my unfinished strat

nepalnt21

nepalnt21

HamerTimeologist
i have a warmoth strat, and it now is ready to be completed. i have never done the wiring on anything before, and i have never soldered at all. but i am the only one i trust to do it. is it unreasonable to go about it myself? unless someone has a good reason not to, im gonna go ahead and do it. but before i do, i need some help. like as in, what is the easiest way to do it, what supplies do i need to complete it, etc. also, if anyone has any good resources, that would be appreciated. thanks.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

Wiring pickups isn't rocket science, but it can get tricky when you're working in such a small space. I don't think you shouldn't do it, and that there's a first for everything, but it might get a tad frustrating. But be careful not to burn yourself or the wires or the guitar finish. Also, do it on a large flat surface in a well lit area.

You'll need about a 30 watt soldering iron. Solder flux is recommended for soldering onto the back of pots.

And the last thing I can think of for now is have a good idea of what wires are what, and what goes where. It'll help to have the wiring diagram on hand.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

sounds pretty easy. if i wanted to practice, how could i do it/ what to do it with? and how do i know if i did it right?
 
Re: my unfinished strat

no way. i dont need a therapist to tell me im crazy. i jsut dont feel like paying all that money (i think its something like 60 bucks an hour) for something ive heard is a very simple procedure.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

There is a first time to everything :) I say go for it. Soldering is not such a high risk operation if you're even just a little careful, so you should be ok. I've never done it myself either.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

Just make sure you get a low watt soldering PENCIL and low melting point solder...if you try and use anything over 400* it will make this tough..use 60/40 360* melt solder..very nice
 
Re: my unfinished strat

If you want to practice, try soldering two pieces of wire together (twist the metal ends together, then solder), or soldering a wire to a paper clip.

Here's a site that has video clips demonstrating proper soldering technique. He is soldering components to a PC board, but the same principles apply.

http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/elab/soldering.htm
 
Re: my unfinished strat

My only suggestion would be to not just grab a soldering iron from Radio Shack or someplace similar. It would work, but if you'll spend just a little more (not really much at all) and get one online that has a very fine tip on it, you'll have a much easier time soldering. All of the above posts are good tips, though - except the therapist. :D
 
Re: my unfinished strat

hey jackson, can you give me a lnik to a good one? i dont really know what to look for in terms of good/ bad soldering irons (i actually was going to go to radioshack :smack: )
 
Re: my unfinished strat

Weller irons (available at Home Depot) are fine for guitar work. I tag team my guitars, using a 25 watt iron with a smaller tip on the pot leads and wire ends, and using the 40 watt iron with a larger tip for the backs of pots and grounding to the bridge.

Excercise caution when using a 40 watt on the back of a pot... it's real easy to burn the pot if you over heat it.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

MikeS said:
Excercise caution when using a 40 watt on the back of a pot... it's real easy to burn the pot if you over heat it.
Click to expand...

+1, I (like many others, I'm sure) have burnt out a pot and a switch before.

Other than that it is fairly straightforward, as long as you have a schematic/know where the wires go.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

Those Wellers, even the ones from Home Depot, are great. Like I said, you'll get by with the Radio Shack ones. That's what I've got, because I'm too cheap to buy another one - and I don't use it very much (maybe 3 times since I bought it 3 or 4 years ago). It'll just be harder to get in some of the tighter spaces.

One like I was really thinking of was here. Look at the WM120 near the middle of the page. It's low wattage, but the tip will get up to 800 degrees, which is plenty if you use the solder like Docrock suggested.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

Interesting irons, JacksonMIA. I've never used one with a point that fine. Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but I've never had any issues with the pointed bit that comes with their standard 25 watt iron. It's plenty small for those guitar cavities.
 
Re: my unfinished strat

i might have quite a few questions over the next few days about this :rolleyes: .... ok firstly (im stupid when it comes to electronics, but once i get it in my head, ill be fine) i have 3 potentiometers, all 250k. now am i to believe that you can use all 3 as either volume or tone pots? i have a jack, 3 pots, and 5-way switch. all i need now is wire and capacitors (besides the soldering stuff)?
 
Re: my unfinished strat

also, on the stew-mac "s" model megaswitch wiring diagram, the #5 lug going to the tone pot closest to the bridge, but on the seymourduncan one, it shows the #5 lug going to the tone pot closest to the volume pot. which is correct?
 
Re: my unfinished strat

MikeS said:
Interesting irons, JacksonMIA. I've never used one with a point that fine. Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but I've never had any issues with the pointed bit that comes with their standard 25 watt iron. It's plenty small for those guitar cavities.
Click to expand...
Well, I have a friend that suggested one like that to me. He solders laser components, so he has to have one that's actually probably smaller than that one. But you're right, you probably don't NEED one that small. I have a tendancy to overkill on things. Plus, they aren't all that much more. You should be fine with that one from Home Depot. So long as it's an iron and not a gun.

nepalnt21 said:
i might have quite a few questions over the next few days about this :rolleyes: .... ok firstly (im stupid when it comes to electronics, but once i get it in my head, ill be fine) i have 3 potentiometers, all 250k. now am i to believe that you can use all 3 as either volume or tone pots? i have a jack, 3 pots, and 5-way switch. all i need now is wire and capacitors (besides the soldering stuff)?
Click to expand...
Yep. The pots are completely interchangeable. Sounds like you'll be ready to roll when you get the caps, wire and soldering equipment.

As far as your wiring question, I'm don't remember for sure without looking at the wiring diagram, but I think I came across the same thing when I was wiring my Peavey. I'll check that out when I get home if no one has answered it for you. Don't be afraid to bug us with questions, though. We'd much rather help you through it and see you do it yourself than spending your money to pay someone else to do it - especially when they end up messing things up anyway.
 
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