Wiring possibility...

[Twitch]

I'm hoping to get new pups for my birthday in April and want to learn how to install them. Since I have no experience in changing pickups will I be able to do it?

Also I have a question about the wiring. I recently read that nowaday the only overdrive Clapton gets is from the 25db boost in his signature strat. This sounded pretty cool so I was wondering if I could wire it w/ 1 volume, 1 tone (that controls both singles), and have the last tone be controller for that boost. Is that possible/how would I do it.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Wiring possibility...

Yup . . . you can do it. But, like anything else, it takes patience and practice. And having the right tools. You need a "decent" soldering iron. A 40-45 watt Weller would be good, but there are others. Good solder, an iron holder, (if it doesn't come with one), soldering paste, (a good idea for beginners), small wire cutters, small needle-nose pliers. A good work space.

And most of all . . . practice. See if you can get one of those small "kits" that Velleman and others make. Do a Google search for "hobby electronic kits". You'll see many. Or tear apart an old stereo or something. The practice part is important.

As for the booster, you can do it, but the wiring starts to get a little more complicated. You can buy the SD Booster Pedal from Guitar Electronics in circuit board form, ready to install into a guitar, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it as a first project.

Check back here . . . ask questions. We'll help.

Artie

[rspst14]

Re: Wiring possibility...

The Clapton booster kits are getting harder to find since Fender has stopped making them. You can usually get them on Ebay though. I have a schematic and wiring diagram to build your own, but that's going to be over your head as a first project.

Artie knows what he's talking about, a good 40 watt iron is what you want, along with some desoldering braid, wire strippers, and some solder. My favorite is the silver bearing solder from Radio Shack, I think it's easier to work with than regular 60/40, and I always get perfect solder joint when I use it. I would recommend going to Radio Shack and getting some wire and a few cheap pots to practice on. Practice soldering the wires to each other, and then practice soldering the wires to the pot terminals and the back of the pot. I did my first pickup swap myself without having any prior experience. It didn't look pretty, but it worked and sounded great. Now that I've gotten much more practice, my soldering skills are greatly improved.

Ryan

[Twitch]

Re: Wiring possibility...

Thanks Artie and rspst. I'll go to radio shack and look for an iron along with some stuff to practice on.

Regarding the boost, is their anything cheaper that does the same thing? The Eric Clapton preamp boost goes for 87 bucks on ebay.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Wiring possibility...

Regarding the boost, is their anything cheaper that does the same thing? The Eric Clapton preamp boost goes for 87 bucks on ebay.

Well . . . sorta. The SD booster I linked to goes for $49.95, brand new.

I'm not sure what the EC booster does, so I can't really compare.

[rspst14]

Re: Wiring possibility...

Well . . . sorta. The SD booster I linked to goes for $49.95, brand new.

I'm not sure what the EC booster does, so I can't really compare.

The Clapton booster is actually a midrange booster. It provides up to 25 dB of boost to the mids. It sounds like you may be looking for an active preamp, rather than a midrange boost. At a certain point, the sound will be muddy and lifeless if you crank the midrange too much. The Duncan pickup booster is a good choice, I also have some information on how to convert a Boss distortion pedal into an on-board preamp unit, although that's going to be way over your head, and probably over the head of a tech who doesn't understand wiring real well.

Ryan

[dc_mally]

Re: Wiring possibility...

The Clapton booster is actually a midrange booster. It provides up to 25 dB of boost to the mids. It sounds like you may be looking for an active preamp, rather than a midrange boost. At a certain point, the sound will be muddy and lifeless if you crank the midrange too much. The Duncan pickup booster is a good choice, I also have some information on how to convert a Boss distortion pedal into an on-board preamp unit, although that's going to be way over your head, and probably over the head of a tech who doesn't understand wiring real well.

Ryan

hey ryan can you post link or something about that boss dist to onboard preamp, sounds interesting. i would have thought the circuitry would need a lot more room than in a standard cavity.

[rspst14]

Re: Wiring possibility...

hey ryan can you post link or something about that boss dist to onboard preamp, sounds interesting. i would have thought the circuitry would need a lot more room than in a standard cavity.

Here ya go: http://users2.ev1.net/~jimbobwan/guitar/onboard.htm

Ryan

[Twitch]

Re: Wiring possibility...

Are these "boosts" (the clapton and the SD) similar to Fenders new S-1 switching? I played a Deluxe Strat today with S-1 and thought it was great.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Wiring possibility...

Are these "boosts" (the clapton and the SD) similar to Fenders new S-1 switching? I played a Deluxe Strat today with S-1 and thought it was great.

Those are completely different. The S-1 system is simply a fancy pickup selector system. I don't know about the EC booster, but the SD Booster is a true active amplification system. I was just playing through mine a few moments ago. While it adds a fair amount of boost, it also fattens the sound somehow. And, it has two "resonance" modes that do something else. They're kind of hard to describe. To grossly oversimplify them, would be to say that they roll off some of the pickups high-end. But they do more than that. They sorta make a single sound like a 'bucker, and make a 'bucker a bit warmer, and smoother. Hard to describe without you hearing it. (I love mine.)