Gibson ES-225T Nearing Completion - Pt. 8 of the Saga

Moving along rapidly now and nearing completion.

I can't believe this is the 400th post on this blog.  

First, we install the new (but 'aged') Kluson tuners.  They fit perfectly - and also fit exactly into the marks in the finish left by the originals.

Since the original pickup was missing, I sprung for a custom P-90 from Lollar Pickups.  Jason Lollar has a stellar reputation, and this was a great opportunity to try one of his pickups.

This particular on is a custom tapped P-90 - there are taps at about 7.3K and 9.15K.  This should give a couple of good tonal options.

You can see from the back of the pickup that it was wound by the man himself.  How cool is that?

I laid out the pots on a piece of cardboard to wire the whole thing up as a harness and put into the guitar as one piece.  I'm using a Soviet paper-in-oil tone capacitor.  Dig the cool Ukrainian newspaper I got in my shipment.  I also have the original CCCP-stamped inspection card.  PIO is good tone, comrade, yes?

The harness ready to go.

The volume pot has a push-pull switch in it to select the different pickup taps.

Also note the special color of the wiring going to the output jack.

I used the same method to install the wiring as I did on the Gretsch project.  Insert the tubes through the holes, slip them over the pots, and pull them up through the top of the guitar.

And a dowel to pull the output jack through.  This is the trickiest part - tightening up the nut while holding the jack in place.

Gibsons made in the 1950s used a truss rod cover with a wider white binding than newer ones, and I wanted to use one that was period correct.

My choices were to spend $100 for an original part, or $15 for a new repro.  I went for the repro.


The entire ES-225T project:
1. Starting - making a custom moulded caul for headstock break
2. Headstock break repair using hide glue
3. Filling headstock crack pt 1
4. Filling headstock crack pt 2
5. Repairing divots in top
6. Installing the tailpiece, bridge, enlarging tuner holes
7. Making a bone nut
8. Installing tuners, and wiring  (This page)
9. Installing nut and pickup
10. Completed - photos of completed ES-225T

Updates March 2015:

11. Bigsby B11 Installation, Pt. 1
12. Bigsby B11 Installation, Pt. 2