Input jack fix on a Epiphone Dot...

[skiltrip]

Hi everyone. I acquired an Epiphone Dot hollow body in a trade with a friend last night. It's in decent shape, but needed a few things here and there. I adjusted the neck slightly to give it more relief, intonated it, and adjusted the action slightly.

But the one thing I'm not sure how to tackle is this...

The input jack has the nut put on crooked. So it's kind of forced on at an angle, crossed threads, if you know what I mean. So it's not gonna fall out, but it's definitely not tight and flush with the body. I'm having a tough time figuring out how to get this nut off, so I can put it back on correctly. Because it's jammed on there, so turning the nut obviously turns the jack right along with it.

I'd need something that would go into the jack and expand evenly on all tights to secure it, then turn the nut to loosen it. I'm just not sure what to do, and don't want to risk damaging the top or the finish. There's already a small hairline crack in the finish probably from the uneven pressure on the top from this jack being loose.

Any thoughts? I can send pictures if it helps, but I think it's pretty clear what's going on. Thanks!

[tholmes]

There's a tool for that. http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpro...k+the+Gripper#

Kinda pricey, though.

Tom

[skiltrip]

Originally Posted by tholmes

There's a tool for that. http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpro...k+the+Gripper#

Kinda pricey, though.

Tom

Thanks man. That's exactly what I need, but a heck of a price to pay for something I probably only need once. I need to come up with something DIY that does what that does. I'm open to any ideas or thoughts (of course)!

Kip

[folkfan]

I have an Epiphone Dot and love it. However, the stock input jack, toggle switch and pots are not great quality and I have had to replace them. A good input jack is pretty inexpensive. I would just put a new one in and not bother buying an expensive tool.

[skiltrip]

Originally Posted by folkfan

I have an Epiphone Dot and love it. However, the stock input jack, toggle switch and pots are not great quality and I have had to replace them. A good input jack is pretty inexpensive. I would just put a new one in and not bother buying an expensive tool.

Sounds good. Dumb question, but how the heck do you work on the electronics on a Dot? I've rewired strats, teles, SGs, etc. But there is no backplate on the Dot. How do you do it without blindly trying to fish around in there with your fingers or some crazy tool?

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by skiltrip

Sounds good. Dumb question, but how the heck do you work on the electronics on a Dot? I've rewired strats, teles, SGs, etc. But there is no backplate on the Dot. How do you do it without blindly trying to fish around in there with your fingers or some crazy tool?

Here's a recent thread I started on my quest to replace the wiring harness and pickups in a Hohner 335 copy.

Upgrading electronics in a low-cost 335 copy...


For just trying to fix the jack input placement (not replacement) you may want to try this....

(1) take a piece of dental floss or other thing strong string about 3 feet long.

(2) tie a small washer in the middle of the string so that there is about 1.5 feet on either side.

(3) next take an old guitar string and run it through the outside of the jack into the guitar... carefully fish the guitar string through the f-hole.

(4) securely tie one end of the dental floss to the guitar string and pull it through the f-hole and out the jack. The washer that was tied to the middle of the string will pull up against the jack so that you can pull the jack tight through the body. The Mojo Supply wiring harness instruction video shows this process at around the 3:20 point of the video; however, I chose to tie the washer in the middle of the string so that I had one end still sticking out of the f-hole to easily remove the washer when the jack was secured in place... I hope this makes sense.

(5) remove the jack-washer from the jack, reposition the jack, and refasten the jack-washer to the jack to hold it in place. You may need a small stick or screw driver to help position the jack through the hole.

(6) remove dental floss with small washer through the f-hole

I hope this helps... good luck.

[ayavner]

i took an epiphone SG with the same problem and took that crappy jack out and routed a cavity and replaced it with a strat-style jack plate. Looks and works GREAT!

[skiltrip]

Thanks everyone for the input (pun intended I guess).

My main problem, no matter what I do is getting that nut off in the first place. I seriously need to hold the jack part of it dead steady to get that nut off. Cause it is jammed right the heck on there.

I suppose if I DID plan to replace that jack, it would be easier, as I could do most anything I need to do to hold that jack steady, even if it meant destroying it slightly. Once that nut was off, I think I could easily use the dental floss techniques you've all linked me to to fish out the jack and solder a new one to the wires, then fish it back in.

Those who are familiar with 335 wiring... Will I have enough play in the wiring to fish out the jack and NOT remove any of the other pots, or will everything have to be removed in order to get at that wiring?

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by skiltrip

Those who are familiar with 335 wiring... Will I have enough play in the wiring to fish out the jack and NOT remove any of the other pots, or will everything have to be removed in order to get at that wiring?

There will likely not be enough wire to remove just the input jack. When installing a new wiring harness the input jack is the first item installed while placing the other pots inside the f-hole. You won't know for sure until you try and pull the old jack.

As you can see in the below picture, the original wiring harness in my Hohner SE-35 (335 copy) had a wire wrap attached to the input jack and one of the pots in an attempt to keep the wiring clean looking through the f-hole.

[folkfan]

HI
Check out this video from MOJO. It really is pretty easy.
http://www.mojomusicalsupply.com/video-335.asp