MIJ hardware/electronics discussion!

[paulster]

Hey guys - figured it'd be a good idea to start a thread (if there isn't already one) for those who are interested in modding their older MIJ LP's.

For those who have successfully changed the hardware and pots/caps of their 80s/90s Tokais/Grecos/Burnys/etc.. would you kindly list the parts you used and whether any slight sanding or routing was needed to get the parts to fit?

Also listing the stock hardware that came on your LP would be a good way to catalogue and inform future owners of the quality of MIJ hardware/electronics in general.

Things to list

Model of guitar

Tuners
Bridge
Tailpiece
Pickups
Jack
3-way selector
Pots
Caps

For those interested in modding their LPs to be closer to a burst replica cosmetic wise

Pickguard
Knobs
TRC


I myself have a Greco EGF1000 but am unsure of the model of hardware or the type of electronics found on the guitar, and am very interested to find out.

Thanks to all who view this thread, hopefully we can get some information compiled here. Much appreciated!

 

[slapshot]

Made In Japan parts/upgrades/fixes
readily available from stewmac,guitarpartsresource,ebay ect
Bridges
The Gotoh aluminium tailpiece with metric threads is your ticket to '59 LP specs here.
$30-35
part # 5740-N (N is for nickel) they also make chrome

There's also the regular Gotoh stop tailpiece. part #0168 $15-25 nickel,chrome & gold
these bolt/screw right in and since all your old mij's used gotoh hardware to start with ....

Gotoh ABR bridge part #0167 $20-25 in chrome,nickel,gold
small M4 posts.drops right down on your existing studs.pre-notched saddles

Tuners
Gotoh part #0912 (nickel or gold) are a direct drop in replacement to the standard vintage style keystones with press fit bushings.$35-40

For the customs & 70's Burnys or anything that came with either grovers or metal keystone grover copies with a screw in bushing
To replace them with kidney bean buttons & tulip buttons.$50

Wilkinson also makes a damn fine alternative for around $20 though and better than the chinese grovers.
essential is getting a tuner with a vertical mounting hole not angled
To switch from grovers to vintage style you'll need either:
1.standard vintage style klusons with a set of conversion bushings to reduce the peg head hole from 10mm to vintage smaller size
2.buy some kluson deluxe tuners with the screw in bushings.

Plastics
dimarzio pickup rings (white,cream,black) ebay $5
allparts pickguards (they're actually stickered made in japan)
backplates the same.
knobs from anywhere really just get metric ones
$2 chinese 2 screw truss rod covers

Electronics
you don't really need CTS pots.besides they require enlarging the holes in the top.
if you must then you should get long shaft pots.and will more than likely require new knobs made for said pots.coarse knurled

alpha pots are just fine & dandy
any sort of orange drop,PIO cap will do just fine & be lightyears better than the lil green tic tacs it came with.Vintage high priced caps are irrelevant.ebay PIO cap $10 a pair
switch crafts require making the hole bigger

stickys are useless http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-pauls/167868-_mij__faq_-_links.html

 

[jcsk8]

1980 Burny FLG-90.

Stock tuners
Stock bridge
Unknow tailpiece, but not stock. Planning to change with a aluminum one.
Stock L-8001 pickups
Stock jack
Stock selector
500k audio alpha pots.
PIO russian caps, 0.022

Montreaux pickguard. Aged dimarzio rings.
Montreaux switch ring
Stock selector knob
Stock vol/tone knobs
Stock TRC

1984 Burny RLC-60

Grover kidney tuners (stock were great, just for the looks)
Sung-il bridge. Not stock, came with the guitar, works good.
Gibson zinc TP (original was lost, the one wich came was ugly and cheap)
Wolfetone Dr. V's (originaly Vh-3. More modern sounding and hotter pups)
Stock pots.
PIO russian 0.022 caps.

Pickguard was lost, so I modified (beveled) one old hurricane (MIJ) pickguard)
Black with gold top reflector knobs (Philadelphia luthiers supply)
Les Paul Custom written TRC (Philadelphia lutiers tools)
Stock switch ring
Gibson orange selector knob.

 

[Kuttlefish]

I'm obviously not going for 100% historical specs, instead I want a player's guitar that gets tones specific to my eccentricities. But you asked, so here it goes:

Things to list

Model of guitar: 1979 Greco Super Real (unknown model probably an eg-500, 3-piece plain tobacco-burst maple top, multi-piece solid mahogany body; not pancaked, but "vertical" multi-piece body), 1-piece mahogany neck with a v-shaped profile (59?) and no volute

Tuners - stock "greco deluxe" kluson style green keys. Might upgrade if I can find some 18+:1 tuners in the same style, but stock is fine for now.

Bridge - stock but will probably change to a callaham; for the bridge posts, I drilled down to about 1/4 inch from the back of the guitar and used extra-long stainless steel M4 screws ordered from boltdepot.com screwed flush to the bottom and lopped off the tops with a sawzall. Stock bridge seems like it's made from cheap pot-metal with poorly slotted saddles, but it works for now.

Tailpiece - curved brass screw-down tailpiece from guitar fetish, held in with extra-long stainless steel hex-bolts from the hardware store: SOLID BRASS CURVED Nickel Locking Stop Tailpeice
Stock tailpiece had same problems as the stock bridge - cheap pot metal. I wish this replacement was made out of steel instead of brass, but I like the bolt-down design.

Pickups: Neck = burstbucker 2 with a reversed alnico 3 magnet, 8.2k (bought from DADGAD in this forum); Bridge = cheap mmk45 with a rough cast alnico 2 swapped in, 10.1k. Took some experimenting to find the right adjustment screws and nickel covers
Stock pickups weren't labeled, probably U-1000's. They sounded fine, nothing special, nothing horrendous. Maybe a little too much treble for my tastes. I got really good deals on both pickups, so I didn't worry about playing with different magnets.

Jack: stock, looks like an open switchcraft except it's metric. works fine... it's a jack

3-way selector: DP3T switch from Digikey, wired so the middle position is in-series (and magnetically out of phase from the reversed neck magnet) - gives me the "peter green mod" without any volume drop; stock was fine. It didn't look "open" like switchcrafts, but it worked fine. it didn't pop when changing positions.

Pots- stock 500k, will probably upgrade to CTS TVT's or RS superpots. I'm not sure if they "need" replacing, I just want to experiment with different tapers. Will probably change to gold-chrome top knobs when I change pots, just because I like the way they look.

Caps - both PIO, 50's style wiring. Bridge = .018 bumble bee, neck = .015 russian, stock were cheap .022 ceramic discs. I like to go with lower values so that "0" = just barely getting to the woman-tone.