Installing Stratocaster Pickups

[bigfatgigerkid]

where's the shielding

[birth2end]

Question,...

If I will change my strat pickups with a single coil size humbucker,...

Do I have to change the volume pot too,..?

[UKToneKing]

SEYMOUR DUNCAN RULES BIG TIME, THEY ARE THE BEST PICKUPS ON THE PLANET AND THEY DON'T COST THE EARTH LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER ONES THAT ARE HANDWOUND OR WHATEVER, WHAT PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS THE HAND WOUND ONES ARE STILL WOUND BY A MACHINE JUST SOME ONE SPINS THE WIRE WHEEL ON A MACHINE, A BIT LIKE A SOWING MACHINE, TRUST ME IT DON'T MAKE THEM SOUND ANY BETTER

[UKToneKing]

I have a set of seymour duncan california 50s in my usa std strat, they are very vintage sounding pups and I can recommend them to anyone, they have lots of chime and sparkle like the old 50s strats and they also have balls,

[wakawaka02]

what do i do if my pickup wires dont reach the connection?

[dannon2010]

@wakawaka02 then you have an acoustic guitar.

[TheIRSMusic]

@wakawaka02 You have an acoustic guitar.

[FullEffectDJ]

I have watched tons of people learn to solder. Biggest Tip... heat up the part, not the solder. In other words hold the soldering iron on the part you want to solder something to,,,, and then flow the solder onto the part. Tin the wire, and as soon as you touch the two things together, it bonds immediately. ......I can't believe that was actually Seymour Duncan, he is the coolest man alive!

[RandomStevie]

Fuck that. I'll pay Guitar Center 50 bucks to do it.

[seventhson1993]

I got a soldering gun for christmas, lets hope I can do this.

[Deeredman4]

I bought a guitar with 2 pickups that don't work :(...now I'm going to have to get a soldering iron 2 :(

[000Z9A]

oww you need a guitar first? ah crap..

:P

[GibsonDeAndre]

@000Z9A LOL, what the heck's wrong with you(no offense)

[000Z9A]

@GibsonDeAndre dude it was a jk..

[GibsonDeAndre]

@000Z9A LOL, cool

[99thruth]

duplicate

[whistlingtony]

Argh.... This is a great video, but he doesn't hold his soldering iron on his joints long enough. I'm willing to bet he has a lot of cold solder joints. And no flux usage? Ugh. Hey everyone.... Before you do this, learn to solder, and learn to do it correctly. It's more than just smearing solder onto a joint.

[Mike1981000]

@whistlingtony You know who that is right??? Do you really think Seymour Duncan doesn't know how to solder??? Maybe you should make a vid to reply to his vid.... Show him how it's done....

[santiago05]

I have a question, first he say that the bridge wire is connected to the fisrt switch conector, but then he connect the neck wire (the shorter one) to the first connector, why? can someone help me with this? Thanks!

[BrazenHarbinger]

awesome video. really helpful!

[Octoguitarian70]

Thanks for the instruction.

[randyrhoadshimself]

it's like disarming a bomb!

[SSGreyAndi]

Bravo!! The only thing he doesn't cover is basic soldering skills. This is a fantastic walk-through of pickup installation in a Strat-style 3 single-coil--but I'd say go with the wire-ties like the pre-wired rig he shows at the beginning--even though tape is more "vintage." A Transcendent tutorial-if you want to know how to swap stratish pups right--watch this! Just practice soldering first.... AWESOME!!

[armineprox]

In other words, take your guitar to a shop

[KrisPrans]

@armineprox people want everything to be given them on a silver plate. It's more fun this way and what kind of a musician doesn't know how to take care of his instrument?

[mattsavedbygracengai]

can you do something on replacing a bridge?

[amilovelyy17]

piece of cake ...neck and Bridge are positive + polarity wound cc... middle pickup wound ccw .... - negative polarity...Jeff...R

[amilovelyy17]

piece of cake ...neck and Bridge are positive + polarity wound cc... middle pickup wound ccw - polarity...Jeff...R

[RockwellAndAGuitar]

you look like Benjamin Franklin. Awesome job thanks :)

[devilcorvo]

no i dont gona tuch in my guitar....

[ishidhjk1]

ANYONE!!, if I have three single pick ups on my guitar how can I change it to only have one, double guitar pickups?? Or is it possible for me to do that??? Anyone pls. Answer question..

