To cut or not to cut, that is the question...

[PFDarkside]

When installing pickups, do you cut the leads to length or leave excess slack? If you leave slack, just a little or a lot?

As much as I love the look of a perfectly wired pickguard or control cavity, I always leave some slack. For Strats I want them to have enough slack to fit in the neck, no matter where it is being installed. For Humbuckers or rear routed control cavities I leave excess in case I want to move to another guitar so I don’t have to extend later.

If I was confident in my ability to add new leads I’d cut them all to length, but I don’t want to mess with that.

 

[Artie]

I said "Don't cut at all", but I have to qualify that. I swap pups a lot. I like to keep my options open. But, on those rare occasions where I find a set that mates perfectly with that axe . . . I redo the wiring with everything cut to order.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I leave the length so I can swap pups around in other guitars when I want to change things up. I don't care how "messy" the control cavity looks. It doesn't affect the sound at all and nobody is ever going to see it.

 

[jeremy]

i leave just a bit of slack usually. nice to have a little bit to work with if i want to switching things around. if its a new pup im testing out for the first time, i may not cut things at all right away if im testing it in a guitar that it may not live in for long. but most of the time, i prefer a cleaner wire up

 

[Artie]

I forget. What is the "Rob option?" :dunno:

 

[Top-L]

The guitar I just got used a zip tie to hold the excess wiring in a nice little bundle. I have been using that method.

 

[PFDarkside]

I forget. What is the "Rob option?" :dunno:

I always treat it as the “other” or “not accounted for” situation.

 

[Mincer]

There is usually enough room in there for it all, and it helps when swapping or selling. I hate having to extend pickup wires.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Unless I’m cleaning up some crappy looking wires, I don’t think I’ve ever shortened a lead to fit.

All of my junk pickups have been clipped extremely short, though, to repurpose the wire elsewhere. You’d think after 20 years of swapping pickups, I’d think to have some bulk wire on hand.

 

[ErikH]

I will cut and lead a lot of slack. Only time I've got to length for nice and tidy was when I did the last SSS pickguard (which is long gone).

"Rob Option" is in response to a gentleman, named Rob, who frequented the forums. He would never select an option in a poll.

 

[Artie]

"Rob Option" is in response to a gentleman, named Rob, who frequented the forums. He would never select an option in a poll.

Ah, yes. I remember now.

And there are always exceptions. I have a dual-humbucker Tele, with a Superswitch. There is NO room in there for extra wire. Had to trim that one to an exact fit. Also, when I do a customers Strat, I tie everything up nice and neat, and make it look like one of those pre-wired pickguards.

 

[nexion218]

I was just woken up from an afternoon nap and am kinda dizzy still and messed up my choice and don't know how to re-do. I don't just leave a lot of slack, but leave them untouched and then tidy things up with cableties. Recently I even started to use shrinktube instead of taping off the unused hb leads.

 

[Snake Aces]

Back in the day, I kept it all. I voted to leave a little slack though, because now 99% of the pickups I buy are keepers.

If it is a permanent guitar configuration, then cut it to the perfect length for me. Luckily, I am done doing my own wiring. I did it for 20 years and I am done now. I could not be happier about being able to drop them off with a luthier these days. Now they get to decide and they always do a clean install. 11 times out of 10.

 

[Clint 55]

^ You choose to drop off for wiring? I love wiring, do it all the time, and could never pay and wait for it.

I never trim. I leave the slack in case the lead gets damaged over time and I have to trim it. It's not too much hassle to fit everything without tying it off or anything.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

I forget. What is the "Rob option?" :dunno:

It's an expanded meaning of a term that comes from the world of modern video games. As others have said, it does essentially mean "other" or "not already accounted for." But that doesn't explain why it would be called the "rob" option, does it? And the answer to that, is in modern video games where you are playing a supposedly real human character interfacing with other "real" human characters, you frequently attempt to conduct transactions with other characters where you want to obtain a desired item (i.e. food, weapons, etc.). Legal and moral codes indicate that "obviously" the only 2 choices for you to obtain said desired item is to A) purchase it or B) barter for it. The designers of modern video games have designed in a 3rd less-obvious, illegal "other" option that you can attempt should you think to try it: you can try to "rob" the other character of said desired item. Charming, isn't it?

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

I will cut and lead a lot of slack. Only time I've got to length for nice and tidy was when I did the last SSS pickguard (which is long gone).

"Rob Option" is in response to a gentleman, named Rob, who frequented the forums. He would never select an option in a poll.

Oh, I'll default to Erik for meaning of "rob option" here on the SD forums if he remembers a case like this.

 

[Artie]

But yours was way more creative.

 

[Snake Aces]

^ You choose to drop off for wiring? I love wiring, do it all the time, and could never pay and wait for it.

I never trim. I leave the slack in case the lead gets damaged over time and I have to trim it. It's not too much hassle to fit everything without tying it off or anything.

Yes sir. I am done with soldering above precious instruments. I can solder anything when it comes to most automotive electronics, but my hands get all shaky when I am working above one of my $2000-plus guitars. Not because I cannot buy another one, but because that specific one is so sentimental to me.

I dripped some hot solder on the finish of one of my guitars back in 2015, that left a permanent mark. I now have a few of my old wiring jobs that require some minor cleanup to get a truly noise-free operation. I am so tired of spending time on wiring. To me, with my limited amount of free time, every minute I spend on wiring is another minute I could have spent playing. I am lucky to get about 3 hours of guitar and/or bass in per day as it is right now. If I go back to doing some of my own wiring, it can take me 30 minutes or more leaving me with less time to practice. I just wanna play when I have guitar free time available.

 

[Ronnie_Snow]

Theres nothing worse than going into install a pickup and realising you need to add wire because someone decided to cut the excess off. There is no reason to cut the excess off. The point of making something look tidy that you don't look at and isn't made to be looked at, is pointless.

 

[Mincer]

Well, when people wire tube amps, you don't see the insides, but you want it tidy, with wires cut to length. But I think the inside of a guitar is different. There is usually plenty of room (cut it if there isn't), and it won't make a sonic difference. In other electronic devices, short cable lengths do make a sonic difference.