SE Custom 24 tone issue

beefyburt

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Joined
Jan 30, 2018
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15
Location
Bradford UK
Hello. Just got myself a new SE Custom 24, in Tobacco Burst. Nice that PRS have finally made some SE left handers. The pickups are stunning, the fit and finish superb.
BUT...tone is either off on 0, off on 1, then on 2-10. No variance in that 2-10 dial. I've looked at the push-pull pot, and it has a big yellow cap on it, but why wont it work properly? Is it cos im left handed and the pot isn't?
The volume isn't much better, but at least I an hear some variance through the numbers.
Any ideas?
Thanks guys.
 
Not sure but it could be that the pot is faulty. Maybe you can ohm it from inside the control cavity and see if it has a range or resistance or if it only turns on and off like you describe. If it has an open pin you should use that to ohm it out. If not try it on the soldered pins but the values will look funny because you have the other components in the circuit. It still should tell you what is going on with the pot.
 
For years I couldn’t understand why all guitarists weren’t complaining that tone controls were useless, then I discovered it is a lefty thing! Tone pots are simply wired backwards on lefties to make the controls work the same in the same sense as a righty - problem is, with logarithm pots this causes the issue you described as the log now acts in the wrong sense. Simple solution is to swap the wiring back to right hand and just accept that you turn down for more treble.
My SE is exactly the same, haven’t had chance to do the wiring yet, but when I do I’ll post pics.

I was so pleased when the custom 24 SE finally came out in a lefty I rushed out and bought one and I’m not disappointed, love it! But why all manufacturers do this with the wiring is beyond me. I get that it would be too expensive to source ccw wound pots, so just wire them up to work properly and us lefties can get used to turning down for more treble, makes no difference to me.
 
Ok, so your post spurred me on to get this job done, thanks! 15mins later and I have a useable tone knob and an infinite amount of new tones instead of just too dark and bright! In every other way PRS have nailed the lefty and done it right, even down to ccw numbered knobs - Kudos! Just need to overcome this one last issue, it’s an easy mod. Who cares if 10 is dark and 1 is bright, you soon get used to it. I’ll post pics as soon as I can, currently blocked being a newbie.
 
In the absence of pics, the mod is to simply to wire that yellow cap you mentioned to the opposit lug of the pot.

Hey, many thanks for your reply, great to have a fellow lefty on here. I've been playing mine none stop since getting it, just love it so much. I also have a Epiphone Tony Iommi SG, also 24 frets, but that now feel so much longer!
Anyhow, about the wiring, and yes being unable to simply put up pics is annoying. So just to confirm, on mine the yellow cap was on the left side, earthed on the top of the pot, and then wired into the left lug on the bottom. Red wire goes to the middle and the right lug is free. So I just change the cap over to the right hand side, earth onto the top again, but bottom wire connected to the right lug, leaving the left free? No other wiring adjustment?
Thanks.
 
Yep, exactly that. Easiest to remove the pot to gain access, wires are long enough.

Man, you are a star!!! Opened it up, freed the pot as you suggested, taped up the back of the guitar to prevent any scratches. I removed the existing cap, then replaced it with a Orange .22 one I had. Took me a while to bend the wires correctly so it fitted, mainly because I was going super slow and carefully! I'm still new to this mod world so was super nervous. I used some new solder someone else had recommended, 60/40 8mm, and that went on nicely. Put it all back together and pow, its works perfectly. Nice smooth change in tone from 0-10. Ok yes, the left handed knob is now wrong, but that's fine, can live with that. Many thanks again.
 
My pleasure, glad it worked out. I can’t understand how Lefties* pass quality control like this, all manufacturers (that I know) do the same.
I bet you’re now really happy with the guitar, I love mine!

* that’s the guitars, not the players!!:D
 
My pleasure, glad it worked out. I can’t understand how Lefties* pass quality control like this, all manufacturers (that I know) do the same.
I bet you’re now really happy with the guitar, I love mine!

* that’s the guitars, not the players!!:D

Well Im a lot happier now! I have a budget LP made by Eastcoast, and I've just opened it up and changed the caps around and hey presto, they now work perfectly. Its a project guitar, made up of bits from lots of others, so I've now changed the tone knobs to righties, which makes it easier. My other guitar is an Epiphone Tony Iommi SG, but I had all the wiring changed to include left handed pots, so that's all perfect.

So annoying as its just a simple thing to do, that costs no more, takes no more time. Makes you wonder why were are paying PRS and all the others the left handed premium tax?!

Thanks.
 
Great to here there’s so many lefties, PRS make a left handed CTS volume pot, I’ve just ordered one if that helps, and thanks for information on the wiring of the tone pot.
 
Last edited:
Hi everyone. Lefty SE Custom 24 owner and I am having this exact problem where the tone is either off or on with no change after 1. Any chance you could share pictures to see how to change the wiring of the tone pot? I dont mind that its reverse, I just want it to work. Or do you know if I can buy a proper lefty bush-pull left pot? Thank you
 
Hello. Just got myself a new SE Custom 24, in Tobacco Burst. Nice that PRS have finally made some SE left handers. The pickups are stunning, the fit and finish superb.
BUT...tone is either off on 0, off on 1, then on 2-10. No variance in that 2-10 dial. I've looked at the push-pull pot, and it has a big yellow cap on it, but why wont it work properly? Is it cos im left handed and the pot isn't?
The volume isn't much better, but at least I an hear some variance through the numbers.
Any ideas?
Thanks guys.
did you get this sorted out? I have a 2018 left handed SE custom 24...same problem
 
Hi everyone. Lefty SE Custom 24 owner and I am having this exact problem where the tone is either off or on with no change after 1. Any chance you could share pictures to see how to change the wiring of the tone pot? I dont mind that its reverse, I just want it to work. Or do you know if I can buy a proper lefty bush-pull left pot? Thank you
Hi everyone. Lefty SE Custom 24 owner and I am having this exact problem where the tone is either off or on with no change after 1. Any chance you could share pictures to see how to change the wiring of the tone pot? I dont mind that its reverse, I just want it to work. Or do you know if I can buy a proper lefty bush-pull left pot? Thank you
did you get this sorted out? I have a 2018 left handed SE custom 24...same problem
 
Funny, I just bought my first lefty PRS Custom 24 SE... and the pots are wired lefty AND have some of the best taper I've ever had. SO... they must be using Lefty pots now? Only problem is I've just started getting all my guitars wired RIGHT handed becasue I got tired of this issue... AND having 1/2 my guitars wired lefty and 1/2 wired righty. It gets confusing when I reach for the pots while playing. So can anyone confirm they are indeed Left handed now... or am I getting this great taper for some other reason? All my other guitars with righty pots and wired left were that same bad issue... and now I've been buying right Bourn's low friction to install... but I swear these PRS are even better.
 
Funny, I just bought my first lefty PRS Custom 24 SE... and the pots are wired lefty AND have some of the best taper I've ever had. SO... they must be using Lefty pots now? Only problem is I've just started getting all my guitars wired RIGHT handed becasue I got tired of this issue... AND having 1/2 my guitars wired lefty and 1/2 wired righty. It gets confusing when I reach for the pots while playing. So can anyone confirm they are indeed Left handed now... or am I getting this great taper for some other reason? All my other guitars with righty pots and wired left were that same bad issue... and now I've been buying right Bourn's low friction to install... but I swear these PRS are even better.
Hey. They have definitely changed the wiring to be left handed and it's so much better for sure! Those first ones were pants. Maybe Paul listened to our moaning?!
 
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