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My '14 Nashville 335 is impossible to work on!!

goldtop0

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Aug 19, 2003
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Got my 335 recently and took it to my guitar tech for a set up etc............gave him my pio caps and Timbuckers to put in it and he said 'no can do' as he can't access the wiring and pots through the F holes(can't draw the loom out) or work through bridge pup routing as it's very narrow.
Any of you have the same problem.
 

renderit

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Everything is drawn out and put in through the Bridge pickup routing. The Bridge ground is typically unsoldered first (after removing the bridge pickup and pulling the loom out far enough) . The Neck pickup is unsoldered second and at that point the rest will pull out through the same route. I tie dental floss to each shaft (3' should do it) to draw them back to the same points. I would suggest searching for my post on how Collings makes their harnesses which are wired exactly the same but they ingeniously change the lengths so it wraps around the bottom of the bout before coming back to the Bridge Tone and Volume controls which makes it easy to route the bundle so you never see it. I suggest putting a piece of blue tape over the F-hole and inside if you can to keep a shaft from poking up and destroying the edges. Don't ask me how I know.

If your tech has never done a 3XX find a different tech. YOU DON'T WANT HIM LEARNING ON YOURS!

Collings: You are looking at (bottom to top) the bridge pickup, Neck volume, Switch to the left, Neck Tone, Bridge Tone, Jack, Bridge Volume.

I always make a plywood template with the holes in the exact spot (paper transfer) to wire up a new one or changes to get the wire bundles correct. Stuff it back in and solder on the ground and Neck pickup as it gets to the correct spot before stuffing it in.
42472626340_f715452e90_4k.jpg
 
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Triplet

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Mar 13, 2006
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Yep, through the bridge route. Tie strings to the pot shafts and jack when drawing them back into position. Awkward first time. (coat hanger to pull the strings into position)
 

mdubya

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Not all 335s have access through the bridge route.

I have never checked my 2018. .


1962 bridge route.

gibson-es-335-1962-cons-bridge-pickup-cavity-1.jpg
 

mdubya

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Pics of the harness drawn out through the pickup route on my 2014 Dot Reissue. My Epi Sheraton does not have this access and mini CTS pots were used in replacing that harness. It was a nightmare to work through the f holes on that guitar, too.

JjkTrND.jpg
 

mdubya

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Mar 31, 2010
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The bridge route on my 2018 1959 RI (made in Memphis). This is historically correct. No pots are passing through this route.

SJOVOwp.jpg


And the f hole. Tight work space.

DqF7TFe.jpg
 
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goldtop0

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Thanks for all the pics you guys.
I picked that 335s were difficult to work on but didn't know to what degree.
Thinking about it, it would be desirable to do some routing to make access easier wouldn't it?
 

renderit

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I would not if it is not done that way.

The F-Hole method sucks, but use blue tape in that case to cover the edges or you WILL eat them.

I have done this on ones without the large hole under the pickup 3 or 4 times in my entire life.

Hopefully you will only have to change it out once so I would NOT hog the hole out.

Go SLOW and CAREFUL and COVER THE GUITAR as you will be soldering right over it in those cases.
 

mdubya

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IMHO, unless you have a real problem with the tone, I would leave it be. Play it for a while. It will reveal itself to you the more you play it.


As far as the pickups go, you could cut the leads off in the pickup route and solder the new pickups there in the route and change pickups all you want.

Different pots and caps may sound a little bit different, but better or worse? That is subjective.

If you ever want to sell the guitar, anything less than original is going to make it that much harder to move and that much less valuable.

I changed the harness and the pickups on my Dot Standard, all easily reversible. But I still second guess if that was the right move. I could have lived with it stock, no problem.

And that is what I would suggest as the great enabler! Don't spend money modding and devaluing this guitar. Spend that money on another guitar! :peace2

The Custom Buckers and 500k harness in your guitar should be perfectly fine and sound great by all accounts. :salude
 

goldtop0

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Thanks fellas for your input and advice.
I'm used to doing this and that and trying different things with my LPs so the 335 presents a challenge in that regard.
It's a fine instrument and I'm as happy as a larry with it's sound etc........on it goes:salude
 

marshall1987

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Jan 30, 2005
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When removing the guitar's wiring harness, I would suggest using strong 10 lb. monofilament fishing line for securing the pots and output jack. Fishing line is very strong and flexible, and less likely to break vs. other weak string materials.

