Installed my grey tigers last night

[ozone]

And they sound great. I found that they really rounded off the harshness off my guitar, which was on the brightside. My LP sounds thicker then before, it's been the sound I've been hunting for. I had to tweek my setup alittle cause the neck pickup seem too dark but I'm almost there.
I also noticed that the tone controls seem to be more dynamic. At '10' the pickups sound full and smooth with no harshness. At '0' I get a really wolfy tone. Much like the 'woman tone' and not muddy at all. I really like how these caps work on my guitar. Thanks to RSguitarworks, thats were I bought them. Billy, your the man!!! Great Product.
some pics

[JMV]

It will likely help you to remove that grounding plate and wire it old school. Should clear things up a bit.

[5F6-A]

Originally Posted by JM Vasek

It will likely help you to remove that grounding plate and wire it old school. Should clear things up a bit.

have you tried it for yourself? did you notice any improvement?

[ozone]

I do have 50's style wiring.
But removing the plate is my next project. I need to order the short pots for that.
I'm also going the rewire the switch to the vintage braided.
thanks for the tip.

[jason_mazzy]

are u going rs kit?

[ozone]

I have the RS superpots and RS tone caps already installed.
I'm planning to get the same pots at RS (short staft) and the wire too.

[jason_mazzy]

ok great. i know he does a prewire that looks great

[JMV]

Originally Posted by 5F6-A

have you tried it for yourself? did you notice any improvement?

I did remove the grounding plate in my Classic, but I did so at the same time I replaced the pickups, pots, and caps. I wouldn't be able to tell you from my personal experience (too many changes to pinpoint benefits), but I know plenty of guys here hate those bridge plates and say they muddy the sound.

[ozone]

I'm changing it out just because it's a real pain to take that plate in and out to make the mods. For example, installing these caps I had to rotate the tone and volume pots to accomedate the length but since the pots are connected to the plate I had to desolder the ground disconnect the jack so I can have just enough space to unscrew the pots and rotate them. It really makes modding the electronics a chore instead of it being fun.
I've heard both sides of that agrument also.

[eddie_bowers]

The plates can be a pain, but I'm VERY skeptical that it makes an audible difference.

[Grand Pappy]

I agree w/ eddie b. How much of an audible difference is discernable with/without the mounting plate?
It may be an advantage to remove the plate if your going to keep changing pots and caps, but otherwise leave it in there. You already got all R.S. comps in there, why mess with the expense and time to remove the plate and replace w/ short shafts?
I put a Jonesy MoJo kit in w Hyrel .022uf Vit Q's in my 76 Deluxe, so I doubt I'll be changing anything again soon. It was a bit of a pain to get the plate out, but once out it made for a nice little substrate to pre wire all I could outside of the control cavity, so I reinstalled it.
By the way ... your Tigers look great!

[hillbilly]

You will still need long shaft pots if you take the plate out...

[JMV]

Originally Posted by eddie_bowers

The plates can be a pain, but I'm VERY skeptical that it makes an audible difference.

I would imagine it would make an audible difference. Wiring up the switch with all vintage style braided wire would make a significant difference over the thin stuff that comes stock.

It just seems like everything is better connected with traditional wiring - makes sense to me that you could hear a difference.

[ozone]

Originally Posted by Grand Pappy in Chandler

By the way ... your Tigers look great!

Thanks man. I'm really enjoying them.

[ozone]

Originally Posted by hillbilly

You will still need long shaft pots if you take the plate out...

I thought that the reason for the long shaft was to get the shaft through the body with the plate on. So I can take out the plate and reinstall the same pots?
So why are there short shafts? For flat body guitars?

[JMV]

Originally Posted by ozone

I thought that the reason for the long shaft was to get the shaft through the body with the plate on. So I can take out the plate and reinstall the same pots?
So why are there short shafts? For flat body guitars?

Yep. I needed short shafts for my flat top Special.

[ozone]

Man, I should have thought about it.

[Splattle101]

Originally Posted by JM Vasek

I would imagine it would make an audible difference. Wiring up the switch with all vintage style braided wire would make a significant difference over the thin stuff that comes stock.

It just seems like everything is better connected with traditional wiring - makes sense to me that you could hear a difference.

I don't understand what you think will make a difference.

He's said it's already wired up 1950s. The base plate has nothing to do with that, or with the braiding on the pickup leads or switch lead. The baseplate in that instrument is purely mechanical.

In some older guitars (i.e., mid to late 1970s Norlins), the base plate was part of a shielding arrangement that included a large metal 'pot' that enclosed all the electronics on one side. The plate finished the enclosure on the other side. The idea, presumably, was to form a Faraday cage around the electronics to reduce noise. Many of these instruments didn't have an earth wire from the stop piece, so that Faraday cage was all the noise reduction you got. No earth.

In an instrument like that it makes perfect sense to remove that pot and plate arrangement and put a conventional earth wire in.

In this instrument it makes no sense to pull that thing out except at the aesthetic level.

[5F6-A]

I'm not sure if the base makes any difference but I'm yanking mine out... I trust Billy and I have nothing to lose but the time and I do not mind tinkering anyway.

[hillbilly]

Originally Posted by ozone

I thought that the reason for the long shaft was to get the shaft through the body with the plate on. So I can take out the plate and reinstall the same pots?
So why are there short shafts? For flat body guitars?

Certain Gibson guitars (Les Paul Customs, Standards, etc.) have thicker tops that need the extra pot shaft length.

You'll have to slightly adjust the hex-nut on the inside of the cavity so that you have your desired "knob height" on the top side.