[SongsTheLordTaughtUs]

@ishidhjk1 You mean have one humbucker? Uncovered humbuckers look like two single coils put together. If that's what you want then you need to get a new pickguard that will fit the humbucker and you most likely will need to route out the body cavity in order to fit the humbucker.

[iamthedarkavenger]

@SongsTheLordTaughtUs Nah man most Fender's since the early 1990's are routed for HB S HB already...you gotta cut the pick guard but my 1993 and 1996 both have the routing already done. Although some models may be routed to single only like the vintage reissues.

[Disburden]

changing pick ups is easy and learning how is valuable. Just look up all you can on google and buy a soldering iron/gun.

[Gouki87]

something not mentioned in this video: try and use as little wire as possible, and buy high quality high grade cable, cause it will make a difference to the circuit, and consequently, the sound coming out of the guitar

[snakebyte0094]

question: cant you just re use the wires of the old pickups by cutting and splicing instead of all this soldering business?

[MrCrapheadist]

watchin a legend do the deed , awsome vid

[1273seant]

hi,i have just fitted three texas specials-when i turn up the volume i get a very loud hum -what is causeing this if i overheated the volume pot would it cuase the loud hum and how would i knoe if the volume pot is ok-thanks sean

[1273seant]

hi,i have just fitted three texas specials-when i turnup the volume i get a very loud hum -what is causeing this if i overheated the volume pot would it cuase the loud hum and how would i knoe if the volume pot is ok-thanks sean

[Eldererr]

file not found.wha the fck

[TheLesPaul101]

What brand of soldering iron where you using?

[Jugador96]

wow i thought installing new pickups was much easier than this

[ccoker95]

@Jugador96 HELL no haha. It's even harden in a rear-routed guitar (no pickguard) cause you have so little room to work with lol.

[mysterons23]

@Jugador96 This is oooold technology. they haven't changed much about the strat since it first came out.

[flamexXxstrings]

do I need to remove my strings first?

[Deluxeta]

@flamexXxstrings A HUUUR DURR DUUR.

[guitar602991]

@Deluxeta haha

[marblesuperhero29]

@flamexXxstrings no shit yes

[adammpapa1]

i didnt move my screws and they fell over :/ i should of listened fml

[whack1989]

i just got some seymour duncan california 50's or summit like that.but i dont know about changing them now looks pretty dam complicated lol

[MuzicmanPresents]

Thank God for guys like Duncan. The first time i replaced pickups in a guitar of mine was years ago and what a difference! Duncans are the best.

[BigEvilLadia23]

im gonna change my pickups with new fender custom shop 57 pickups

[spudvader86]

@BigEvilLadia23 Is that the 57/62 ones? i have those, there awesome.

[twessels]

removing all the strings at once is a bad idea. i did that with my first guitar and couldn't get it in tune cause the flute was too weak afterwards. so do you have to remove it before changing the pickups?

[Babyface6200]

get a distorion box is a good idea too

[chicobolatilo]

WICH SEYMOUR DUNCAN HUMBUCKER I SHOULD GET FOR PLAYING GUNS N ROSES??

AND FOT PLAYING AC/DC??

(IM REFEERING TO THE LITTLE HUMBUCKER FOR STRAT)

[Danglesboy1]

hey got a question when installing a prewired pickguard for a strat sss indtructions are as follows just desolder original pickups and solder new prewired pickguard, to the free jack and to the trem claw . is this the preferable placement for the wires?

[dennisl2008]

He is the only guy I trust for guitar pickups. Why? Jeff Beck.

[robdorg]

yeah this wasnt really helpful at all.

moving way to fast to learn anything.

and plus, the new pickups were pre-wired. what the hell is that about. if there's one thing i don't know how to do, it's wire them.

[deemilieu]

fender american standard strat pickups...send 'em to me if you don't want them!

[ralfcaetano]

what are good neck and middle position pickups that go well with a JB?

[NotoriousYeshi]

@ralfcaetano probably jazz pickups..

[ralfcaetano]

@NotoriousYeshi sorry i never said my styles i like playing new rock anything during or after the 90's... punk grunge and hard rock

[NotoriousYeshi]

@ralfcaetano ohh alright..wat kind guitar do u have?

[ralfcaetano]

@NotoriousYeshi a fender fat strat with a jb in the bridge rosewood neck

[NotoriousYeshi]

@ralfcaetano Ohh alright, nice guitar...

