Anybody ever repair a vintage Centralab?

[Ed A]

Not sure if this is the right place for this question but.... I have a '57 Centralab 500k pot that is cutting out between 8 and 9.... Anyone ever open one up and repair it?... In theory Im thinking that if its cutting out maybe there is some kind of dirt or something on the carbon trace in that spot... (spraying has not helped)... I know these were built with very thick carbon traces, much thicker than new pots so the likelihood of the trace itself being broken at that spot seems unlikely.... I think this is a common problem with old pots but Ive never tried to fix one..... any of you had luck?

[raul]

Rick at Dr. Vintage, contact him through his site:
Dr. Vintage Music Services

[Lefty Elmo]

Hi Ed, I had hoped to meet you when you were at John Heuring's house in Fairport recently. Anyway, by coincidence, I had the same problem with a 1956 Centralab, and fixed it about an hour ago. I un-soldered, then removed the pot from my guitar, first you must un-solder the outside lug from the can, then carefully pry back the six tabs that hold the can to the top plate. Take a small screwdriver and separate the ring just below the split end of the shaft where the knob is installed. When the ring is removed, you can separate the internal components. Take some isopropal alcohol and clean the carbon resistive element, and the wire that swips across it. Gently pry up that wire so that it makes better contact across the resitive element. Re-assemble. Mine worked pefectly afterwards. Best of luck, and hope to meet you the next time you're in town.

[NowGibson]

Hey Ed, Use 99% and a q-tip, also when prying off the wire watch the small mini screw drivers don't slip...they hurt. You may want to clean the old grease off and reapply. Take pictures for reference of course. Take readings before and after you maybe surprised....
btw, your celestions are doing fine.

[floyd84]

Originally Posted by raul

Rick at Dr. Vintage, contact him through his site:
Dr. Vintage Music Services

This


Rick is a master at cleaning up vintage wiring harnesses. The care he takes is top notch. I know dental tools are involved.

I also have been able to source spare NOS parts on Ebay, for cheap. It just takes patience and alot of searching. I got these 1952 IRC pots, in case I need them for my 52 Les Paul

[58burst]

I've also had good luck fixing iffy central labs, and also pots from precbs fenders. Same technique as above- be careful, but it can work very well. One I tried to fix didn't take, couldn't get rid of the dead spot even with careful attention, but several other times it worked perfectly. Clean/retension/degrease...