Gibson EH-150. How do I get the back off?

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 5 Jul 2000 11:22 am

Here is my 1937 EH-150.

The volume and tone controls work but are hard to turn and scratchy (they clean up OK but the scratchiness returns after a
while).

How do I get the back off to replace these?
[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 07 July 2000 at 12:03 PM.]

Hill Phillips · Post by **Hill Phillips** » 5 Jul 2000 2:10 pm

Can you remove the pickup and remove them Thru that hole?
I would hate to see you take the back off unless you are one of them luthiers.
They use an animal glue that loosens with heat like a hair dryer.

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 5 Jul 2000 4:45 pm

Gerald: The pots can be removed through the pickup hole, with a little work. It's worth the trouble: there's no way you'll get the back off without doing visible damage.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 5 Jul 2000 7:41 pm

Don't even attempt to take the back off. I doubt you'd ever get it back on properly. You have the later model of the EH-150. Mine is the early model which has 12 screws around the perimeter of the back. Unscrew them and voila! the back comes off. The older models like mine did not have the chrome hand rest as shown in your picture. Nice guitar...keep it that way and go through the hole where the pickup is located.

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 7 Jul 2000 4:50 am

Ian,
How do I remove the pickup? Do I loosen the two screws on the back?

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 7 Jul 2000 5:23 am

Gerald:
I'm not actually the person ask, as I've never worked on my 7-string 150, but I know the previous owner had the pots out for cleaning, etc. The two screws do control the pickup height, so...

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 7 Jul 2000 8:56 am

That's a really beautiful instrument, Gerald!

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 7 Jul 2000 10:56 am

Thanks bOb. I got the guitar from Gruhn's in Nashville a few months ago.

According to Jerry Byrd, this instrument can play any kind of music there is... Hawaiian, Country & Western, Jazz, etc., but all I seem to get out of it are musical cliche's. Must be something wrong with it.

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 07 July 2000 at 11:59 AM.]

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 9 Jul 2000 9:23 am

Certainly nothing wrong with that beautiful guitar. I suspect the problem lies immediately behind the thumb and finger picks also possibly the part which holds the steel bar. That problem can be "repaired" by lots of woodshedding. Enjoy !