG is perfect and I think it will make somebody a great guitar. I think $600 with hardshell case is reasonable, and if it doesn't sell, it can always become a student guitar.
 
Sad to hear that its come to this Robert. There's a damn good buy for someone at that price. Why not simply pot the pickups? Cost very little to have done professionally or you can do yourself, though I do understand getting to the point where you've had enough of something.
Regarding the electrostatic spraying of Gibson's (from your other thread), Gibson is by no means the only guitar manufacturer doing this. Off the top of my head Fender & Taylor guitars are electrostatically sprayed, but if you looked into it I think you'd find that practically all the major manufacturers use this method. Cheers
 
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ivan H said:
Sad to hear that its come to this Robert. There's a damn good buy for someone at that price. Why not simply pot the pickups? Cost very little to have done professionally or you can do yourself, though I do understand getting to the point where you've had enough of something.
Regarding the electrostatic spraying of Gibson's (from your other thread), Gibson is by no means the only guitar manufacturer doing this. Off the top of my head Fender & Taylor guitars are electrostatically sprayed, but if you looked into it I think you'd find that practically all the major manufacturers use this method. Cheers
Click to expand...

It got really frustrating, that's for sure.....I actually played it a little today....

 
Nice playing Robert. Especially that Hotel California.
I pulled up another SG clip, well actually a Flying V one but the SG sounded good too.

Guess I am shameless in gettin you to see the potential if you did choose to sort things out.

 
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