Replace electrics in Casino?

[progressions]

Hi all,

I have an Epiphone Casino that's 15-20 years old. It sounds beautiful and I love it, but lately the pickup selector switch and the volume pots have been giving me trouble.

Whenever I switch the selector, I hear a lot of static, and lately one of the pickups has been staticky and fading out. One pickup died on me completely during a show the other night. It seems like it's mainly a problem with the electrical wiring and stuff around the selector switch and the pots.

Is it possible to replace that stuff? The Casino is a hollowbody semielectric with an F-hole, so could a new set of wires be put in through the F-hole? How much would that kind of thing run?

Seems like it'd be tricky to me, but I really want to keep using this guitar!

Thanks,
Isaac

[gnease]

funky switching is a common problem with Casinos -- great guitars, BTW. pots age and dry out in most guitars, but higher quality pots last longer. it's possible to clean the switch and clean/lube the pots. but if you are having them removed to do this (yes, via lower F-hole for a Casino, as the dogear pups are surface mounted -- no big pup holes), then replace them. don't know about cost of labor, but parts should be under $50 for a good switch and four, high-quality, large body pots. if you attempt this yourself, there is one major tip: tie a good, long length of dental floss around each pot's shaft before dropping it into the guitar and then removing thru the F-hole. you will transfer that floss over to the new pot's shaft and pull it back over (inside guitar) to the hole during re-assembly. in case it isn't obvious: the floss needs to be long enough so the "loose" end will not be pulled completely into the guitar when removing the pot. tying something like a rubber grommet onto the "loose" end helps.

[TRGuitar]

That is a similar technique to what vascular surgeons use. Ummm ... yeah, it works. I've done it.

[Moonrider]

Hi all,

I have an Epiphone Casino that's 15-20 years old. It sounds beautiful and I love it, but lately the pickup selector switch and the volume pots have been giving me trouble.

After that much time, with steady use, it's not unusual for pots and switches to wear out. I wouldn't worry about the wires so much as replacing the pots and switches.

Here's a description of what's likely to be involved, so you can decide for a DYI attempt, or to take it to a tech.

http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/ts0 ... clk=201794

[progressions]

Thanks folks.

I would definitely be having a technician perform the labor on this. I'll start looking around for someone who can do it!

Isaac

[progressions]

P.S. That' s a great trick about the dental floss, gnease!

[gnease]

thanks, but I can't claim that as my idea -- it's a technique old enough to predate dental floss, and originally found in the Olde Tome of Guitare & Lute Magikalistic Maintaining.