RS Guitarworks electronic kit

[Subvamp]

I've installed these kits for folks, and while they do use nice stuff, I think $40-$75 bucks for a pre-soldered kit is a LOT of money that could be better spent on other things. If you're good with a soldering iron, you can buy superior pots and Hovland caps and do it yourself for a ton less. That's what I do now.

[straycat]

Well subvamp the Hovland/RS cap and CTS/RS pot are propriatary designs exclusively to RS guitarworks and are not your over the counter pot or cap.There is a big difference.Bengal likes his reissue just the way it is and thats cool.The pre wired kits were asked for by the customers and RS delievered.Of course you have to upcharge for a pre wired kit thats business.
If you can solder go for an unwired kit.
The Kit chart on their website will be updated soon to include many more guitar brands Jackson/Charvel will be included..
Also I don't think $40.00 is too much to pay for great tone.Not all guitars need a kit but the ones that don't quite cut the mustard in the tone dept do.

[Bengal65]

I should mention the kit I installed in my black Gibson LPC is very nice. The volume and tone attenuation is very linear. There is a gradual change (like it should be) compared to stock CTS pots and misc. caps. that do not have the range and not true audio taper. Good Stuff!

[Subvamp]

Well subvamp the Hovland/RS cap and CTS/RS pot are propriatary designs exclusively to RS guitarworks and are not your over the counter pot or cap.

If they are, I'm surely I'm buying Hav. caps and Orange caps on the black market.

I see your point that they use good stuff, and they do! Import guitars surely need new electronics, and there's always room for better tone.

But at the some time, some of the best recordings in history were done with "stock" guitars and amps.

[Superfly]

...and then mixed within an inch of it's life...

[surfreak]

So, the Les Paul Jr kit then?

http://www.rsguitarworks.net/rsstore/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=107

What does it do, turn guitars into super duper tone monsters?

Details, man!

A LP Jr. is already a super duper tone monster!!!

[straycat]

Agreed a LP jr does sound good I have had several.but when Gibson builds guitars they reach into a parts bin and pull out whatever pot is in the bin.It may be a 300k maybe a 500k.I had a 96 jr that had a 300k vol and 100k tone pot.A 90s M/M and it had the same set up but 1 humbucker(57) both these guitars were very anemic in the tone dept.
After a kit was installed the guitars came alive and sounded like a Gibson should.Gibson like any other buisness buy parts as cheaply as they can and the electronics they use aren't the best.That has been a widely recognized problem for years with Gibson.
If I buy a Gibson to play I'll get the kit if I buy one to flip or a very collectable one I don't.
These kits are the cheapest way to improve your tone USA,import or otherwise.Like I said before don't swap pickups until you try a RS kit you may be suprised how good the stockers sound.
I describe them as a BBE sonic maximizer for your electronics.

[RacerX]

Still no Jackson section

[cbope]

I called these guys about 4 or 5 months ago and asked them specifically about my Custom Jackson.
They said typically Jackson uses very good electronics and recommended that there was no need for an uprgrade with Jackson guitars.

But that does not include the pups. They have some WCR Shredder pups that I am definitely getting.

Definitely not true regarding the electronics in the MIJ imports. The quality of stock the pots is not very good. I replaced the stock pots with 500k CTS pots in my DK2 and it made a big improvement. USA's do have good electronics though.

[hippietim]

I would like someone to explain this to me in technical terms because this all sounds like a bunch of hooey to me.

How does the taper of a potentiometer affect the tone? I get that affects the rate of volume change relative to how much you turn the pot. But that doesn't change the tone.

How does a custom made CTS pot sound better than any other pot? It's a freakin' variable resistor! How does it "resist" in a more toneful manner? I get that CTS pots are very well made, it's what I normally order myself for 4 bucks. I'm just trying to understand why I'd want to pay a large premium for pots when mine measure out just fine.

And cloth wrapped wire, how does that improve things?

And the magic of Hovland caps. Please explain the reason they are better than a 15 cent cap at Radio Shack. I understand putting in something like Jensen caps because they're large and metal and look kick ass.

I've read about people saying the Gibson pots are crap and the wrong value, etc. Well on my R9, the pots read from 493 to 514 - that's just fine. I measured a bunch (~10) of brand new 500k CTS pots and they ranged from 487 to 522 - also fine.

[straycat]

I agree they use whats cheapest to keep the cost down.An RS electronics kit is the way to go.Its the best on the market.Soon a new cap design will make the kits even better. Always use good electronics it makes a huge difference in your tone.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

just call them up and tell them what you have and they'll tell you what you need. you can buy each piece from them individually and not pay so much for prewired stuff. i bought a super pot for a one hum guitar and like it alot. i think it was like $25 or something.

[straycat]

Tim I know it sounds like hooey but when you install an RS kit you WILL be amazed how much better your guitar will sound.I've installed a lot of these kits over the years both working there and on my own and have never had 1 person not overwhelmed with the improvement in their tone.
The RS/CTS pot has a different contact design than the std CTS pot. Tighter tolerance and more contact area hence greater signal path.I use a 571 k super pot in my model 2 mutt(72 DiMarzio super D) and it has big balls.

[hippietim]

So have you measured the greater signal strength? How much signal path do you need? Because the signal starts out as a cheesy little flimsy couple of wires coming off the pickup. How does more contact area matter? And for the guys that leave their volume and/or tone controls dimed most of the time, what difference does it make? Are the pots "no load" to let the pickup signal pass through uninhibited?

Please explain the difference the caps will make. I understand what a difference the right caps can make in an amplifier where discharge, voltage, current, etc. all come into play with "real" amounts of electricity but on a guitar what is actually going to be the difference?

[Dreamland_Rebel]

tim why don't you call them up and ask them yourself. (not trying to be shitty here but wouldn't you rather hear it from the horse's mouth)