• Registered: 2010-02-01
  • Posts: 175

Topic: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

I'd always assumed 50's wiring and having had Joe's Guitar at close quarters at the Leeds O2 gig last year he seemed to be constantly manipulating on the volume controls but not so much the tone which would appear the bear this out (ie. no change in tone as volume is rolled back).

However I'm sure that I'd read a review that said the Goldtops were modern wiring (with 500k CTS pots and Repro .022 bumblebees).

And to further complicate the issue I'm pretty sure that I've also read that Joe keeps his other non JB model guitars stock in terms of pickups and wiring which may indicate a mix of the two styles over his various instruments.

Not a big issue but I'm just curious.

2 Reply by Sjmckean (edited by Sjmckean 2011-01-15 23:23:31)

  • From: Chesapeake, VA
  • Registered: 2010-12-05
  • Posts: 76

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

I can't answer how Joe keeps his personal models, but the Epi JBLP's have modern wiring.  I would have thought the Gibson version would have '50's though.  But then again, they were supposed to be top wrapped, same as his, but they weren't.  I have a couple other LP's that I changed to 50's wiring, but I haven't done the JBLP yet.  But I will be soon.

2011 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Studio Gold Top, 2010 Epi Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard '57 Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard Honey Burst (autographed by Joe Bonamassa), 2006 Epi Les Paul Classic Quilt top, 2004 Eric Clapton Strat, 1989 First wife
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

Don't know about the wiring but I can tell you he leaves the tone and volume on all his guitars at 5 and when he wants a boost he might go up in volume ever so slightly, but for the most part he never goes wide open on his controls.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2010-05-06
  • Posts: 60

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

AD3Three is right about that.  He sets his levels in the middle.  I have 50s wiring in all of my guitars and am constantly adjusting the volume in between each fill.  My tone sounds much like JBs and Warren Haynes.  I bet a majority of his touring rigs are 50s wiring and I know he is using real paper in oil caps.  Even in a custom shop 59 lp they don't use real PIO caps

  • From: Chesapeake, VA
  • Registered: 2010-12-05
  • Posts: 76

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

alexanderwhitley wrote:

AD3Three is right about that.  He sets his levels in the middle.  I have 50s wiring in all of my guitars and am constantly adjusting the volume in between each fill.  My tone sounds much like JBs and Warren Haynes.  I bet a majority of his touring rigs are 50s wiring and I know he is using real paper in oil caps.  Even in a custom shop 59 lp they don't use real PIO caps

I put Russion .022 PIO's in mine.  Very creamy.

2011 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Studio Gold Top, 2010 Epi Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard '57 Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard Honey Burst (autographed by Joe Bonamassa), 2006 Epi Les Paul Classic Quilt top, 2004 Eric Clapton Strat, 1989 First wife
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

Whats funny is they call it 50's wiring.  This is the wiring Gibson used in the fifties, but modern wiring was around in the 50's too, Fender used it.  Everyone switch to the "modern" Fender style wiring because it is supposed to produce less hum, but you loose the in between sounds the volume control makes when you do this.  People compensate by using a treble bleed kit that connects 2 of the volume controls lugs.  I have 2 strats one wired modern and if you want a really wild sounding Stratocaster that doesn't sound like a typical Stratocaster go for the 50's wiring on that.  Thats what my main strat has on it.  I can only discribe it as very dark sounding and not as sparklie sounding.  Their are pros and cons to both overall I'd say if you can live with the fact your guitar will be slightly noisier (this was in my case anyway maybe I'm wrong and I had bad wiring) then I think 50's will pay off.  I loved my les paul and its sound while I had it.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Chesapeake, VA
  • Registered: 2010-12-05
  • Posts: 76

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

The treble bleed is to compensate the modern wiring?  Or the '50s wiring?  And how does Gibson wiring compare to Fender?  fender has three pups and a master volume.  Gibson had two independant circuits unti they switched to the "modern" wiring.

2011 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Studio Gold Top, 2010 Epi Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard '57 Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard Honey Burst (autographed by Joe Bonamassa), 2006 Epi Les Paul Classic Quilt top, 2004 Eric Clapton Strat, 1989 First wife
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

Treble bleed is for Modern wiring.  The difference between modern and 50's wirng is how the cap comes off of the volume pot.  with 50's it goes from lug 1 on the volume to lug 2 on the tone.  Lug 2 on the volume is your lead wire, and lug 3 is soldered to the pot.  On your tone pot lug 3 is solder to the pot and lug 2 is wired to the cap.

Modern wiring is a little different lug 1 on the volume is soldered to lug 3 on the tone pot.  Lug 2 is still your lead wire on the volume pot.  And lug 3 is soldered to the volum pot and your cap that goes to your tone pot.

So to solder up a stratocaster with 50's style wirng you will solder your leads from your pickups in the same place they always go lugs 1-3 on the left.  Lug 4 wires up to the volume pot of lug 1.  On the right side of the switch lug 1 is soldered to lug 2 of your volume pot. Skip lug 2 on the right side of the switch and lug 3 goes to tone pot 1 lug 2.  Lug 4 on the right side of the switch goes to tone pot 2 lug 1.

This where I stole the idea from.  http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/I … aster.aspx
I like it but like I said its not your normal strat sound.

Sjmckean wrote:

The treble bleed is to compensate the modern wiring?  Or the '50s wiring?  And how does Gibson wiring compare to Fender?  fender has three pups and a master volume.  Gibson had two independant circuits unti they switched to the "modern" wiring.

AD3THREE's Website

9 Reply by Sjmckean (edited by Sjmckean 2011-01-17 08:36:28)

  • From: Chesapeake, VA
  • Registered: 2010-12-05
  • Posts: 76

Re: JB's LP's - Modern or 50's wiring

Ok.  So Fender just switches the leads on the Volume knob.  This is the link I used when I redid one of my LP's.  The way I did it decouples the vol pots from each other, that way when you select both pyps on the toggle switch, turning vol down on one pup does not affect the other, like modern wiring does.  It's probably similar to what you're saying.    Here's the link.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/stockgibson.php

2011 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Studio Gold Top, 2010 Epi Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard '57 Gold Top, 2010 Epi Les Paul Standard Honey Burst (autographed by Joe Bonamassa), 2006 Epi Les Paul Classic Quilt top, 2004 Eric Clapton Strat, 1989 First wife