 

goldtop0

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When removing the guitar's wiring harness, I would suggest using strong 10 lb. monofilament fishing line for securing the pots and output jack. Fishing line is very strong and flexible, and less likely to break vs. other weak string materials.



The expertise here is just great and thanks for the advice:2cool
I feel like I'm entering a fishing contest.......... and the Jaws theme popped into my mind:lol
 
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J.D.

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May 24, 2006
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Remove the pickguard, tape the f-hole edges, and gentlywiggle them out. That's the opening they went in through. ES guitars aren't the easiest to work on but a competent tech can do this job.
 

OKGuitar

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Jan 20, 2011
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Since I deal in mostly pre 65 ES-335's, I've pulled dozens of harnesses out through the f-holes. It's tricky fiddly work. Painters tape around the f-hole is a good way to keep from trashing the edges of the f-hole but even that thin layer of tape can make it near impossible to get them out. There are occasions where I've had to remove a pickup and couldn't get the pot out (usually big solder blob in the way) and I've done the work with the pot still inside the guitar, through the f-hole. To re-install, I generally use only one length of aquarium tubing (with a 1/4" plug taped to the end) on the jack and use that to pull the entire harness into place. Chopsticks are a good tool for moving the pots into position to pull them up through the proper holes and surgical forceps are a good way to grab the pot shafts. Even after having pulled and reinstalled probably 50 harnesses, it's still no fun but at least I can pull and reinstall a harness through the f-hole in about 20-30 minutes. The first time I did it, it took 3 hours and I swore I'd never do it again. Doing it through the bridge pickup rout on one with a cut center block is no fun either but it is somewhat easier to get out. Getting it back in still sucks. I still won't install a 345 Varitone harness with shielding cans. Getting it out is pretty easy. Getting it back in there in one piece is not. One final point that's already been made-if your luthier can't pull and reinstall a 335 harness, find a new luthier.
 

goldtop0

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Since I deal in mostly pre 65 ES-335's, I've pulled dozens of harnesses out through the f-holes. It's tricky fiddly work.
One final point that's already been made-if your luthier can't pull and reinstall a 335 harness, find a new luthier.


Thanks fellas for all the input.
Yes it's like performing surgery as they say and a different luthier/guitar tech is the go. I'm not prepared to tackle it, I can just see myself pulling my hair out by the roots and most probably completely messing things up:lol
I'll have a hunt for someone who's au fait with 335s and get a quote to have the work done at some stage............I'm in no rush.
Cheers and thanks again, you guys are the best:salude
 

Andy56

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Apr 14, 2020
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Thanks fellas for all the input.
Yes it's like performing surgery as they say and a different luthier/guitar tech is the go. I'm not prepared to tackle it, I can just see myself pulling my hair out by the roots and most probably completely messing things up:lol
I'll have a hunt for someone who's au fait with 335s and get a quote to have the work done at some stage............I'm in no rush.
Cheers and thanks again, you guys are the best:salude
Here you have a nice method using plastic tubes for wiring.
May that is useful too.
https://youtu.be/p7pKqsBF56A

BR
Andy
 

jrgtr42

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Mar 24, 2005
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I did the pickups on my Epiphone Dot ( for all intents and purposes a 335) myself - and I didn't even think of using floss / etc until it was too late.
If I remember right (this was almost 20 years ago) I pulled the harness through the F-holes, I clipped the stock pickups off as close as I could to the pot - I wasn't going to use them again, but someone might - and soldered the new ones on outside, then wiggled them back into place. The jack was the worst part with nothing to grab onto, but I got it eventually.
 

latestarter

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Tubing, fishing nylon and a dowel for the jack to pull it through. That’s my approach. Done a few now and it requires a stiff drink before and after.
 
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