Author Topic: Replacing electronics (Read 3416 times)

Hurley · « **on:** January 01, 2007, 07:24:05 AM »

hey...im getting some new pickups for my ibanez rg370dx (miracle man in brige and dimarzio air norton in neck) and i figured that while i was getting them installed i might as well replace all the electronics. basically is this worthwhile? i need to replace the input jack as mine is dodgy but besides this and the two pots (btw are tone and volume pots the same? and which one would u reccomend) what else will i need? sorry if this is a bit of a noob question.

Philly Q · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2007, 11:37:20 AM »

I always think it's only really worthwhile if you're not happy with the performance of the current parts - does the volume control have an even taper, or is it just "off" or "on"? Does the 5-way(?) switch feel sloppy or too stiff?

I'm not really familiar with Ibanez guitars, but I'd guess it has typical Korean/Japanese electronics. If you do replace them, go American - CTS or CGE pots (from Allparts or WD respectively). I should think 500K pots will be fine for both V and T, to work with the humbuckers. Allparts and WD should also have a choice of switches, jacks and capacitors.

(Just a thought - if the current pots are tight-fitting, you might have to make the holes in the body a little bigger for American pots. Not too risky if you're careful!)

Hurley · « **Reply #2 on:** January 01, 2007, 11:53:34 AM »

to be honest the the pots and stuff are fine but id still like to change them just so i know im getting the best out of the pickups..the 5way switch feels a bit cheap so thats going to be changed....what capacitors do i need and how many etc??

Philly Q · « **Reply #3 on:** January 01, 2007, 12:09:31 PM »

It has one tone and one volume? Then you probably need just a standard 0.022 capacitor like this one.

But there are lots of other options - have a look how the guitar is currently wired, they may have used a "treble bleed" capacitor (or cap + resistor) on the volume control to keep the highs at low volume.

Some people have strong opinions on different types and values of capacitors, and it's fairly cheap to experiment (unless you get Hovland Musicaps which are over £10 each!). If you search around on the forum you'll find comments from people who know more about this than I do!

Hurley · « **Reply #4 on:** January 01, 2007, 12:28:59 PM »

hey thanks for you help! i noticed that you get ceramic caps as well whats the difference between the one you showed me and them? sorry for all the questions! i just opened the control cavity and i cant even see a capacitor in there!

Philly Q · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2007, 01:15:45 PM »

Quote from: Hurley

i just opened the control cavity and i cant even see a capacitor in there!

There must be at least one somewhere! :D

As I say, I'm no expert on the subject. All caps are made to do the same thing, but more expensive ones are made from different materials so their performance should be better and (especially) more consistent. Ceramic-disc caps are the cheapest type you can get. The Orange Drop caps are made from polypropylene, some vintage-style caps are paper in oil, Hovlands are (I think) layered polypropylene film and conductive foil. The more complex the construction, the more you pay.

I haven't experimented enough to see how much difference these things really make, but Hovland claim a "dramatic improvement in clarity, focus and dynamics". Is it worth the money? I suppose 10 or 15 quid isn't much compared to the cost of a set of pickups!