Thickness of control plate

[John Stephen]

Got a beautiful wood control plate for my Bullet Tele, but alas, it is so much thicker than the stock control plate that the the pots' screw shafts don't stick up high enough (the threaded part) through the control plate to fasten the nut onto. I want to try spot sanding the back of the wooden control plate, where the pots are, so it won't be as thick there. The wooden control plate is 0.14" thick (3.7mm), which is about three times the thickness of the stock plate. Anybody happen to know, would I have to sand it down to the same thickness as the stock control plate, or don't I have to sand off that much? I don't know how long the threaded shafts are on these pots. Thanks in advance for any insight into this.

Edit add: I think I'll also need longer screws (the ones at each end of the plate that screw into the bod).

 

[Hodgo88]

Don't these Squiers come with Alpha mini pots? Should be a 3/8" / 9.5mm threaded height. If those don't fit I imagine you currently have nut + lock washer + flat washer + nut on them? If so just remove the bottom nut from under the plate and use only the top nut.

To answer your question, put your pots back on the stock plate and tighten the nuts all the way down. The amount of exposed thread is the measure how much thicker your plate can be than the original.

Be advised that metal Tele control plates act as a ground connection between the pots and you may need to run a new ground connection to your tone pot off the back of the volume with a wooden replacement.

 

[Peegoo]

You could use a 1.25" diameter Forstner cutter in a drill press to make a shallow recess in the back of the plate at every pot location.

You will probably have to "v" out the slot for the switch lever so it swings all the way to the stops at each end.

 

[John Stephen]

That makes sense — thanks for the advice. I will try that tonight, and measure the threaded portions as you suggested.

Thanks Peegoo. I was thinking about the selector switch as well, much obliged.

 

[Hodgo88]

Oh, and if it were me... I'd take it down to .09 or .06, however thick your pickguard is so it sits nice and flush

 

[Freeman Keller]

When pots are installed thru wood tops (Les Pauls are a good example) people use long shaft pots - the shafts are approximately 3/4 inch long. You can use a lock nut on the inside to get the proper height.

CTS Control Pots - StewMac

First choice for long life and smooth response. 250K and 500K-ohms.

www.stewmac.com

 

[John Stephen]

Thanks for the info, @Freeman Keller. I’ve learned things already from this brief thread, so I appreciate all the helpful information.

 

[John Stephen]

Looping back on this, I did a non-surgical fix that may be temporary, but I'll see if it holds. Underneath the control plate, each pot shaft had two locking washers, no nut. I removed the locking washers, and that enabled enough threaded shaft to poke up through the control plate, so I could fasten the nut onto it from above. So far it seems to be holding up (I've turned the knobs a bunch of times and it feels snug so far). The pickup selector switch is able to reach all positions without a problem, fortunately. No apparent grounding problems. Maybe I got lucky, or maybe problems will develop over time, but I'll see how it goes. I saved the washers in case I need to put them back on.

Thanks to all who responded.