Gibson SG PCB Upgrade Process

Step 1 - What have we got Here???

The first step in the upgrade process is to assess the current state of your SG PCB. In the case of the PCB pictured here, the Volume pots (the two on the left) are 300K pots - in fact they measured in at 230K and 260K! This is typical with these early version PCB’s. The Tone controls are typically 500K pots, however the Bridge Tone pot on this PCB measured well under our tolerance at 430K! The tone capacitors are your average basic ceramic disc caps, and the output jack is in fact an import jack (as evidenced by the word "CHINA” stamped stamped on the inner ring!).

So the general rule of thumb with guitar electronics is, the lower the value of the pot, the darker the tone, and conversely the higher the value of the pot, the brighter, articulate, and more “open” the tone... The guitar that this PCB was installed in would have sounded all dark and muddy with the 300K pots and is begging to be upgraded to 500K’s! This is our #1 Gibson guitar upgrade: 300K -> 500K Volume pots.

Step 2 - Out with the Old…

The next step is to carefully remove all of the parts that are to be replaced. In the case of the PCB pictured here, we’ve removed the two 300K Volume pots, the original ceramic disc tone capacitors, and the import output jack. The Bridge Tone pot was removed as well seeing as how it was out of spec.

Step 3 - And in with the New!

And finally we install all of the new components... All of our Gibson PCB’s are upgraded with CTS 500K SPST push/pull pots in the Volume position, and 500K genuine Gibson pots in the Tone position if required (such as in the case of this PCB here where the Bridge Tone pot was way out of spec at 430K). All pots are matched to within 5% tolerance of 500K resulting in a clear and articulate, well balanced circuit.

The tone capacitors are upgraded to .022uf Orange Drops, and the output jack is replaced with a new Switchcraft long thread jack. Gibson QuickConnect adapters are wired to each push/pull Volume pots giving you the ability to coil-split your Gibson QuickConnect pickups.

The end result is a premium quality PCB that’s ready to drop in, plug in and play!