Wiring Up Guitar Electronics 1: Component Layout, Selecting Wire, Stripping and Tinning

[NESthebest83]

Hi john,I have another doubt pls solve it,i found another ground wire from bridge,where i need to solder,is it solder to sleeve either to any of the pots or to knobs or to something pls reply.Bye the way nice videos John.

[johnplanetz]

@NESthebest83 - the grounds all need to be electrically connected together, and to the jack sleeve lug. An electrical connection is made when two conductors (wires or metal parts) are soldered together. So you can connect bridge to pot-back, and jack sleeve lug to the same pot-back, and you have effectively connected the bridge to the jack sleeve. Or you can connect the bridge wire directly to the jack sleeve lug. Just be careful to avoid ground loops- you can search for more info on that.

[NESthebest83]

I have a question , pls reply .i m a beginner i found ground wires from bridge,and from single coil pick up, now diagrams show only the ground wires from where i t comes ,But i dont know where to solder or where to connect ,pls reply not only for me but for beginners like me

[johnplanetz]

@NESthebest83 - all the grounds must be electrically connected to the sleeve of the guitar jack. Sometimes this means that some grounds are soldered to a back of a pot, which is also soldered to the jack sleeve/ground lug. For more detailed explanation- see my video about guitar ground problems at: watch?v=YSxXra9UN-0

[NESthebest83]

@johnplanetz Thanks ,God bless you,

[Sylbi]

hi john.. can i do this mod to my emg 81/85?.. and how do i go about it since it's an active humbuckers and they are sharing one capacitor of .001uf, i meant the tone and volume.. if i'm not mistaken..please correct me if i'm wrong.. totally a nub in guitar modifications.. appreaciate your help very much.

[johnplanetz]

@Sylbi - what mod are you trying to do? If you want to replace pots/caps, start by understanding your current circuit, component values, etc. Keep in mind that active guitar circuits use different (lower resistance) pot values than passive guitar circuits. As for the single cap, I couldn't say what that's doing without seeing the rest of the circuit. You might look at the wiring diagram archive at the guitarelectronics. com for examples.

[klebfg9537]

@johnplanetz Have you heard of res-o-glass guitars? Jack white is known for playing one. Well anyway, do you know if and how i would send the ground wire to the bridge if the bridge is a tailpiece and a bridge that is an archtop style bridge. Sorry I'm Decently New To This All

[johnplanetz]

@klebfg9537 - I've never had a chance to play a Res-o-Glas guitar, but I've seen Jack White playing his red Airline. Typically the ground wire is soldered to the bottom of the screw/stud of the tailpiece or bridge. If you were to remove the bridge and tailpiece, and pull up the stud/screw, you'd find a wire dangling down into the body, and soldered to a ground point.

[remymullet007]

Hi,

Great Videos by the way!

Couple of questions please...

What's the best Soldering Iron to use please? (I have a Weller 25W and it's a pain)

What Solder is best? (Mine doesn't stick to the iron but falls off in little balls... :-( )

Thanks in advance!

Remy, London UK

[johnplanetz]

@remymullet007 - I really like my Weller WES51 soldering station, with ETA, ETO and ETC tips  I usually use 60/40 rosin core solder, .032" (1/32") diameter.

[rugbynut]

Hey, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all of your videos! I've recently just finished upgrading the circuitry in my guitar and as this was my first time doing anything like this, your videos have helped answer a lot of queries along the way, they've been so useful! If you want to follow my upgrade, I've blogged it on my blog: andrewhosker. wordpress. com

Thanks again!

[johnplanetz]

@rugbynut - great to hear Andrew! Your blog looks great. I also enjoyed listening through some of your electroacoustic compositions.

[SuperVanhalen1984]

what id its a 1 volume guitar how do u wire it??

[johnplanetz]

@SuperVanhalen1984 - go to Guitar Wiring Diagrams Archive at guitarelectronics (link at my blog), and you'll find all the wiring diagrams you need.

[97warlock]

Can some1 answer this question plz:Im installing a 1 meg vol pot,4 wire Bucker ...I bought 26awg single shielded wire.A single shielded wire has the Inner wire,AND the shielding which will be GROUND.thats 2 wires.I want to instal them to my Output jack one Hot,One ground ...yet each has a center & a ground thats 4 wires total for just to lugs on output jack ...HOW do I do this correctly? Anyone?

[johnplanetz]

@97warlock - use one shielded wire- the center wire for signal and the shield for ground. You can see an example of wiring the jack like this in part 5 of this video series

[johnplanetz]

@carricod000 -Yes, a single pickup guitar is a nice project to start with. I recommend you experiment with your circuit using alligator leads before trying to solder anytjing, to make sure you understand the circuit. It sounds like you need to do a little homework on the basics. See the FAQ at my blog at planez for some links to resources on books, wiring diagrams, etc.

[carricod000]

@johnplanetz Yeah I finished your videos and saw that. Thank you.

[clanbigger4]

I really don't know much about the wiring of my guitar. But a wire has become frayed twice now by my guitar cable twisting around so that I get really ugly feedback or no sound at all. I've gotten it repaired but do you have any advice as to how to prevent this from happening in the first place??