[marcifer69]

very nice video. hope to do that soon on my mexican strat. now i have to figure out which pickups to put in that bad boy.

[MegaBeartrap]

DONT CUT THE RED WIRE!! :D looks like hes defusing a bomb

[UKToneKing]

@MegaBeartrap lol I know,

[SlyBuffalo]

bare knuckles vs seymour duncans... which?

[jeff551z]

im not sure to do about mine cos the neck pick up is awesome but the bridge pick up is too twangy and not very thick sounding so i wonder if i should change it

[wildnest1]

@jeff551z Hmm what kind of guitar do you have? And why not? If you don't like it and you can find a good & cheap pickup then go for it. I'm also going to change my bridge pickup as the stock one is piece of crap..

[jeff551z]

@wildnest1 i should have an ordinary fender mexican made strat which i ironically bought in America

[MrSummerboredom19]

Can i use small zip ties to keep things neat?

[stupidshit78]

what does a five way switch do to a guitar that has 2 humbuckers like my ibanez?

[kalimoncho51]

I want to install a lace sensor gold on the bridge , a hot rails on the middle and a vintage hot (lindy fralin) on the neck

is it possible????

any advices??

anyone? thnks

[Guitarguy1191]

@kalimoncho51 I would put the Hot Rails in the bridge.

[joelbyrne]

@kalimoncho51 it all depends how hot each p.up is. its possible but there could be a danger of having too much of a dramatic change in tone and volume as you switch through your toggle selector, id recomend leaving out the lace sensor because these are known for having a low output in comparison to open pole piece p.ups. Also buying them individuallymight be a struggle as strat pups are usually sold as three a pack

[kalimoncho51]

@joelbyrne thnks for the reply

how about the hot rails in the bridge , a fender vintage noiseles in the middle and a fralin vintage hot in the neck ? i wanna get the hottest pick up in the bridge and be able to develop a clasicc strat sound without noise on the othter positions

what would u reccomend ?

cheers

[joelbyrne]

@kalimoncho51 Yeah the hotrails and the vintage hot are good but if you wana keep tha 4th position sounding like a strat id make the middle and neck the same as eachother maybe some Fender texas specials and if you want a hotter bridge id look at some Dimarzio super distortions or Fast tracks. I have the Fast track2 in the bridge on my telecaster and it sounds great it has an output of 320 and the s.distortion is 325. Enjoy!

[Vermillion2176]

I can do this. But my MIM Strat is going to have more money in the pickups than the guitar cost.

Big Ron

[z3r0sh1ft]

Dammit! I can't get the wiring!

[woodshopart]

thanks for the vidya!

it's good to know how to do things properly

~lox

[Twiggyay]

dude, could`nt it just be like... hmm, say that your ipod is the guitar and the headset is the pickup, you just plug the headset (pickup) into the Ipod (guitar), much easier...

[680540]

Dude that salmon pink strat is sweet.Love it.

[MADEINMAIDEN]

ok, but how do i solder to the output jack???????????

[SIXSTRING63]

Nice video. I've been changing pick ups and modding my own guitars for 25 years and it is nice to see someone do a video to show folks who might not have done this before how to. Very good to show how to keep things neat and not have a big birds nest like the one you removed.

Mike

[Fruscianteistheman]

can i replace my stratocaster pick ups with burstbuckers 1 and 2

is that possible to do interchange pick ups from different companys, or is there not enough room on the strat for that

[joelbyrne]

@Fruscianteistheman you would need to get the cavity routed so it would house them. its not to big a job really

[GySgtGuitarHero]

my grandfather knows seymour duncan, it's actually kind of cool because i get discounts on stuff

[AZNguitardude2234]

@GySgtGuitarHero dude you are cool!!!

[GySgtGuitarHero]

@AZNguitardude2234 thanks dude, since i live in Santa Barbara my grandparents go to this thing called "sings like hell" where different musicians go and play various types of music. anyway, my grandfather said i should go because Seymour likes to go to "sings like hell" also.

[hlubGOD]

@GySgtGuitarHero awesome! when & where are those events? I would love to meet Seymour in person.

[GySgtGuitarHero]

@hlubGOD just search sings like hell Santa Barbara on google and you should find the website. :)

[AZNguitardude2234]

@GySgtGuitarHero lol my bad hahaha I didn't realize that my sister was still logged in so I replied with hers.

