I'm An Idiot. (pickup Install)

[Vultite]

So I finally got EMGs for my Epiphone Les Paul. I took out all of the butchered korean electronics out of the guitar. The guitar had nothing left in it.

So I get this "Zakk Wylde" set because it supposedly comes with extra stuff than just buying each pick up alone. I was told in the store "this box has everything you need to install the pickups." so I open the box up and the first thing I notice is that the guy behind the counter was simply wrong. It didn't have a new switch. It didn't have a lot of wire either.

I happen to have a new switch because the original made-in-korea one broke in half. This is the one I currently own.

I didn't think I would have to reuse my original guitar wire to install these pickups. So now I've cut the original wires out and they're too short to reach.

So I guess I've got to buy cable. I have no electronics background to speak of. I have no idea what cable to buy. I have to order it online because none of the shops around here carry any.

[Xanthus]

You say you've been to StewMac, so what's wrong with ordering their wiring kit?

If you threw away all of the electronics BEFORE having your new parts in hand, that wasn't the best move.

And PS. The ZW kit doesn't come with a switch

The wire that it comes with is the Quick Connect wire that clips right onto the pickup. If THAT is too short for ya, then you've got some other sort of problem.

I see nothing wrong with ordering the StewMac bare wiring kit and installing it yourself. All the wiring instructions are right there. If you really don't have confidence in your capabilities, track down a luthier or go to the Man and have Him install them for you.

::EDIT::

I'm also surprised that none of the stores around you have the right wire. You don't need to get boutique wire for your setup, just go down to Home Depot or an electronics store and get the same kind of wire that StewMac sells.

[Maiden69]

You should had waited until getting the EMGs to do any removal on the guitar. The Korean wiring is perfectly fine to use, there was no need to cut or remove anything other than the pots and the output jack. And since you have no electronics background, I suggest you take your time and practice soldering before installing your set and messing up the wires on the EMGs, if you heat too much the shielded wire you can melt the internal wires and have them short out. as of what wire to use, go to the same link that you posted and do some searching around...

[Vultite]

You should had waited until getting the EMGs to do any removal on the guitar. The Korean wiring is perfectly fine to use, there was no need to cut or remove anything other than the pots and the output jack. And since you have no electronics background, I suggest you take your time and practice soldering before installing your set and messing up the wires on the EMGs, if you heat too much the shielded wire you can melt the internal wires and have them short out. as of what wire to use, go to the same link that you posted and do some searching around...

I won't be soldering alone. I will at least have guidance there. Which wire should I be ordering on stew mac? I don't want to order the wrong one. That's what my question is.

Are all wires the same? Do I need more than 1 type of wire?

Edited December 28, 2007 by Vultite

[Drak]

If I were you, this is what I would do:

All of EMG's wiring harnesses and diagrams are available online at their site.

I would go there any study your butt off until you have identified EXACTLY what you need, and you are fairly understanding of what's going on and why.

EMG's are a different animal than your normal HB, and you need to follow their instructions pretty carefully.

Don't have a good wire source for you, but that will keep you busy until you do get some wire.

Follow those diagrams until someone can say 'Blue Wire' to you, and you can spit out where both ends of that blue wire go and why.

Seriously, you want to do this the right way the first time, and that will only happen if you understand how EMG's are wired, and by that I mean how the preamps are powered, why all grounds come together, how the battery gets connected/disconnected, how the switch is wired in and why it's done that way...actually understanding these elements will give you Big Kahuna Mojo in doing your wiring job successfully the first time out.

More times than not, I have to integrate more than one diagram together, because I will use different switches than they do, or I'm using several different products all blended together...you HAVE to understand the whole thing to make it go whoopee!

I use their stuff all the time on lots of guitars, and I do my own customized wiring, adding in their specialty pots, and every single guitar I have wired came out perfect from the time I plugged it in the very first time, because before I even heat up the soldering gun, I have gathered all the diagrams I needed, thought it out, plotted in my head what exactly is going on, what comes first and why, so on and so on...it really pays off compared to rushing it and having it come out like ass and you have to go back in there and start pulling things apart, that will make for a very BAD experience, I can Gu-Ran-Tee you that.

:D

[Vultite]

If I were you, this is what I would do:

All of EMG's wiring harnesses and diagrams are available online at their site.

I would go there any study your butt off until you have identified EXACTLY what you need, and you are fairly understanding of what's going on and why.

EMG's are a different animal than your normal HB, and you need to follow their instructions pretty carefully.

Don't have a good wire source for you, but that will keep you busy until you do get some wire.

Follow those diagrams until someone can say 'Blue Wire' to you, and you can spit out where both ends of that blue wire go and why.

Seriously, you want to do this the right way the first time, and that will only happen if you understand how EMG's are wired, and by that I mean how the preamps are powered, why all grounds come together, how the battery gets connected/disconnected, how the switch is wired in and why it's done that way...actually understanding these elements will give you Big Kahuna Mojo in doing your wiring job successfully the first time out.

More times than not, I have to integrate more than one diagram together, because I will use different switches than they do, or I'm using several different products all blended together...you HAVE to understand the whole thing to make it go whoopee!

I use their stuff all the time on lots of guitars, and I do my own customized wiring, adding in their specialty pots, and every single guitar I have wired came out perfect from the time I plugged it in the very first time, because before I even heat up the soldering gun, I have gathered all the diagrams I needed, thought it out, plotted in my head what exactly is going on, what comes first and why, so on and so on...it really pays off compared to rushing it and having it come out like ass and you have to go back in there and start pulling things apart, that will make for a very BAD experience, I can Gu-Ran-Tee you that.

:D

I was ready to follow the diagram exactly. I was unprepared because the guy in the store told me "everything you need is in this box"

so I thought this would be a simple way to learn since it came with everything, but he was wrong or he lied. I did buy the pickups before stripping the guitar. I didn't notice until I started putting the EMGs in the rings that I was short about 3 wires from the diagram.

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. I didn't get to learn any electronics in high school at all. Nothing.

[TemjinStrife]

Don't worry about it. At least you didn't do something like order the wrong neck for a bolt-on project or something. *whistles innocently*

If you have a Radio Shack near you, they have some decent braided wire that comes in a convenient 3-pack of colors (black, green, orange) that I've been using for my wiring projects with (mostly) good results... and I'm pretty sure the one "bad" result was due to my own mistake and not the wire itself.

[Maiden69]

If you have a Radio Shack near you, they have some decent braided wire that comes in a convenient 3-pack of colors

Actually braided wire is shielded wire, like coax cable for audio or like the cable for the EMGs. The wires he should be short now are the pup selector wire and a few short runs from the pots to the output. Other than that I'm pretty sure that I didn't needed anything else for my Zakk kit. What he will need is stranded wire, the thinner the strands inside the better they are.

Edited December 29, 2007 by Maiden69