[johnplanetz]

@clanbigger4 - a lock washer under the nut of a pot or jack can prevent it from twisting.

[ht448]

Iv got a Huge Problem iv got two active humbuckers with a battiey pack 1 vol 1 tone and a 3-way but the prole is a little Computer Chip could you help me? Thanks iv been sherching for a year and a half now :P

[jayjaded]

I think your videos are amazing! I am working on adding a les paul classic humbucker to a shecter ultra 3 that usually has mini humbuckers with coil splitting. Any advice?

[b5b9]

Nice set of videos. Very well done. But please answer me this: Why not use crimped connection and stak-ons instead of soldering? You suggested using alligator clips to test the tone capacitor, so I'm guessing a mechanical connection will not degrade the signal.

[johnplanetz]

@b5b9 - i prefer soldering. but there should be nothing wrong with crimped mechanical connections as far as sound quality- as long as they're solid and won't come apart with vibration and abuse and rock and roll! :)

[xXSup399Xx]

hi im new to all this. im currently working on a flying v project with 2 humbuckers, 2 tone controls, 1 volume control and a 3 way switch, what i would like to know is how do i ground all of this? do i solder all the ground wires to the back of the volume pot or underneath the bridge? it is a tune o matic bridge. thanks :)

[johnplanetz]

@xXSup399Xx - see my channel for my video on ground problems. in short yes, all metal parts of the guitar need to be electrically connected, and ultimately connect to the ground lug of the jack. also be careful to avoid ground loops when wiring it up. search for star grounding, etc for more info.  good luck!

[thefrenchman555]

im building myself an explorer and im looking at buying the 500k cts pots but the site im on doesn't say if there for tone or volume, does it depend on the way that you wire them to make them for tone or volume. PLEASE HELP

[johnplanetz]

@thefrenchman555 - a pot is a pot. it's how you wire it up to the rest of your circuit that makes it a volume or a tone pot. see the other vids in my channel for more explanation and examples.

[786marauder]

Hi John!! Thank you soooooooooo much for your reply? appreciate n valued it, Thanks again

:-)

[LoneRiderz]

You should teach. You have a good voice and can explain things clearly.

[Jctheclink]

Where do you buy your wiring?

[johnplanetz]

@Jctheclink - smallbear electronics, stewmac, etc.

[786marauder]

hi John !! am having prob with my guitar sound, am using both humbucker pickup with 5 wires ,white,black, red,green n silver bare. The prob is, although with a clean sound, its still came out with some distortion sound, is it prob with the wiring or what? really need your help n appreciate it, Thanks John :-)

[johnplanetz]

@786marauder - depends on what type of distortion it is. if you mean that you're overdriving your amp, you may just have really hot pickups? does rolling back the pickup volume improve it? if it's some other kind of distortion or noise, you may have some bad wiring. check the posts on humbucker wiring (october 9, 2010 and november 9, 2010) at my blog at planetz. i wish youtube would let me post links!

[stonedrocker666]

hey man, i have an i banez that needs to be redone, originally it was 2 humbuckers, 1 switch and two pots volume and tone, i took out the tone, switch, and neck pickup and my soldering skills suck. i know if i have a good connection but i can never get sound, i probablly need a new pot or somethin. i just need some advice on solderin, thanks john

[johnplanetz]

@stonedrocker666 - it's more likely a wiring problem than a bad pot. see the FAQ at my blog for some tips on experimenting with alligator clip leads. you should try connecting the pickup directly to the jack, make sure that works. then, making sure you understand how a volume control is supposed to be wired (look up some wiring diagrams), try clipping in the volume pot and make sure that all works. only THEN should you solder it all together.

[journeyquest1]

I put new Dimarzio humbucker PUPs in my Jagmaster and want to shiels it. Im not sure if the cavity is shielded or not? My friend who once worked for Fender said that using shielded wires would eliminate most of any noise. What do you think? How to go about grounding it?

[johnplanetz]

@journeyquest1 - for information on shielding the cavity, see the guitarnuts website. shielded wire is good for longer runs, but unshielded should be ok for short runs.

[etguitar18]

What gauge is the wire?

[johnplanetz]

@etguitar18 - for short runs of unshielded wire, 22 gauge is fine - doesn't need to be heavier. for this shielded wire, the inner conductor is 26 gauge which is wrapped in polyethelene, then wrapped in the braided metal shield, and then surrounded in the outer pvc jacket- so the overall size of the wire is much thicker, but the center conducting wire is thinner.

[monoseb]

hi!!!!!!!! very good job!!

can you teach me how to wire a humbucker and a single coil in the same guitar!!!! thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnplanetz]

@monoseb - see my blog for some tips on humbucker wiring. then take a look at the wiring layouts on guitarelectronics. c o m - you should find what you need there.

