Help Beginner Wiring

[Off He Goes]

I'm starting the rewiring on my project guitar. It's got a humbucker in the bridge, and a hb sized P-90 in the the neck. It's a drop in pickguard, like a strat, so all the electronics are on based of the pickguard.

I've got two volume and two tone pots, and a three way switch, essentially a Les Paul setup, except for the P-90 in the neck.

I've bought new pots, new input jack, new switch, and a capacitor. I thought I would need two caps but the tech suggested one, I'm not sure about that.

Anyway I need help in the wiring. I'm not so concerned about the actual schematic, in that once I determine the wire code, I can base it off an LP diagram, but I just want to get the little things right.

My first question is should I wrap the wires around the lugs on the pots, swtiches, and jacks, before I solder them? Or just solder them without wrapping?

Also, how nessacary is it to solder all the grounds to the same location? I'm afraid I won't have enough space on the back of a volume pot, and I wasn't sure if I could use a coin instead, as someone suggeted?

Lastly, I don't know how I can ground my TOM bridge. I had to fit the new one, my filling the pre-existing holes with a wooden dowel, and drilling new holes for the posts. I heard about putting a small long screw through the pickup cavity, so that it touches one of the posts, and solder a lead to that?

If someone could help me out it would be great. This project has taken so long already, because of money, and school, that I really don't want to screw this part up.

Thanks,

Paul

[al heeley]

1) I don't bother wrapping wires round lugs before soldering, as long as the connection and solder is good, it's not needed.

2) Best if all the grounds can be soldered to the back of the vol pot. But not essential if you have no room. Just make the connections well. You could have 2 main earth points on the back of 2 pots if you want, and connect them together as well to be sure.

3) Can you take the bridge post/stud out and drill a small hole through into the ctrl cavity? This can then take a wire to earth the bridge. Otherwise I see no reason why your plan would not work; as long as you hit the stud with your long screw.

[Off He Goes]

1) I don't bother wrapping wires round lugs before soldering, as long as the connection and solder is good, it's not needed.

2) Best if all the grounds can be soldered to the back of the vol pot. But not essential if you have no room. Just make the connections well. You could have 2 main earth points on the back of 2 pots if you want, and connect them together as well to be sure.

3) Can you take the bridge post/stud out and drill a small hole through into the ctrl cavity? This can then take a wire to earth the bridge. Otherwise I see no reason why your plan would not work; as long as you hit the stud with your long screw.

Thanks.

Also, two more questions if you don't mind.

1) Should I have two caps if I have two volume pots and two tone pots?

&

2) Do I solder the cap to both the tone and volume pots? I've seen a diagram where it was connected only to the middle lug of the tone, then grounded, as well as a diagram where it is connected to the middle lug on both pots?

Off topic, is your last name really spelt Heeley? I ask because mine is Healey, and I've come across other spellings but never that one.

[al heeley]

Depends on the wiring you go for, but most common is one cap soldered to each tone pot middle lug & grounded on the case.

Smaller value caps can be soldered across lug 1 and middle lug of vol pots as a treble bleed (retains treble when vol is backed off).

There are many ways of achieving a good circuit. Have a look through Seymour Duncan website schematics and guitarelectronics dot com to name but a few.

Yes my name has always been spelt HEELEY ever since I can remember, its not a typo, it relates to a south yorkshire origin, as opposed to the healy or healey which I an told originates from Ireland.

[Off He Goes]

Depends on the wiring you go for, but most common is one cap soldered to each tone pot middle lug & grounded on the case.

Smaller value caps can be soldered across lug 1 and middle lug of vol pots as a treble bleed (retains treble when vol is backed off).

There are many ways of achieving a good circuit. Have a look through Seymour Duncan website schematics and guitarelectronics dot com to name but a few.

Yes my name has always been spelt HEELEY ever since I can remember, its not a typo, it relates to a south yorkshire origin, as opposed to the healy or healey which I an told originates from Ireland.

Cool. Turns out I got another question. With regards to the lugs on the the pots, how can you tell them apart. How do you know the first from the third?

[Nitefly SA]

On a stereo jack I'm pretty sure it's just hot and two grounds, the hot is the short one usually and then it doesn't matter which other one is grounded.

[KeithHowell]

On a stereo jack I'm pretty sure it's just hot and two grounds, the hot is the short one usually and then it doesn't matter which other one is grounded.

NO! A stereo jack and socket has two hots and one ground, otherwise it wouldn't be stereo but mono with dual ground (huh?).

Keith

[al heeley]

Um, read the question guys, he's talking about pot lugs not jack plugs.

Look at the wiring diagram, if you get the 1st and third round the wrong way then you have to reverse the normal convention of tone and vol knob rotation. When you turn vol up full you turn it clockwise so the lug on the right of the centre one will be at the start of the resistance track. Does that make sense?

[Off He Goes]

Thanks Al. I was just worried that it wouldn't work at all if I got the lugs wrong.

I don't know if there is a common system or not, but with regards to the pots, is there a schematic to show you how to wire them up before the pickups are installed? Because I see the pots, caps, and switch connected it alot of different ways, whereas I know where the actual pickup wires are going.

Paul

Edited November 8, 2006 by Off He Goes