Last month, we started an unusual project—restor-
ing a vintage IRC pot that
had originally been installed
on a stunning 1954 Gibson
Les Paul. This pot had been
replaced with a modern unit,
but for many collectors, hav-
ing an instrument with 100
percent original parts is impor-
tant. And, as we discussed at
length in Pt. 1 of this series
(read it at premierguitar.com),
it’s a fact that vintage guitars
from the ’50s and ’60s have
some of the highest-quality
potentiometers ever made.
Why wouldn’t you want the
best for a ’ 54 Les Paul?
Designed for
installing frets,
Stew Mac’s
deadblow
hammer has
a head that’s
filled with
shock-ab-sorbing shot.
This greatly
reduces hammer bounce, making the tool ideal for loosening stuck potentiometer
shafts and other tasks that require carefully controlled tapping.
Photo courtesy of StewMac
1
2
3
It’s a fact that vintage guitars from
the ’50s and ’60s have some of the
highest-quality potentiometers
ever made. Why wouldn’t you
want the best for a ’ 54 Les Paul?
Now, let’s resume the
project: Once I’d removed
the chassis cap and aluminum
retainer clip, I could see that
solder had bled onto the wipers (Photo 1). Fortunately, the
solder did not adhere because
of lubricants surrounding the
internal parts.
But this was only one of
two problems. The other was
that the brass shaft was still
locked in place. To free it, I
used a StewMac deadblow
fretting hammer and a punch
to lightly tap the brass shaft
•;Portable;digital;multimeter
(item #3593)
•;Deadblow;fretting;hammer
(item #1296)
•;Angle;vise
(item #1820)
•;Nut;and;saddle;vise
(item #1816)
Where to get
the tools
The tools mentioned in this
column and last month’s are
available from StewMac.com:
loose. It looked to me like
some form of glue or fossilization had taken place. I carefully removed the substance using
acetone and Q-tips (Photo 2).
At that point, I lubed,
cleaned, and reassembled
everything. While reassembling
the pot, I used a StewMac
nut-and-saddle vise—which is
ideal for simple, non-aggressive
tasks—to hold it. I double-stuck Mylar cheeks to the vise
jaws to avoid scratching the
chassis.
For the final step, I soldered
lug 1 to the chassis to ground
it. I then used a glue brush
to apply a solution that gave
the solder an aged appearance
(Photo 3). Voilà—a restored
’ 54 pot ready for duty in the
’ 54 Les Paul!
Photo 1. Solder had leaked inside the original pot, which meant it eventually malfunctioned
and had to be replaced.
Photo 2. Using acetone to clean the pot’s interior parts.
Photo 3. Aging the fresh solder used to ground lug 1 to the chassis after assembling the pot.
JOHN BROWN is the
inventor of the Fretted/
Less bass. He owns and
operates Brown’s Guitar
Factory, a guitar manufac-
turing, repair, and restoration
facility staffed by a team of
talented luthiers. His guitar-tool and acces-
sory designs are used by builders all over the
world. Visit brownsguitarfactory.com or email
John at info@brownsguitarfactory.com.
