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Have a refinish gold top 530xxx

mappee

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Jan 18, 2022
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8
Original owner of 530xxx. Recently thinking of fixin her up a bit ie new pots, pickups, bridge and stuff. Suggestions wanted.
She's a player routed for humbuckers then back to p90 so mods will only help playability. Gosh the case has fallen apart
and stinks. Like some new knobs that I see in Philly shop cool. New strap buttons...everything I guess. Many suggestions!
Post a pic later.
 

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corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
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4,876
I put 500ohm pots in mine and it is bigger sounding but lost some of that distinctive late 60's sound.
 

mappee

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Jan 18, 2022
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Thinking 500K cts short split shaft. This: https://www.ebay.com/itm/282909385387
The original pots were brass shaft right?
Strap buttons? ABR bridge wt/ nylon saddles.
This guitar is currently a mess but playable. Baseball bat neck yep.
I wrote down it's full history best I recall.

Thinking of rewinding original P90's. Who is the man for this?
 

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corpse

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Nylon saddles are a must- and some kidney bean grovers. Those tuners gotta go.
 

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mappee

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Jan 18, 2022
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Nah those tuners are Grover pearloids 103. You no like? I got a set of grovers but they got no star on back.
Going back to original nylon saddles is the ticket.
Okay I ordered a bunch of parts. ABR bridge, Prewired CTS pots 500K switchcraft 3 way. Aluminum strap buttons, reflector
knob set. Now looking at pickups? Cream P90, but should I rewind originals or get some Duncan stacks. Fralin considered.
Wow if I have $$ left (I doubt), a new case?
 
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corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
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I love the HB's in mine- stickered T-Tops. I saw Tower of Power outdoors at UConn in 1978 and am still impressed the way his P90's sounded- and I didn't really know what i was hearing. Easy change- hang with them for a while.
 

dwagar

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Apr 18, 2005
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4,451
"Thinking of rewinding original P90's. Who is the man for this?"

When I needed the P-90s rewound from my '53 GT, I sent them to Jon at Throbak. He does great work IMO.
 

corpse

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Nah those tuners are Schaller pearloids. You no like?
Ok I will go with you here. By the late 70’s these guitars weren’t getting much respect. Mine had some crazy surgery on it I still cannot explain the purpose of.
So like the man said “nah, leave it”. It is cool.
in a hideous sort of way.
 

mappee

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By the late 70’s these guitars weren’t getting much respect.
Guitar collecting and originality were just starting to enter the market late 70. I saw many mods done at that time. My friend had the heel of his Deluxe shaved and body double cut away so he had smooth access to upper frets yikes. Me I had had it with hum so starting with copper plating pot cavity, then routing for HB's, then selling it and buying it back, reinstalled p90's. Retrospect wish I left it original...BUT.
Lucky to still have it and now it's wide open for anything so this is my attempt to do it some justice. At least neck is unbroken (good thing)! More I play it my hand starts to recall feeling baseball neck chunkiness.
When I needed the P-90s rewound from my '53 GT, I sent them to Jon at Throbak
I'll check out Throbak. As yet I'm still undecided how to handle pickups. Rewind or buy some new dropins? ?? ???
Those stacked pickups sound enticing as damage I did to guitar was due to hum of original P90's.

What is correct value for tone capacitors? .22 or .47. Still have original Bumble Bees but new harness I ordered has .22?
Also original hardware was chrome not nickel right? Big boys from 50's had nickel.
 
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dwagar

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Apr 18, 2005
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4,451
Yes, it's just a small change. It doesn't get quite as dark on full roll off, where you coax that bit of 'hollow' tone out of a PIO cap.

I fell down the rabbit hole of testing caps a few years ago. Now I just use inexpensive PIO Russians, I picked up, I think, a 10 pack off of EBay.
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
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Big Al built a huge board when he worked at Whirlwind with an array of caps- and put them into the circuit of a guitar- the end result was the only variable was the value. His engineer there told him as much before he started.
But as they say knock yourself out.
 

mappee

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Jan 18, 2022
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I fell down the rabbit hole of testing caps
end result was the only variable was the value
Looking for the Holy Grail...me I'm just poking for sage wisdom, thanks gentlemen.
Harness I ordered comes .022 O-drops, I have original bumblebees if I don't like sprague.
Then again it's not the measurement rather the instrument. Lucky incompetence is also welcomed.
 

Enlarscom

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Jan 21, 2022
Messages
58
Original owner of 530xxx. Recently thinking of fixin her up a bit ie new pots, pickups, bridge and stuff. Suggestions wanted.
She's a player routed for humbuckers then back to p90 so mods will only help playability. Gosh the case has fallen apart
and stinks. Like some new knobs that I see in Philly shop cool. New strap buttons...everything I guess. Many suggestions!
Post a pic later.
That's great:love:
 

mappee

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Jan 18, 2022
Messages
8
Here is after pic. Looks the same but like new tires on a car feels brand new.
New pots/caps, pickups, strap buttons, toggle switch/cap, and knobs.
Sounds GREAT thru period Princeton Reverb. Background is the original case, it's falling apart and not sure if it can be fixed?
New cases look promising but if moldy smell and damage can be remediated well idk...
The 103 grovers were special order in late 70's and I see they still make these but no star on back.
I think she's happy AGAIN.
 

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