Opinion on a wiring option

[dylanmeadows]

Hey,

I've got a project guitar that I have began to work on and have a question on an idea that came to me not too long ago.

I'm sure alot of you have noticed that EMG brand pickups have that Quick-Disconnect option that has a plug in at the base of the pickup.

I like the idea of a quick disconnect for a few reasons. Mainly because I have had my share of bad experiences trying to work inside a guitar cavity trying to wire a harness together while its practically already installed. The job gets done but it usually looks rather sloppy. Having a disconnect point would allow me to do all wiring outside of the body and I imagine it would look much neater.

Of course this also allows the possibility of being able to swap out pickups in a reasonable amount of time, provided all of the wiring is the same. This could be useful in case a pickup fails or you just want to achieve a different sound. I doubt that ever crosses alot of peoples' minds but hey, it might be the start of something.

I was thinking of doing something like that for the pickups I was going to install (SH-2/SH-4 combo, but that is neither here nor there) in this upcoming project.

I've been looking around and it seems to be feasibly possible provided I can find integrated connectors that would fit inside the many passageways of a rear routed guitar cavity. The only real connectors I found easily were from radio shack. They are about 1" wide (for a 4-pin), however, so I imagine I would have to do some alterations to the body to get them to easily move in and out of the cavity passageways. I would much rather like to find a smaller connector (like the one EMG uses) but it seems like I am looking in all the wrong places.

Another thing that came to mind would be using connectors from phone cable, that might be small enough to fit inside the passageways, but that kinda kills the aesthetics of a wiring job. I'm still trying to make it look professional.

All in all, I am just wondering a few things:

> Any discontinuation of a circuit weakens it, so I was wondering if creating a quick disconnect would cause any real noticable difference in the sound once installed
> If anyone happens to know where I could find smaller integrated connectors that would easily fit inside guitar cavities.
> If anyone has seen or done this to their own guitar and what their experiences were, because I really doubt this has never crossed anyone else's minds.

Anyway, thanks for any light you can shed. I really appreciate it.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Opinion on a wiring option

We hashed this out last year, when someone started a thread that said that PU's should come with connectors from the factory. Problem is, few would standardize the connector size or wire positioning, so they would only fit a certain brand, which is probably not the brand you want. Since manufacturers all have different wire color codes for their PU's, you can't expect them to agree on connectors either. It won't happen in your lifetime.

As you've guessed, getting connectors to fit thru narrow tunnels in guitars is another issue. Guitars vary as to how wide those tunnels are. As it is, some tunnels barely fit for two 4-wire PU leads. If a connector won't make it thru a turn or narrow section, then you've wasted your time. You also have PU's with 1, 2, 3, and 4 leads (plus ground), which also discourages connector compatibility.

I've put two or three PU's in many of my guitars over the last 5 years, and don't see re-soldering as an issue. I do all my wiring outside of my guitars, solid, semi-hollow, or hollow. To do it while the harness is still in the guitar makes it far more difficult, if not impossible. I lay the harness on an old towel, and test it before it goes back inside. To take off the pots, I use a T-handled nut-driver set from Stew Mac that loosens the nuts without scratching the finish. Takes a minute to do that, and then everything is out and accessible.

I admire that you're wanting to try more than one PU in a guitar to get the best possible tone. But in my opinion, you're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist, and would create more problems in the process. Keep it simple.