Cannot get harness out of NS Starfire I bass. Tips? Tricks?

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
Just cannot get the big pots out of the f hole or the "door" in the pup cavity.
Pup disconnects easily.

Pots won't fit thru any holes.
Tried many configurations.
Did Korea put in electronics before putting on the face/back?
 

Nuuska

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
7,669
Reaction score
6,029
Location
Finland
Guild Total
9
Hello

Keep trying different positions - they do come out easily once you figure it.

Trust me - I'm the repair guy. They always do.

Sometimes the obvious hides.

Unfortunately I can not tell you what the obvious is, while the guitar is not here.
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,791
Location
Sillycon Valley CA

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
Just cannot get the big pots out of the f hole or the "door" in the pup cavity.
I read from somebody else that the pots seem indeed too big to go through the f-hole on a NS Starfire 1 bass. Still strange as I thought they are normal pots... And they look pretty normal size here:

s-l1600.jpg


Now since they sell this harness it should go into the finished bass, so there has to be an easy way to get the assembled harness in and out!

I don't know about the square cut out through the side of the center block under the pickup. The harness could fit through this cutout maybe?

Still I don't understand why they would not fit through the center of the f-hole...That would be my way to go. And I bet that is the only way.

It would help if you can document the process for future reference with a few pictures!

Ralf
 
Last edited:

mellowgerman

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2008
Messages
4,100
Reaction score
1,507
Location
Orlando, FL
I usually bring the shaft through first, then tilt the shaft toward the top of the bass, to bring the body of the pot itself through, with the terminals being the last thing to leave the bass.
If the stock pots pictured above are the same as the ones in your bass, they should come out this way... unless maybe Newark St F-holes aren't quite to vintage spec. Or perhaps the finish is extra thick around the lip of the F hole?
 

Minnesota Flats

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
1,284
Reaction score
1,164
"I usually bring the shaft through first, then tilt the shaft toward the top of the bass, to bring the body of the pot itself through, with the terminals being the last thing to leave the bass."

That's what I did on an ES-335 once.
 

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
I could not find that harness on the Guild site and mine was so noisy I don't want the same harness anyway.
Since the bisonic has only two wires coming out of it, I am hopefully going to wire it up with shielded wiring with same pots/cap/config as my other bass for simplicity. Of course plugging in and testing it before putting it all back in!!! ;)

Thanks for the tips I will try it many different ways to get the pots out.

Correct, cannot fit thru the square hole in the pup cavity center block.
Maybe if I absolutely cannot get it out thru the f hole I could file out the edge of the hole in the pup cavity center block opening a couple mm's. At least that won't be seen with the pup back in there.
 

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
Absolutely cannot get the pots out thru f hole or thru pup hole.

Emailing Guild. Will report back.
 

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
Already did. No go thru centerblock pup wire hole.
 

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
Absolutely cannot get the pots out thru f hole.
Can you post pictures please so we can see where you got stuck with the pots? This below picture is a vintage Starfire bass II for example (picture from LTG member wisconsindead):

suck-switch-1-jpg.476573


Ralf
 

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
I will post pics. The f-hole in a NS is way narrower than that Starfire's.
mellowgerman's tip on post first was the closest escape route, with only 1mm of wood blocking the pot. Other configurations were blocked even more. But still can't get thru. And I definitely do not want to file off 1mm of the f-hole.

Filing the pup center block hole would be better.

Guild says the harness is meant to come out thru f-hole and/or pup hole. But there is no way. I have one pic of the pot coming out case first and you can see how tight the f-hole is. I will try to post pics later of the hang up going post first as that gets it closest to passing thru the hole.
 
Last edited:

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
You can see how tight the f-hole is here compared to the vintage Starfire pictured above. Will Post more detailed pics of various positions later. It is a CTS-type MADE IN KOREA 2013 long shaft pot. I think filing out center block hole is gonna be the only way.
 
Last edited:

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
Now that looks indeed interesting! I agree, the pot looks huge in that picture! But the pot and wires and caps look 100% like in the replacement harness in post #4. The pots are made by Alpha.

oqog5pwhhxyrvkx7wi0k.jpg




I had no idea the f-holes would be smaller compared to vintage Starfire basses. Still it is puzzling how the factory mounted them because the body has to be empty when they lacquer it and as the "side door" in the pickup cavity also seems to be too small, what would be the trick?

Any nuts and washers left on the pot that would give a bit more room? (Oh, and I would protect the f-hole with some low sticky tape.)

Ralf
 
Last edited:

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,587
Reaction score
17,805
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
Great pics! First thought looking at the threads on the pot is that you need to lighten up on the pliers.

I'd be willing to bet that those pics are going to result in the lot of us saying "just twist them a bit more" because they all look like just a little nudge here and there will let them through, but I'd further bet that you wouldn't be here asking if that was the case. I have had pots that were VERY difficult to get out and the answer turned out to just twist them a bit more.

I don't have any experience with basses, but I can also tell you that I had a Guild Starfire IV from the 1970s that had a stacked master volume pot (stereo wiring) that was larger than any hole on the guitar. The only conclusion I could come up with was that they finished the guitar and wired it before assembly which I had a hard time believing (I argue with myself a lot). Pic of offending stacked pot:

P1040832_800.jpg
 

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
Yes twisted and turned and tried everything. :(
Looks easy but no go.
Just to get it to that point in the pics, pot and post are wedged tight in place.

Since these pots are going straight into the trash I wasn't worried about the post threads. They performed badly. Cheap electronics? More like on/off than taper pots. I wrote about them in another thread.

One thing is for sure, I have to get the center block doorway filed out a lot so they pass easily thru so that the new harness also passes easily in with fingers only and no pliers.

Oh, man! Stacked pots would be even worse!!! What did you end up doing?


If I need to file that corner with the shielding paint on it, is that really a health issue? I hear that the shielding paint is nasty stuff.
 

SFIV1967

Venerated Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
18,442
Reaction score
8,956
Location
Bavaria / Germany
Guild Total
8
Looking at this huge barndoor in the pickup cavity my only explanation would be that they used exactly this for getting the harness in. I see no other reason for having this opening ! It seems to be high enough, now there needs to be a way to pass the wide sidewalls.
Try with a new and unconnected pot to get it in there. First pushing the shaft in and second the body. Same way out again, first body, second shaft. I mean it is impossible there is no way.
Force cannot be the way as it looks you used brute force already...

GAD's stacked stereo pot is yet another thing...

Ralf
 
Last edited:

lungimsam

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
2,568
Reaction score
1,624
Guild Total
2
Thanks for all the advice!!

Guild has been nice enough to ask around their service dept to see what they think. Will report back.

Alas, for the fourth day I have tried many options again to no avail.
Yes, that barn door looks like its only purpose would be to put the harness in. You are probably right.
But I think Korea would have rather cut a bigger hole through which to pass their completed harness, because this one cannot come out thru there.

Every configuration and positioning of both pots, even with wiring moved so as to not inhibit egress failed.
I am convinced they either put bald pots in thru the barn door and wired up the harness thru the f-hole (yeah, right) or they assembled the harness and connected it to the face before closing the body.

Is it possible they finished the individual pieces of the wood body first, then glued them together, then put on the binding, but then they would have made an unfixable instrument. Weird.

May be time for the Dremel to carefully widen the barn door in the pup cavity. But I will hold off on that until I hear conclusively from Guild.
 
Last edited:
Top