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Centralab 500k from 1960 345 broken or good?

DoctorDox

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
47
So I ended up searching for a few days and can’t find my exact answer. Long story short, I converted my 1960 345 to standard 335 wiring a year ago, and I wanted to load my original pots back in with these sick old bumblebee caps in. I noticed on two of my potentiometers (which had the .022 ceramic disk attached to them) almost look like they have a tab broke off the end lug, as shown in this picture. That’s a picture from eBay, but that’s what mine look like.

is this indeed a broken pot? I’ve seen a bunch online like this, which led me to believe it was that way initially. But I couldn’t use these in my rewired because I couldn’t ground the proper side.


can someone point my in a direction of, is this pot broken? If so can this be repaired? Or am I overthinking this?

80522873-9B50-40F0-B6AE-7DF320A1AA84.jpg
 

DoctorDox

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
47
You are overthinking!! The lug or tab cut off on the tone pots are not needed. This is stock and normal. They can only be used for the tone controls. Look at these wiring diagrams that are on this forum for more help.

https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?88796-Wiring-Library
Thank you! I guess I could only do modern wiring then with this type of setup, thats okay. Ill maybe try to flip them for some 3 lug Centralabs! I appreciate it man, so much
 

PaulD

Active member
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
673
I guess I could only do modern wiring then with this type of setup

No you could do either modern or 50's style. The lug that has been cut off on your pot is the right hand lug when viewing the pot from the rear with the lugs pointing up, this lug is not used for either style of wiring.

Incidently the commonly used wiring diagrams for 50's and modern wiring that show the tone pot connections reversed are misleading. It makes no difference which way round the tone pot is wired, the only thing that needs to be changed to swap between 50's and modern wiring is which lug of the volume pot the capacitor connects to (middle for 50's, outer for modern)
 

DoctorDox

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
47
No you could do either modern or 50's style. The lug that has been cut off on your pot is the right hand lug when viewing the pot from the rear with the lugs pointing up, this lug is not used for either style of wiring.

Incidently the commonly used wiring diagrams for 50's and modern wiring that show the tone pot connections reversed are misleading. It makes no difference which way round the tone pot is wired, the only thing that needs to be changed to swap between 50's and modern wiring is which lug of the volume pot the capacitor connects to (middle for 50's, outer for modern)
So I pulled everything again, got it all wired up right and got my centralabs back in, using the cut lug ones as the tone knob. Happy again!
 
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