A couple of SUB 1 questions...

[cjl5150]

I just got my new SUB a week or so ago and I am in love with it. Ridiculously great guitar that somehow manages to fly under the used-guitar-market-radar. I don't understand how these go for $350-450 when a Mexican Str*t is around the same price. Crazy.

Anyway, I am wanting to do a couple of mods, not to improve the guitar but to personalize it. I know that I saw a thread on here that told how to split the pickups in the middle position. I am thinking about that or just putting a coil tap push-pull pot in it. Does anyone have diagrams? I've done a search and can't find anything.

Also, has anyone removed the finish from the neck? How were the results?

Does anyone know what size the trem arm is?

Thanks! This isn't my first or last Ball. I have loved them for years. But, I am a reformed Ibanez junkie.

 

[John C]

I just got my new SUB a week or so ago and I am in love with it. Ridiculously great guitar that somehow manages to fly under the used-guitar-market-radar. I don't understand how these go for $350-450 when a Mexican Str*t is around the same price. Crazy.

Anyway, I am wanting to do a couple of mods, not to improve the guitar but to personalize it. I know that I saw a thread on here that told how to split the pickups in the middle position. I am thinking about that or just putting a coil tap push-pull pot in it. Does anyone have diagrams? I've done a search and can't find anything.

Also, has anyone removed the finish from the neck? How were the results?

Does anyone know what size the trem arm is?

Thanks! This isn't my first or last Ball. I have loved them for years. But, I am a reformed Ibanez junkie.

I can't answer most of your questions (I had a Sub but didn't mod it; I tend to play single coil guitars) but you will need to get your trem arm from EBMM. Just call Customer Service and they will take care of you.

Sorry - our IT recently blocked the Music Man site and I belived the Customer Service 800 number is in the FAQs on that site.

Of course, enjoy the Sub; you'll soon be looking for other EBMMs to add to your collection.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

As far as refinishing, if you want an overly long and drawn out thread, (haha) take a look at http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/38006-project-sublhoette.html

You can coil tap in either of 2 ways. With 1 push pull, you can coil tap both humbuckers. Replace all of the wires on the volume pot as they are now. Then take the twisted pair from each humbucker and put each on an outside terminal of the push pull and solder in place. Take the center portion and run a wire to the housing, which is going to already be ground and have wires from the jack, shields, trem ground soldered to it. FYI, the stock vol/tone pots are 250k. I'm swapping mine (I can't leave well enough alone) soon to 500k push/pulls, I think.

If you want to separately coil tap each hum, then run replace both the volume and tone pot with push-pulls and transfer the wires as they were on the old controls. Take one hum and do as above, but you'll only use one section (twisted pair to the outer lug, ground the center lug). Do the same with the other hum twisted pair on the tone pot.

**check to be sure the tone pot case is tied to ground.....I don't use one on my modified sub so don't remember for sure....if not, run a wire from the center post of the tone p-p switch to the case of the volume pot**

The finish on the neck is easy to remove. See the thread above. Mask off anything you don't want removed. The contours can help you also. I stuck with 120 then 200. Finish with Tru-oil and then any kind of carnauba wax (I used Zymol). It'll feel WAAAAAY nicer than the painted neck when you're done. Oh...you can sand the side of the rosewood fingerboard. The tru-oil brings it back when you finish. Be sure to sand all the paint at the heel of the neck because a lot of it does show when you're done.

 

[cjl5150]

Thanks for the info. Awesome SUB project btw.

As far as refinishing, if you want an overly long and drawn out thread, (haha) take a look at http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/38006-project-sublhoette.html

You can coil tap in either of 2 ways. With 1 push pull, you can coil tap both humbuckers. Replace all of the wires on the volume pot as they are now. Then take the twisted pair from each humbucker and put each on an outside terminal of the push pull and solder in place. Take the center portion and run a wire to the housing, which is going to already be ground and have wires from the jack, shields, trem ground soldered to it. FYI, the stock vol/tone pots are 250k. I'm swapping mine (I can't leave well enough alone) soon to 500k push/pulls, I think.

If you want to separately coil tap each hum, then run replace both the volume and tone pot with push-pulls and transfer the wires as they were on the old controls. Take one hum and do as above, but you'll only use one section (twisted pair to the outer lug, ground the center lug). Do the same with the other hum twisted pair on the tone pot.

**check to be sure the tone pot case is tied to ground.....I don't use one on my modified sub so don't remember for sure....if not, run a wire from the center post of the tone p-p switch to the case of the volume pot**

The finish on the neck is easy to remove. See the thread above. Mask off anything you don't want removed. The contours can help you also. I stuck with 120 then 200. Finish with Tru-oil and then any kind of carnauba wax (I used Zymol). It'll feel WAAAAAY nicer than the painted neck when you're done. Oh...you can sand the side of the rosewood fingerboard. The tru-oil brings it back when you finish. Be sure to sand all the paint at the heel of the neck because a lot of it does show when you're done.