Crayon Sky Music

My Pick-ups are the wrong way round on my new guitar! Why?

i recently acquired a new guitar: a Gibson Les Paul Traditional and ive had it for about a month. I realised the other day that when i selected rhythm pick-up it used the treble and Viceversa. i also noticed that the volume and tone knobs are the wrong way round : the treble are the top ones and it should be the bottom.
Has any one experience this before? does anyone know why this has happened? and does anyone know what i should do?

It sounds like your pickup selector switch got loose and has been rotated around so its upside down… easy fix!

First place a soft blanket or other protective covering on the table that you’re going to use to work on the guitar… don’t wanna scratch it.

Next, very gently loosen the collar around the pickup selector switch and then VERY gently turn the switch till it is in the correct position. If you encounter ANY resistance, STOP or you’ll probably damage the switch or the wiring. Go to the next step.

Remove the collar from the pickup selector switch. Flip the guitar over to see whether there is a cover on the back where the switch is. If there is, it will be held on with three screws. This is NOT the cover over the volume control etc. Remove the screws and pop off the cover. Go to the next step.

VERY CAREFULLY AND GENTLY pull the switch out of the back of the guitar and rotate it into the correct position (rhythm position on top, treble position on bottom) Be VERY careful not to place any stress on the wiring or the switch. If it doesn’t go into the correct position easily, don’t force it – take the guitar to a qualified luthier.

If it is obvious that the switch is not simply seated incorrectly but actually wired incorrectly, then take the guitar to a music store or luthier to have them rewire the switch for you. Its an easy repair and should be very inexpensive, but if you don’t know how to solder, your new guitar is not the place to learn.

If you are at all unsure about whether you can do this without breaking (or scratching) the guitar, take it to a repair shop.

Gibson Les Paul Traditional