[dannyjonesband]

looking back everyone was hellbent on changing whatever pikups were in their instrument, especially if it was a pre cbs strat. weird that 'you must put some decent pikups in it!' i heard i wonder if everything could just be left alone and it would become great over time?

hehe

[dannyjonesband]

thanks john, i stand corrected, sounds familiar that now. still watching the vids tho. really reminds me of so long ago when i first did soldering. I wish i had persevered, nothing worked out and i was too young i think. it is so good now all this stuff including new pikups really is cheap now. why pay anyone to change pick ups when this stuff is so cheap. it is more fun. when i first started playing i would never have touched a gibson semi myself but i did do whatever on strats.

bu looking

[dannyjonesband]

what the hell is sarder? its called solder

[johnplanetz]

@dannyjonesband - in the US, against all reason- it's pronounced "sodder" without the L. My family is Australian, so I was raised pronouncing it with the L ("sole-der"), and I have to really make an effort to say it the American way. The English language is such a mess!

[guitarpornographer]

@johnplanetz

lol, nothing wrong with the English language man, its the Americanisms that are the problem.

[JackoMBA]

Wow. I feel like moron. I never though of using cardboard to lay out the pots. I was drilling home in wood and putting the tips in. Using cardboard and putting the nut on the other side makes so much sense. Thanks!

[easypsphacking]

Can you tell me where I can find that shielded wire? I have looked everywhere, but can't seem to find it. Is there a website that sells shielded wire?

[johnplanetz]

@easypsphacking - stewmac, guitarpartsresource and guitarelectronics all carry shielded wire

[easypsphacking]

@johnplanetz I actually just found some shielded cable in my shed. It's pretty thick, but it will fit in my guitar and make a solid connection. Do you think I could run into any problems with it being a tad thicker than the usual wiring you would see in guitars?

[johnplanetz]

@easypsphacking - the wires should be pretty short runs, so it should be ok.  give it a try, and if you hear a problem, compare with some different wire...

[elerickkoo]

Hey, I'm wiring a strat, too, but I'm changing the pickup selector switch for three individual sliding switches, one for each pickup, but the wiring diagram that comes with tex-mex strat pickups does't help with how the circuit goes. How should I wire them?

[johnplanetz]

@elerickkoo - take a look at the wiring diagrams on the guitarelectronics website. you should be able to find an example to work with.

[Nicolauru]

Which is the diameter of that coaxial cable? I got one but its too big to connect my switch and my potentiometer, it doesnt fit. Thanks for the videos.

[johnplanetz]

@Nicolauru - the outer diameter of my shielded wire is 3/32"

[kerbeg000]

John, your videos are really fantastic. Thank you for doing these in such detai!

[RATCHETEATER]

Man, you are good. I really dig your videos. Very helpful, well explained and nice sound and video quality. Thanks for the service that you provide to all of us guitar do-it-your-selfers out here. Keep Cool.

[100eura]

Could anybody please help me with a problem? I have a Peavey guitar, a copy of course, a VOX valvetornix amp 50 W and Boss mega distortion pedal MD-2, ok. So the problem is few days ago when i started playing after a few minutes i felt electricity on the wires, i started the day after to see if the problem would persist, and it did, everytime i start playing electricity is coming from the wires... Could the problem bi in the pickup, if so anybody give some advice.

[superlou1s]

I'm trying to bolt on a new neck, bridge, pickup, and completely change all the electronics on an ancient guitar body- Thank god It only has a volume and one pickup, I'm confused haha

[Spiffa0]

I'm wiring a strat, is it a good idea to do the wiring on the pickguard or should I use a cardboard template as well?

[johnplanetz]

The reason for the cardboard was simply to keep everything organized after pulling the electronics out of a semi-hollow body.

With a strat, you can just use the pickguard.

[MrSologod]

hey i have a start copy and im customzing it, i have taking of the the old 3 single coils and the 5 way switch and the to tone pots and i have to wilkinson humbuchers and a 3 way toggle switch ive spent the last 6-7 trying to rewire every thing and nothing is working can you plz help, if u can, can u get back to me asap

[johnplanetz]

see the wiring diagrams at the guitarelectronics website. they have a bunch of examples of circuits with two humbuckers with a 3-way switch, with various tone/volume combinations. you should find what you need there.

good luck!

[MrSologod]

thanks man but i think i fried the pots so im gonna ask family friend to help mw

[jamesdobrincic]

hey, just a question, im painting my guitar and i removed my electronics and didnt want to remove the wires from directly at the pots, cause it seemed to confusing, so i left some length then chopped the wires and labled them. and it seems that in thw wire itself there are two seperate little wires, if i solder the wires into one would that cause a problem ??

[johnplanetz]

Often the wire inside the PVC jacket is made up of several thing strands. Is that what you mean? If so, yes it's ok to solder the strands together.

If however you mean that there's an outer jacket, and inside that there are two separate wires inside their own plastic jackets (or a separate shield around a center wire like I show in this vid at 2:50), then those are likely signal and ground/return. Not ok to solder those together.

[johnplanetz]

Are these the wires from your pickups? If so, they're probably signal and ground.

If you wanna send some pics or more details so I can help you further, get in touch with me at my blog.