Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

[PFDarkside]

What’s been your preferred method for quick swapping pickups to try them out? Imagine demoing 3-6 pickups in a rather quick manner. Maybe releasing trem springs and removing the bridge or locking tuners with a bit of extra wraps to allow removal of a TOM.

I know the old school way is soldering but how many have used the Liberators? How about small Molex connectors? On my main Strat I almost did a three way connector for the jack and bridge ground but the latest pickguard was a prewired one that has the small screw terminals.

Usually the standard type wiring on switches/pots is super fast and easy, it’s the back of pot grounds that are more frustrating for me. Also, anything with complex switching where you are using 3/4 leads plus ground can be a bit more complex and more care is needed to get correct.

 

[ToneFiddler]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

i bet i hold the record on this:

HH superstrat style guitar with locking trem.
+ EMGs or other with quickconnect. at the PU

1)lower pickup in frame. unmount pickup frame

2)divebomb so the string flutter and remove pickup. my guitar allows for enough slack in the strings.

3)insert other humbucker already mounted in a pickup frame.

shorter screws makes i way more easy to get the pickup in and out

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I can see how EMGs (and others that use the same interconnect like Fluence) would be very easy.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I'm a big fan of the Liberator. Surprised more people here don't use/talk about them for as often as most of us are moving pickups around!

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

Relish has the best system, unfortunately it's not very cost effective to get pickups in the Relish mounts just for testing/demo'ing

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

Their guitars aren't cheap either

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

i bet i hold the record on this:

HH superstrat style guitar with locking trem.
+ EMGs or other with quickconnect. at the PU

1)lower pickup in frame. unmount pickup frame

2)divebomb so the string flutter and remove pickup. my guitar allows for enough slack in the strings.

3)insert other humbucker already mounted in a pickup frame.

shorter screws makes i way more easy to get the pickup in and out

That's similar to what I used to do. Instead of using quick connect, I had the neck and bridge connections on the guitar wired to a set screw connection so that I could test any pickup in it. That all ended when I screwed it up trying to add Jimmy Page switching and a master tone and bass cut. I screwed something up and can't be bothered to find out what it was.

 

[BluesIsBlood12]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I did not like working with the Liberator. MojoTone and ObsidianWire make solderless harnesses with quality components. You're limited to LP, SG, Strat, and Tele though. A swap can be done in about 5 min. You spend more time on the strings than the actual pickup swaps.

For other guitar types you can probably find solderless parts to fit your needs from Mad Hatter. You basically assemble the harness yourself, so it's more work on your end.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

Alligator clips with screw terminals can save a little time for testing.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I use terminal strips inside the control cavity. Disconnect from terminal strip, loosen strings, slide out pickup, slide new one in, attach to terminal strip, tighten strings.

When I looked into liberators, they didn't have long shaft 500k for Les Pauls. Don't know if that's changed.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I’m ok with up front work. I want to have an afternoon where I could try out quite a few pickups in succession.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

What’s been your preferred method for quick swapping pickups to try them out? Imagine demoing 3-6 pickups in a rather quick manner. Maybe releasing trem springs and removing the bridge or locking tuners with a bit of extra wraps to allow removal of a TOM.

I know the old school way is soldering but how many have used the Liberators? How about small Molex connectors? On my main Strat I almost did a three way connector for the jack and bridge ground but the latest pickguard was a prewired one that has the small screw terminals.

Usually the standard type wiring on switches/pots is super fast and easy, it’s the back of pot grounds that are more frustrating for me. Also, anything with complex switching where you are using 3/4 leads plus ground can be a bit more complex and more care is needed to get correct.

I've done this with the Liberator. That is the easiest, and I've also attached molex connectors to them, too, and just snapped them in. It still takes time, though.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I use terminal strips inside the control cavity. Disconnect from terminal strip, loosen strings, slide out pickup, slide new one in, attach to terminal strip, tighten strings.

When I looked into liberators, they didn't have long shaft 500k for Les Pauls. Don't know if that's changed.

Very cool. I have been planning to set something up very similar, the next time I do a re-wire job.

I was planning on using this style of connector hardware, but I think I like your "terminal strip" style better. Smaller footprint.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I've done this with the Liberator. That is the easiest, and I've also attached molex connectors to them, too, and just snapped them in. It still takes time, though.

Did you have a Gibson PCB with the Molex connectors or did you prewire a harness?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

Did you have a Gibson PCB with the Molex connectors or did you prewire a harness?

I wired the Molex connectors myself.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I went to my local electronics store yesterday looking for a wiring terminal like BeauBrummels showed, but they didn't carry anything like that. However, they had have the below, which - per the packaging -appears to be a new type of product. It's not cheap - $10 for 8 of them - so I needed to buy 2 to have enough for two 4 conductor pickups. However, the really small footprint and potential ease in making connections and disconnections, will be worth it in my mind if they perform as expected. I am doing a wiring job today where I will be trying these out. Will report back how well or not they perform in actuality.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

That’s interesting. I wonder what the resistance/capacitance of it will be?

I’ve been looking at EMGs and their latest solderless systems. Wow, they have some very clever solderless stuff. Even the passive header connector is cool, if you could do baseplates to convert other passives to that header style you could swap pickups very quickly.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

I went to my local electronics store yesterday looking for a wiring terminal like BeauBrummels showed, but they didn't carry anything like that. However, they had have the below, which - per the packaging -appears to be a new type of product. It's not cheap - $10 for 8 of them - so I needed to buy 2 to have enough for two 4 conductor pickups. However, the really small footprint and potential ease in making connections and disconnections, will be worth it in my mind if they perform as expected. I am doing a wiring job today where I will be trying these out. Will report back how well or not they perform in actuality.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Just wanted to report back in after trying out these "Lock It" connectors over the last couple days. I have found them relatively easy to take on and off, and I don't hear any issues with the fidelity of the audio signal from using them. The particular model I chose says it can handle a gauge as small as 26, and it is doing a fine job with the thin lead wires on a couple Dimarzio stacked singlecoils that I assume are about size 26 or 28. So, thumbs up here.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

Cool, thanks!

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Best option for quick swap/test of pickups?

Cool, thanks!

:bigok: