je1200 delete??

**jacksonkellyfreak** · 01-22-2012, 05:10 PM

Hey guys, i got an old model 4 in black cherry and i wanna delete the preamp. anybody got a wiring schematic or the knowledge on how to do it? also, i get a SEVERE volume drop when i turn on 2 or more pickups. thought it was the battery, but it does it even with a fresh 9 volt.

whats causing this? this would be one of my favorites if not fpr these problems. the je1200 eats batteries like candy so i just wanna dump it and maybe run another tone cuz icant stand open holes on a guitar. thanks guys

**RobRR** · 01-22-2012, 05:24 PM

Something isnt right, every Je1200 I have sips batteries. I couldnt tell you exactly what is wrong without seeing it in person, but if you want to bypass the je1200 then youll need some new pots as the je1200 and vol control pots are 50k. To remove the active preamp youll need 500k pots.

**Ward** · 01-22-2012, 05:24 PM

Do you have replacement pots and an input jack? I just took a je1200 out this weekend, but I took everything out and replaced the old volume & tone pots and stereo input jack with new ones.

Not sure how you disable it if you want to use the old controls, but if you are replacing them it is pretty easy. There is actually only one white wire that needs to be de-soldered from the pickup selector switch, the other end of it is connected to the center pin on the tone knob. Everything else comes out in one contained bunch once you undo all the nuts on the pot posts and the old stereo input jack. The pickup wires stay soldered where they were, so you just need to solder the new volume, tones, and input jack as you normally would.

**jacksonkellyfreak** · 01-22-2012, 05:33 PM

dont have the pots...yet. i will tomorrow so ill get straight on it. any idea which wire it is?

**jacksonkellyfreak** · 01-22-2012, 05:34 PM

oh and its 3 mini switches. never did like those

**Ward** · 01-22-2012, 06:47 PM

Ahh, mine has a 5 way selector switch.

Not sure if yours will be the same, but on the tone pot there were two white wires connected to the middle pin. One was connected to the circuit board on the volume knob. The other white wire on the tone middle pin was connected to the 5 way switch. Once that white wire was disconnected from the 5 way switch, the whole mass of pots, wires, input jack & circuit board came out of the guitar completely.

I don't know how that will compare to mini toggles. I would suggest unscrewing all the nuts that hold the pots and input jack in place, then try taking everything out slowly, and see if you can isolate what is connected to the guitar. That's how I did it, and there was only that one connection to the 5 way switch.

Also makes it easy to put it back in later if desired without having to worry about a bunch of connections.

**jacksonkellyfreak** · 01-22-2012, 08:06 PM

hey i found some 500k pots in my spare parts box lol. always handy to keep stuff around. im gonna try it. ill post back how she goes.

**Ward** · 01-22-2012, 08:20 PM

Let me know. I'll give any help I can if you run into problems, I just don't have any mini toggles on my guitars to refer to.

Mine turned out great without the 1200. I never liked the sound of the guitar before, but loved the way it felt. Now it's sounding great with a new bridge pup, and I've got 2 more coming to put in the neck & mid slots. I've played it more this weekend than I have in years.

**jacksonkellyfreak** · 01-22-2012, 11:46 PM

Done!! thank you guys so much. it was smooth sailing once i got it out. i too put a new pup in the bridge and have hopefully solved my volume drop issues. i went to a 2 wire pickup instead of the 3 wire jackson. wont know till tomorrow, cause its 1 am here and all i have is a giant marshall half stack, so itd be way too loud. plus my wife would likely render me unable to have children lol. will post tomorrow!! thanks again guys!!

**Nimitz** · 01-22-2012, 11:48 PM

^ Fug That Crank It Up!!!

Take a video for us tomorrow mkay

**Chief_CrazyTalk** · 01-24-2012, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by Nimitz

^ Fug That Crank It Up!!!

Take a video for us tomorrow mkay

LOL, that's what I'd do!

Glad it worked out. I miss my old M4...I did the same thing. Everything worked fine but I was never quite happy with the preamp system. Converted to passive and never looked back, hell of a fine playing guitar.

**defec** · 02-08-2012, 12:09 AM

How do the 50bc's sound without the active electronics?

**84sups** · 02-08-2012, 01:01 AM

A 50bc sounds fine without the active electronics. The singles did sound a little shrill to my ears.

**straycat** · 02-08-2012, 10:38 AM

Were you leaving the guitar plugged in when not playing it? That will drain the battery.
Mine need a battery once a year give or take.

**Hellbat** · 02-08-2012, 10:49 AM

My Je-1200 in my model 5 the battery would last over a year. I would change it out on principle even when it was working fine. But as has been said, I unplugged whenever not playing. If you leave the guitar plugged in the circuit will always remain on.

**jacksonkellyfreak** · 02-08-2012, 11:17 AM

no it stayed in its case mostly. i already took the thing out. now its my main guitar

**Cleveland Metal** · 02-08-2012, 10:48 PM

I'm of the opinion to yank them. Old school, tone sucking. They have their niche, just not in my guitar sound. If you're shooting for that sound, that's a different ballgame. I'm done w/Jackson pickups and/or preamps. Again, some luv em, I don't. Would be cool to have one guitar with them, but, I have a few guitars and need em all with my setup.

If you want a preamp, I like the EMG PA-2, it's clean and imparts nothing to the sound really.

**SIXER** · 02-22-2012, 10:26 AM

Does any one have a diagram or know where i can get one. I yanked the je-1200 boost out of my model 6. I wired in 2 500k pots but it is the first time i've wired in pots. The volume works but the tone works like a volume. What did i do wrong? Thanks!