[GySgtGuitarHero]

@AZNguitardude2234 no prob, just look up sings like hell Santa Barbara on google and you should find the website. :) also i talked to my grandfather today and he gave me a couple of vintage straps and some old guitar books and i asked him how well he knows seymour and he told me that he's known him for years and that they like to chill at each others houses and that seymour even goes to dinner with my them occasionally!!!

[dmohr7]

does anybody know how eddie wired his so the tone and volumne were"in the same knob" apparently from what i heard he wired it into the output but im not sure help?

[kibbles1053]

@dmohr7 I thought he had no tone knob at all and used a tone knob where the volume knob should have been.

[surferboy36O]

Who's that lady?

[cosmin5678]

@surferboy36O that's your alcoholic dad ;) dumass

[kweerb8]

at 0:58, where can you get those terminal things he uses to clean up the wires and how do you put them on?

[pithor]

@kweerb8

These terminals you can get about anywhere. Try Radio Shack or the electrical department at Home Depot.

[bucktheusa]

HTF do I install SD's in an LP?

It has red/white/ground and the SD's have red/white/black/ground and the red/white are supposed to be twisted together if coil taps are not used.

Hoped I could find a video...anyone?

Do I leave black alone and use the red/ white?

[WaldebeatZ]

thats right , )

[dbikeguy]

this is awesome. seymour duncan himself! i know whatever he says has to be right ha, makes some of the best pickups ever!

[luki01111]

what is the differencs between squier and fender pickguard. coz i was looking for 1-ply, 11 holes, black pickguard on ebay and i found on but it says : does not fit squier. ?

[BadAssMotha5000]

squiers have smaller bodies

[luki01111]

thanks for replay. =]

[DarthKazi]

Only the affinity student models.  I have a Squire Strat HSS that is identical to my US Strat, size-wise. Frankly, the Squire sounds spookily close to the U.S. model for as much as I spent on it.

Frankly, labor is the main reason U.S.-made guitars are so expensive.

[CrankCase08]

Actually, the only difference is the number of fixing holes. Fender scratchplates have 11, while Squier have 7. This is no problem. Just screw the scratchplate down with the holes that match up, then, through the remaining holes, push a bradawl through to start a hole for the remaining screws.

There may be a size difference (smaller) with the 3/4 scale Squiers, of this I don't know, but the full scale Squire Strat has same size scratchplate as normal Fender Strat.

[squid262]

Hey I have a HSS standard Stratocaster MIM and was wondering... If I get a new pickguard can I put a single coil pickup in it? For the bridge that is...

[DarthKazi]

Of course you can.

[MaidenJapan123]

i bought a seymour duncan hot rail today for the bridge postition and there is only one wire that is sticking out. can i still put it in the bridge or does it matter

[chainsaw365]

My guitar had springs under the pickups and now i dont know wat to do with them. Can anyone help me?

[Project3691]

Were the springs around the screws?

[keeponrockin999]

this was actually extremely helpful, i dont have a sautering gun or any of those other tools but it doesnt seem that difficult to figure out

[mdaleo]

Not terribly helpful for a beginner

[FazlokAaAaAaA]

woooo... too much information at once O_o

[awesomeness23456]

i have a pen like that .. : S

[VlogSuicide]

I took my guitar apart....then saw it was pretty 'full on' under the hood...so I didn't change my pick ups ^__^

[101Volts]

You can't judge it from how it looks, There are many small details and everything contributes to the final sound and how playable the guitar is.

[FrickinElectric]

I was thinking of doing this myself O_o

[144214789]

plz some body tel me how to install the three 6 wires of 2 pickups.

[guitardude274]

i heard that emg actives are best when they already come on the guitar from fActorie

[guitardude274]

how much would it cost for them to put in 1 bridge pickup???

[guitarmessiah95]

how much would it cost to get all 3 pick ups changed at guitar center?

[Collen122]

money

[strat0caster266]

even though you've probably figured this out by now, it would cost a lot and you would have to wait a long time to get it back. Find a independent dealer that can use it, I have this guy do it for a fairly cheap price, and he has it back to me in a matter of days, not weeks.

[bucketOgod]

guitar center at least in san jose, doesnt even do installation or anything like that, they are stupid, you have 2 go 2 a luther

[givememyibaneznow]

i got sd's on my sg sound great but i preffer single coils so im goin to buya prewired pickguard for my strat

[darthdude1016]

erm i believe that bloodknox was prasing duncans pickups

[TyrannyStudios]

AWESOME!

[sLaShJrOb2009]

if your not experienced in electronics i suggest taking your guitar to a skilled person in this field.

[rikhurley]

I must admit, if you watch it a few times, ti doesn't seem so bad, but this guy is pretty skillful and quick at it.

[hatemeplease15]

what kind of soldering iron is that? the solder is coming out of the iron

[brownybum123]

can some one help me. i need 3 single coil pickups for my mexican strat but i dont know what to get. im just getting in to that kind of stuff. i need somthing that cant give me lots of feedback, im very into punk rock, pleese help

[BloodKnox]

try getting seymour duncans, theyre the shit

[sLaShJrOb2009]

get a seymour duncan hot rail for the bridge and a seymour duncan cool rail for the neck. 75 bucks a piece

[brownybum123]

ok but what about the middle

[Amnesiac197]

I'm going to fuck up my old beat up Squier strat when soldering for the first time today. Anyone know where I can find instructions with pictures or diagrams? All I want to do is solder the ground wire back to the ground and the wires for the cable plug in back to that piece. I took it all apart a year ago thinking that I was gonna put it back together with nice pick ups. Bought a Highway 1 Texas tele instead. Just wanna put it back together.

[Tommo348]

Does anyone know how to change pickups on a LH Highway 1 Strat? The pickups switch is a bit different (wires going to different holes on switch from on this video) - I'm just a bit stuck. - Thanks.

[HGS9669]

This looks too complicated. I'm just gonna have someone else do it for me.

[obliquefaith101]

lol, bad experience for me man.. i got a mim strat and got me some SCN pickups.. i tried to do it myself and kinda got lost.. i went to guitar center with my picups half done.. lol the guy did it for me and charged me $90 for all three of them..=/ it was kinda heavy for my pocket.. but yeah, it was worth it.. better than a half done guitar..=]

[youaergay]

who do you tell wich pickups go where

[althegreat17]

can someone explain to me whats in to that "seymour duncan pick ups" i mean whats the difference between a regular pick up and that seymour..

and for what genra that pick up is good at??

[fetalfeet]

Best pickups for a Strat are Lace Sensor (Blue, Red, Silver) hands down. The difference is quality and how they are wound. They are nearly noiseless so you don't get that annoying buzz when plugged in. You get longer sustain, so if you are soloing your bends and plucks last. You also get crisper, fuller sound. It's like a Bose System vs. a GPX Boombox; a no brainer!

[obliquefaith101]

hey man, how are they compared to the fender SCN pickups?

[firesonlyfriend]

its a brand

[dimibetan]

I notice on 6:21, there is solder coming out from the soldering iron, what kind of soldering iron is that?..

It kinda cool because you can have an easy and clean soldering.

or Im wrong...

Anyway, cool video!!! I learned a lot!!!

[fetalfeet]

That's solder melting around the wire, not coming out of the actual iron. If you are asking this question you really should practice soldering before tackling a guitar.

[ChungandHuh]

its melted metal man

and idk about the second ques

[willsclassic]

"strats are hard to work on."

The electronics are the easiest part to modify. Try refretting the neck if you want a real headache.

Just the same, sorta wish Seymour lived around the corner. *knock knock*, "Hey, had an extra ribeye on the grill. Here ya go, medium rare, just the way ya like like 'em. By the way, er, can you switch the pickups and white plasticware on my HSS for black? Replace the Diamondback with a '78? Great. Many thanks. I'll need that plate back."

[dagl086]

Holy crap that's actually Seymour Duncan?!?!?!

[xXCRP21Xx]

these pickups came pre built on te pickgaurd thats easy

[ischtivan]

No, watch the video, wich you apparently didnt do

[NewOrleansPoser]

Great to see someone doing it right.

[penguinrudeboy]

i want the wiring in my strat like that

[andyj2012]

go ahead and do it, the only way is too do it

[rabbitkillssnake]

good job grandpa

[00DirectorsCut00]

friday the 13th,,, never open that strato :-D

[erchbob]

lol u call him grandpa but hes the worlds greatest pickup maker

[WelcometoChaos]

grandpa.. are u kidding me? :O

[29396]

I think I'll just get it to my guitar tech...

[hahafender]

for sure!!!! :)