Share:
Notifications
Clear all

New Electric BUild

175 Posts
19 Users
1660 Reactions
7,219 Views
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

Having just flogged my beloved Telecaster on eBay I really need to get this guitar finished! I've got a Rolling Mill at the bridge and an Alchemist 90 at the neck, single volume and single tone controls using 500k pots, a three way toggle switch, 0.022uf and 0.047uf caps, sticky copper foil tape, some wire and a soldering iron! What next? I know, I'll just check the diagram on the Iron Bridge site. Unfortunately there is no diagram for this set up. Does anybody have a recommendation?

Cheers

Darren


   
Bill Flude, Russ, mattbeels and 5 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Tej
 Tej
(@tej)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5396
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 466
 

I'd suggest taking a look at the Iron Gear site, see if there's anything there that you think would do the job, and buy them. 

@tv101 where I find Iron Gear let themselves down is you can’t compare their own pickups to each other. A lot of the sound clips are different music by different people through different amps, can I pick out the nuance a few more turns makes, nah, not a chance.
I replaced a stock Ibanez Humbucker with a DiMarzio Expensamaster 7 (don’t recall the actual name, I think it was a Norton something) point being it was a lot more money and the difference, though notable, wasn’t worth the cost. It’s a higher output pickup too any pretty sure that just meant it pushed out a higher input signal so the valve breaks down quicker and nothing more exciting than that. Would love to have to money to properly test pickups with a modular set up and get guitarists to come and blind test “premium” pickups!

Ranty day for Tej 😬

…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.


   
Bill Flude, Russ, mattbeels and 3 people reacted
ReplyQuote
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

I've got a Rolling Mill at the bridge and an Alchemist 90 at the neck, single volume and single tone controls using 500k pots, a three way toggle switch, 0.022uf and 0.047uf caps

Has anyone got a suggested wiring diagram for this set up? I'm itching to get the soldering iron warmed up!!

Cheers

Darren


   
Bill Flude, Russ, Bill Flude and 1 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Jonathan Hodgson
(@jonhodgson)
Noble Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 2037
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 331
 

@darrenking it sounds like you just want a bog standard 2 pickup 3 position wiring (you don't mention coil taps), do you really need a diagram for that?

 


   
Bill Flude, mattbeels, Bill Flude and 1 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Russ
 Russ
(@russ)
Illustrious Member Customer
Luthier
Rep Points: 29166
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2536
 

Has anyone got a suggested wiring diagram for this set up?

@darrenking.

Hi Darren, Is it the same setup as Mark's Bandsman? 

🙏🎸🎶🙂

🗝️ "Life's what you make it"🗝️


   
Bill Flude, mattbeels, Bill Flude and 1 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Jonathan Hodgson
(@jonhodgson)
Noble Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 2037
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 331
 

@darrenking

 


   
Bill Flude, Boo, mattbeels and 7 people reacted
ReplyQuote
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

Is it the same setup as Mark's Bandsman? 

I hadn't thought of that. I'll check. Sorry if this is a really basic question but this is my first electric build and I was a bit thrown by this being the one configuration not shown on the Ironbridge website.

Cheers

Darren


   
Bill Flude, Boo, mattbeels and 7 people reacted
ReplyQuote
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

Thanks for the diagram @jonhodgson and it would be great if my wires were the same colours 🤣 🤣

From the single coil PUP I have red, white and a shield (the box says white and shield to ground) and from the humbucker I have white and green (already taped), red, black stranded and black solid. The packaging for the humbucker mentions 'the enclosed leaflet' but I don't seem to have one. It does say that the red is the 'Hot' wire. Should both of the black conductors get soldered to ground?

Cheers

Darren


   
Bill Flude, Boo, mattbeels and 7 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Jonathan Hodgson
(@jonhodgson)
Noble Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 2037
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 331
 

@darrenking in that diagram the ground wires are green and the hot wires are black.

The black stranded is I assume a shield, so it goes to ground. It's a pretty fair bet that black solid goes to ground

Though really with a passive pickup there isn't a fixed ground wire (the shield is fixed to ground, but that is independent of the actual pickup wiring). The ground is the one you decide to make ground, if you flip one pickup' wiring around it won't break, it will just be out of phase and you'll get a thinner sound in the middle position. A La Peter Green (though in his case it happened because the pickup was physically turned around).


   
Bill Flude, Boo, mattbeels and 7 people reacted
ReplyQuote
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

Hi gang!

It seems like a long time ago now, but I did complete this build but there is something odd with the electronics. I have followed the diagram sent by Jonathan (I'll get back to you about the plywood etc tomorrow) but there is an issue that I can't seem to fix.

The volume knob doesn't turn the sound right down to zero and the tone control really doesn't seem right in that is has an effect but not in a particularly pleasing way. I have lined the cavity with copper shielding tape and everything that should be grounded is, but there is clearly something going wrong somewhere. Hopefully this will be one of those 'everybody knows that if the volume knob isn't working properly then its the 'x' wire that needs looking at' problems.

If anyone has a suggestion that would be much appreciated or, if you fancy printing the diagram, marking it up and then posting a photo that would be awesome! 

Cheers

Darren

Wiring Schematic

 


   
Koendb, Bill Flude, Russ and 5 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Jonathan Hodgson
(@jonhodgson)
Noble Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 2037
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 331
 

@darrenking, I can see only two ways that the volume control in that circuit would not turn the sound right down to zero

1) It's a dodgy pot, and the minimum setting is not 0 ohms between the middle tab and the right hand tab in that diagram, which it should be

2) you've not properly connected that side to ground.

If you have a multimeter, check the resistance between was it the right hand tab on the volume pot in that diagram and the sleeve on your jack socket. If it's not zero, then the wiring is the issue, if it is, then it's the pot.


   
Koendb, Bill Flude, Russ and 5 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Russ
 Russ
(@russ)
Illustrious Member Customer
Luthier
Rep Points: 29166
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2536
 

@darrenking.

Hi Darren, Somewhere in the back of my head I think I remember Mark @markbailey talking about this in one of his YouTube videos. Not sure which one or even if I'm just miss- remembering. Sorry I can't be any more helpful.

🎶🙂🎸🙏

🗝️ "Life's what you make it"🗝️


   
Koendb, Bill Flude, Boo and 3 people reacted
ReplyQuote
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

Ha! I’ve cracked it! In the original diagram I didn’t realise that the right hand terminal on the volume pot was also connected to earth, it just looked like it was missing (and therefore not being used). I guess that might have indicated that it was bent up and soldered to the body. Anyway, volume knob now fully operational and tone working much better.

Thanks guys

Darren


   
Robin, Koendb, Rocknroller912 and 9 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Jonathan Hodgson
(@jonhodgson)
Noble Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 2037
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 331
 

@darrenking Thought it would be something like that.
The diagrams assume the person doing the soldering is familiar with the common practice in guitar wiring of soldering the terminal directly to the body to earth it, but as a result the connection isn't clear if you're not used to that.

It's more soldering guide than a proper schematic.


   
Robin, Koendb, Bill Flude and 5 people reacted
ReplyQuote
darrenking
(@darrenking)
Famed Member
Luthier
Rep Points: 5112
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 950
Topic starter  

The diagrams assume the person doing the soldering is familiar with the common practice in guitar wiring of soldering the terminal directly to the body to earth it

Well I am now!😂😂


   
Russ, Robin, Koendb and 7 people reacted
ReplyQuote
Page 9 / 9
Share: