Nostalgic Distortion
New member
Hello, so I'm going to be taking apart one of my Strat's later today so I can replace the current A2 magnet in the bridge pup (TB-5 with a A2, essentially a Custom/Custom) with a UOA5 & I'd REALLY like to replace the harness at the same time!!!
The harness that's in it now is the stock harness for this 2014 MIM H/H Strat but it's complete garbage!!! I'm not sure who's genius this idea should be accredited to, but whomever it was should be drowned in a half inch of toilet water!!! Lol, It's made up of a cheap 500K Alpha Volume pot that probably actually reads less than 300K, a CTS 250K tone pot, (that's also the central ground) another cheap 250K Push/Pull Alpha pot for the second tone, a 3 way blade switch, & what looks to be about a half mile of shielded wire!!!
I've been using it for a while now because it was already built, but I've never been very happy with it? I have absolutely no need for the P/P on the second tone because I never tap the pickups anyhow. Actually I don't really use the tone knobs on that guitar at all??? Anyway, I've got plenty of quality components kicking around to build myself a new one with, so why not???
View attachment 73506
What I'm considering is a 2 vol./Single tone guard for the replacement control plate but I'm not quite sure what to do about the potentiometer values? The guitar is a Standard MIM Strat with a Alder body & it's loaded with a Custom/Custom (soon to be UOA5 Custom) in the bridge and a stock 59N in the neck.
This pup configuration pretty much leads me to believe that 500K's would be ideal for the volume pots? I've got a lot of experience with both of these puppies in a verity of guitars & they (especially 59's) just don't sound right running off 250K's, even in brighter guitars like, well like Fender's??? That said, what the difference between a 500K & 250K tone pot would be or what would work better I've got absolutely no idea??? Does anybody currently or perhaps formally have a Strat or other S-style guitar setup this way? Any other feedback as to what you guys think I should do about this thing would be greatly appreciated as well!!!
I know experimenting with different pots & caps is probably the best way to go about finding out what's going to be best for me and for what I'm looking to get out of it, but that's a huge PIA and I don't feel like spending my entire Sunday under the hood of a guitar!!! Basically I'm just looking to upgrade the guts, but at the same time simplify them? (I.E.- Matched pots, higher end capacitor/capacitors, cloth pushback wire instead of all that shielded trash, Exc)
What's going on in there now has got to go! Not only is the current one $#ity sounding & cheap feeling, but the pots have been getting scratchy recently. I know this can easily be taken care of with some electrical contact cleaner but that still means pulling the guard, (to do it properly anyhow) so if I can build the harness & get my pickup stuff done all in one fell swoop that would be absolutely fantastic!!!
Let me know what you think & thanks for following!!!
The harness that's in it now is the stock harness for this 2014 MIM H/H Strat but it's complete garbage!!! I'm not sure who's genius this idea should be accredited to, but whomever it was should be drowned in a half inch of toilet water!!! Lol, It's made up of a cheap 500K Alpha Volume pot that probably actually reads less than 300K, a CTS 250K tone pot, (that's also the central ground) another cheap 250K Push/Pull Alpha pot for the second tone, a 3 way blade switch, & what looks to be about a half mile of shielded wire!!!
I've been using it for a while now because it was already built, but I've never been very happy with it? I have absolutely no need for the P/P on the second tone because I never tap the pickups anyhow. Actually I don't really use the tone knobs on that guitar at all??? Anyway, I've got plenty of quality components kicking around to build myself a new one with, so why not???
View attachment 73506
What I'm considering is a 2 vol./Single tone guard for the replacement control plate but I'm not quite sure what to do about the potentiometer values? The guitar is a Standard MIM Strat with a Alder body & it's loaded with a Custom/Custom (soon to be UOA5 Custom) in the bridge and a stock 59N in the neck.
This pup configuration pretty much leads me to believe that 500K's would be ideal for the volume pots? I've got a lot of experience with both of these puppies in a verity of guitars & they (especially 59's) just don't sound right running off 250K's, even in brighter guitars like, well like Fender's??? That said, what the difference between a 500K & 250K tone pot would be or what would work better I've got absolutely no idea??? Does anybody currently or perhaps formally have a Strat or other S-style guitar setup this way? Any other feedback as to what you guys think I should do about this thing would be greatly appreciated as well!!!
I know experimenting with different pots & caps is probably the best way to go about finding out what's going to be best for me and for what I'm looking to get out of it, but that's a huge PIA and I don't feel like spending my entire Sunday under the hood of a guitar!!! Basically I'm just looking to upgrade the guts, but at the same time simplify them? (I.E.- Matched pots, higher end capacitor/capacitors, cloth pushback wire instead of all that shielded trash, Exc)
What's going on in there now has got to go! Not only is the current one $#ity sounding & cheap feeling, but the pots have been getting scratchy recently. I know this can easily be taken care of with some electrical contact cleaner but that still means pulling the guard, (to do it properly anyhow) so if I can build the harness & get my pickup stuff done all in one fell swoop that would be absolutely fantastic!!!
Let me know what you think & thanks for following!!!
