Guys, I installed new pickups myself!!

[StrangeDay]

Did I install them right?!! Please tell me if I screwed up! I hear a lot of feedback, but ONLY when I turn both distortions on.

The guitar is a TELECASTER.

I put in an Alnico 4 magnet into a Custom 5. I used that magnet polarity tester device and put the south (black) side toward the back of the pup (under the pole pieces).
I guess it doesn't matter which side of the magnet is used as long as the back of it is south up?

Anyway, the next thing I did was solder everything together. Man, I wasn't too smooth here. My solder areas looked very messy, unlike the smooth solder that was on ther before, which looked like metallic water drops. I grounded everything to the back of the volume pot. Did I screw up? I wasn't sure if it was safe to ground anything anywhere else.

When I was done, I plugged in and switched on my Rat. It wasn't too noisy at all. Everything osunded fine, and the tone still had plenty of Twang - clean and Dirty!
Then I switched on the Valve-tone and SCREEECH!!!!!!
Feedback for miles!!
I don't remember the guitar being THAT noisy when it had the stocked single coil there. Did I screw up?

[StrangeDay]

Here's what I think caused all the noise:

1- I didn't use a blow dryer to heat up then cool down the wax after installing the new magnet. oops.

2 - I might have not soldered that well. I accidentally touched part of the plastic wire covering with the soldering iron, and burned just a tiny piece off.

3 - I soldered too many wires together behind the volume pot? Maybe they were all connected together since there was so much solder. Does it matter?

[BluesNRock87]

if all ur solders touch, and ur ground is actualy ground, u shouldnt have a problem, the polarity thing isnt my area of expertise so i wont say anyhitng

congrats, and welcome, its a good sense of accmoplisment no?

and ur solders a bit messy? no problem, mine are pretty bad as well, but they work, and thats all that matters.

[StrangeDay]

The mid position also has very little output, but the neck pickup was always the loudest anyway.

The guitar soudns fine, but it gets extremely noisy when heavily distorted in the bridge position only.
John? Do you think this is because I didn't heat the wax?
The guitar sounds almost exactly the way it did before!
I don't hear much of a difference with the C-4 bridge.