i got new wiring, pot shafts too BIG!

[toddtodd]

i ordered a wiring kit from acme guitars.
the threaded part of the shaft of the pots are too lagre to fit thru the holes in my jbass control plate.
whats the best wat to make the holes larger?
has anyone had to do this?

thanks!

-todd

[tplyons]

What kind of pots did you order?

Certainly not standard Fender or CTS pots.

[toddtodd]

Originally Posted by tplyons

What kind of pots did you order?

Certainly not standard Fender or CTS pots.

CTS pots..

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/J-Bas...rn-P83C27.aspx

SX j bass....

[PilbaraBass]

If the pots don't fit...getting access to a drill press is best...

if you're handy with a hand drill, this will work...but you must be careful...

The other thing...besides the holes...will the standard sized CTS pots actually fit in the control cavity...I have an issue here with my Yamaha RBX170, hence, I have to use the smaller pots (not my preference, but hey).

[toddtodd]

it seems like the pots will fit in the cavity.
damnit i have been waiting to wire this up.
the package was to be here friday so i was looking foeward all week.
then it was resched. till today so i wait all weekend.
now this..

[clink]

You can drill the holes larger with a hand drill. I had to do it on mine. Just get a drill bit of 1/4" or so and reem the hole out. Masking tape on the chrome would be a good idea. I had to add a nut to my pots to lower the pots a bit, so be sure you have two nuts per pot.

[Keef]

Originally Posted by toddtodd

i ordered a wiring kit from acme guitars.
the threaded part of the shaft of the pots are too lagre to fit thru the holes in my jbass control plate.
whats the best wat to make the holes larger?
has anyone had to do this?

thanks!

-todd

If the pots don't fit... you must acquit!


Personally, I'd send 'em back – standard is supposed to be standard. Thanks for posting this, Todd – I was going to order the same kit tonight. I saw your thread just in the nick of time. Guess I'll try the set from StewMac.

BTW, are you sure your Jazz is standard? That's really weird about the off-sized shafts.

~ K

•

[Lyle Caldwell]

Wait! The CTS pots and the shaft diameters are standard!
It's the SX control plate that is sized for the smaller Asian metric parts. You can get smaller pots, but they don't sound as good or last as long as the CTS pots. Order a standard sized control plate (3/8" holes for the CTS pots) or enlarge what you have.

Acme isn't to blame. They sell parts to be used in Fenders and other standard American instruments.

[toddtodd]

Originally Posted by Lyle Caldwell

Wait! The CTS pots and the shaft diameters are standard!
It's the SX control plate that is sized for the smaller Asian metric parts. You can get smaller pots, but they don't sound as good or last as long as the CTS pots. Order a standard sized control plate (3/8" holes for the CTS pots) or enlarge what you have.

Acme isn't to blame. They sell parts to be used in Fenders and other standard American instruments.

i dont think i ever said acme was to blame.
i just want this to fit.

-todd

[Keef]

Originally Posted by Lyle Caldwell

Wait! The CTS pots and the shaft diameters are standard!
It's the SX control plate that is sized for the smaller Asian metric parts. You can get smaller pots, but they don't sound as good or last as long as the CTS pots. Order a standard sized control plate (3/8" holes for the CTS pots) or enlarge what you have.

Acme isn't to blame. They sell parts to be used in Fenders and other standard American instruments.

Great info, Lyle! As my kit is going into an SX as well, it looks like I'll be buying a plate, too. It's weird that I've never found this info in any of threads about switching out pots on SXes on TB. I just searched the Essex Megathread for "metric" and there were no results.

Is it possible that only some of the SXes use non-standard holes? It's hard to believe that no-one has ever mentioned this before, especially when considering that swapping the pots is apparently the #1 SX upgrade among TBer's.

~ K

•

[Keef]

Originally Posted by Keef

It's hard to believe that no-one has ever mentioned this before, especially when considering that swapping the pots is apparently the #1 SX upgrade among TBer's.

My bad, Clink just mentioned it in this very thread.

[asnutter]

I had the same problem...
Cover the plate with masking tape...
I "bolted" the plate onto a piece of 2X4, using the holes for mounting the plate to the guitar...
Take a drill bit which is slightly larger than the holes in your plate and press it through the masking tape...
Gently tap the drill (pressing it into the wood) using a small hammer-this provides you with a center punch point to use for the drill bit...
I used a 9.5 volt hand drill and SLOWLY reamed out the metal keeping the drill as vertical as possible...

Worked like a champ!!!

I agree with adding a second washer to lower the pots---just looks "cleaner"...

Good Luck!!!

[fookgub]

IME, the best way to enlarge holes in metal is with a Unibit. Buy one... you won't regret it.