Ive got a double neck Console Grande from the mid 50's with the 4-8-4 pickups. Its in fantastic cosmetic shape but the upper neck pickup is a bit weak in the bass section. all the switches and pots seem to work fine and the lower neck pickup is perfect. i have replaced the capacitors with new ones of the proper values as one of the original ones had failed from age.
is there a schematic anywhere for this guitar and/or is there anyone who i can contact who may have a solution for the pickup dilemma ? May require some rewiring or pickup repair ??
the guitar is in such nice original shape and the lower pickup sounds so nice it would be nice to fix it.
thanks in advance for any help.
Jim, Actually, I have a full diagram which I created a few years ago when I got mine. I will check the files and send you a copy. I have sent copies to some of the pickup rewinders.
Actually the 4-8-4, is really three pickups on each neck.
The switching system changes the configuration to give different tones.
The caps were bad on mine as well and the bass pickup on the top neck was open and required rewinding.
Since you have replaced the caps, you already know how difficult this guitar is to work on.
Mine is a CG-520, which is identical to your's except that it does not have the stutter, and boo-wah switches.
thank you Blake.
ive got a tech here in Reno that can follow the schematic and trouble shoot the wiring and switches. once the neck is out of the guitar its alot easier to get to everything. in my case it still could be just a wiring or switch issue but we cant tell until a bit more dis-assembly is done. im assuming you have my email for the drawing you have.
if it is the pickup is there anyone you would suggest to do the rewinding or repair ????
thanks again for the diagram in advance - life seems a bit better already !!
also - my tech here does alot of Hammond organ repair and says that the multi-position tone switch was also used by Hammond for switching the Leslie wiring. Good to know for anyone having switch problems - maybe even me !!
Jim, I don't have your e mail. Please send me a PM with it and I'll send the diagram. I'll also send you my phone number in case you or your tech have any questions.
Blake - i just sent you a PM with my email and phone but it doesnt seem to show in my "sent' folder - so i tried a second time.
if you dont receive it let me know and ill just post it here
Jim, I got the PM and the e mail with the diagram
is on the way. The construction of this series of CG is exceptional and I think, under appreciated.
It does not sound like a Fender. It took me a while to get used to it. It is a very comfortable steel to play.
Has a wide range of tones.
Is it possibly original as-is? If not, does anyone know the color used on these CG-520 double necks?
Cheers friends,
Matt in Indy (looking for mentor or friend to help with steel guitar questions and maybe lessons but haven’t found anyone). I’m 40 years old but am open to learning from someone much older with experience and a love for teaching and helping others.
It may be a later model.
My CG 520 does not have the red and black pushbuttons.
That may be a 530,'
The "4-8-4" pickups are original.
They have many voicings.
If your guitar has the original "bumblebee" capacitor
in the master tone control. Replace it.
Everything else should be OK.
Both necks should sound identical on every position
of the Voicing Selector switches.
Awesome, thanks for the info. Is that a .047 cap or some other value I should use? What’s the reason, just like tubes amps, they get old and out of value?
.047 mfd is the correct value.
The bumblebee caps were cheaply made inferior caps.
They were cheap and I have seen them in everything from aa
$16 Philco radio to a $20,000 RCA Video Recorder.
When I got my CG the tone control was acting like a
volume. Yep, the bumblebee was shorted..
