Wiring suggestions/help - EZ Strat work

[Aceman]

OK - I have my Malmsteen HS3's. What I want to do is the following:

1. Swap out the pickups in the bridge and neck.
2. I'd like to solder as little as possible - or even none. Think "clip" current wires, twist together, heat shrink to hold.
3. Per the Screaming' Swede himself, I'd like to disconnect the tone controls - can I do this without soldering?

My Iron is kinda shot - I'd really like to roll on this project ASAP, and I don't want to get a new Iron!

CAN IT BE DONE!!!!! And if so, how?

 

[zionstrat]

Yeah, it's all doable... I've done similar stuff at gigs, But I know you know your way around a soldering iron and I'm wondering if you just need a better one?

Back to what you're up to, I would cut both leads on both pups leaving sufficient wire that remains soldered in. As you said you can flip the pups, put a shrink wrap on the wire, twist them together and hair dry them for a pretty solid connection.

As far as the tone, I don't have a schematic in front of me, but I'm pretty sure you could just cut the lead to the tone pot and cover it and heat shrink. And then you could cut the ground connection from the pot although I'm not sure you really have to do that, but it would totally isolate the pot.

 

[Aceman]

I'm wondering if you just need a better one?

My Iron was a most desirable RadioShack 25/45 watt. It is just shot from decades of use/abuse and general lack of care...

 

[Artie]

You can cut the lead to the tone control, then just fold it back out of the way. Tuck it under something. No need for the heat shrink.

P.S. When I do a Fender-style switch, I tin the pups hot wire and bend it into a little "L" shape. Then do a little solder blob on the switch terminals. Just enough to fill the hole. Then heat the "blob", insert the "L", and remove the iron. Makes swapping pups easy.

 

[Aceman]

So I CAN do this fast easy and solder-less….

 

[Artie]

So I CAN do this fast easy and solder-lessâ¦.

Is that Gaelic?

Yes to removing the tone control. But you'd still need to solder to replace the pups.

 

[Aceman]

Is that Gaelic?

Yes to removing the tone control. But you'd still need to solder to replace the pups.

Bah! Just give those wires a good twist. Guerilla Solderless!

 

[beaubrummels]

If you just twist the wires, the pickups are going to cut in and out while you're playing, even just moving around with the guitar slung on you. I use a mini terminal strip for quick changes.

 

[Aceman]

I was going to put a serious twist and shrink wrap it.

 

[Seashore]

Just saying... I changed the pickup in one of my guitars one time when I didn't have an iron, and I folded the pickup wires and the leads from the jack around each other before twisting them so it was basically a knot, and then I wrapped it with electric tape, and it worked fine for over ten years before I eventually got around to doing something else with the guitar. Not that anybody should ever do that. But it worked.

 

[Aceman]

I get it that I'll need to put an iron to it at some point. I'm cool with that. Home use guitar...

 

[Chistopher]

What advantage do you have not buying an iron now if you are going to get one some day anyway?

 

[jeremy]

acebob... wtf?!? go buy an iron and do it right the first time.

 

[marcello252]

you could always use things like that , you only need electrical scissors and a little screwdriver, just cut the wires you already have without desoldering from the switch, not the best connection ever but way better than a bad solder

 

[Mincer]

Worth soldering a Liberator pot if you ever plan on changing the wiring later. But might as well solder the wires when you have the whole thing open. Strats can be a PITA to fix things after you wire it up, put the pickguard on and re-string.