ianao
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Post by ianao on Feb 9, 2013 2:44:06 GMT -5
Hi
I recently bought a Stellah Heavy Metal guitar kit as a project, and having never wired anything more sophisticated than a household plug, I'm looking for wiring instructions/diagrams/help.
Not having much luck finding anything generally through Google. Does anyone know of any good resources/sites etc so that a newbie like me can get started?
Many thanks
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Post by sumgai on Feb 9, 2013 4:55:32 GMT -5
ianao,
Sorry, had to move your thread to a more suitable sub-Forum.
As for kit wiring, there are numerous resources on the web for many aspects of that job. Did you have anything specific in mind, so that we might better guide you?
sumgai
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Post by newey on Feb 9, 2013 9:13:09 GMT -5
ianao- Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!As sg said, we'll need a bit more info to be able to point you in the direction of a specific wiring diagram. Basically, three questions: - How many pickups?
- Humbuckers or single-coil, or a combo of both types?
- 1,2,3 or 4 vol/tone pots?
That will get us to a basic wiring diagram, but from there, if there are any custom features you'd like, well, we're all about that stuff. As far as general advice on soldering, equipment you'll need , and so forth, there are quite a few primer-style articles in our reference sections, and we can help with any specific questions on that topic as well.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2013 14:30:37 GMT -5
Here is the original strat wiring diagrams from the original guitarnuts.
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ianao
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Post by ianao on Feb 15, 2013 15:49:23 GMT -5
Hi and thanks for the replies, I have a H/S/H kit with 1 tone and 1 vol. Not looking for anything fancy, just getting it to work, and understanding what I am doing as I go along would be brilliant. A sort of idiots guide to putting the electrics together would be great, or even a suitable wiring diagram (?). I'm wondering why these kits don't come with any instructions? Also not keen on electrocuting myself in the process... Many thanks Ianao
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Post by newey on Feb 15, 2013 18:12:00 GMT -5
ianao- Here's a basic HSH diagram, assuming you have a standard 5-way switch. This is courtesy of Guitarelectronics.com, where you can get a full-sized version which is more readable: www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WDUHSS5L1101/WDU-HSS5L11-01.htmlThis features the "auto-split" functionality in positions 2 and 4 of the 5-way, which requires having 4-conductor wiring on the HBs (not counting the bare shield wire). If your HBs are two-conductor only, this won't work, so holler if that's the case. No worries about electrocution with passive guitar wiring. We'll be happy to help with translating the diagram into actuality; I'm sure you'll have questions. One thing to understand is that the diagram references a grounding point, which isn't shown. Usually to back of one of the pots is used to collect the grounds.
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ianao
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Post by ianao on Feb 16, 2013 3:39:48 GMT -5
Newey
Thanks so much for the help. Now feels like I'm getting somewhere...
My HBs are two-conductor (one wire from each with one covered (shielded?) wire and a bare wire (I guess that's earth from the diagram)).
Definitely a 5 way switch.
Does it matter which one of the pots I use to collect the grounds?
Thanks v much indeed!
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Post by newey on Feb 16, 2013 9:47:31 GMT -5
OK, so you have the "vintage"- style 2-conductor HBs. The one wire is insulated (not "shielded"- the bare wire is the "shield" and also serves as the "ground". We'll have to modify that diagram a bit for the two-conductor pickups. As you noted, it would be good if you understand what you're doing. Drawing something is a visual aid to understanding, so I'm going to suggest that you take that diagram and modify it as I instruct, then re-post it so we can review your work. Only a few things will change. Instead of having the "auto-split" of the HBs in positions 2 and 4, you'll have the middle pickup plus the full neck or bridge HB. By way of explanation, the 4 conductor HBs as shown in the diagram are designed so that the two coils can be individually wired. This is what allows for splitting of the coils. On your 2-conductor HBs, the coils are wired together (in series) internally, and cannot be split. It is possible to modify 2-conductor HBs to be 4-conductor, but this is probably not an operation you'd want to attempt as a beginner, as it involves dissecting the pickup. If the auto-split is a feature that appeals to you (most Ibanez and Jackson HSH guitars are wired this way), you'd be better off replacing the pickups with the 4-conductor types. But there's nothing wrong with the two-conductor ones, Gibson has used them for years. It's a matter of preference. Now, before I explain how to change the diagram, you should also understand that there are different styles of 5-way switches, and if yours doesn't resemble the one in the diagram, we'll have to correlate yours to the diagram. To understand the wiring, it's also important to understand how a 5-way switch works, and to translate yours to a diagram (although it may not correspond to the posted diagram if it's a different style). So, here's your homework about the switch. Lever switches explained5-way switch lug assignmentsOff-shore lever switchesAgain, we may have some back and forth here over your switch, but I'm going to go ahead and explain the changes to the diagram. Basically, as shown in the diagram, the left-hand side of the switch handles the switching of the "hot" wires to select the various pickups. The right hand side handles the "auto-split" duties. You will simply eliminate all the wiring to the right-hand side of the switch. On the left side, your insulated wires will substitute for the "North Start" wires shown on the diagram. Your bare wires will be grounded to the back of a pot, it doesn't matter which one. You will need to separate the bare shield from the insulated core a ways back from the end, so as to be able to wire them to separate places. You can twist the bare shield together if it's a woven type, so that you get one end to work with. The output jack sleeve (or "barrel") connection also needs to be grounded to the back of the same pot. The two pots should also be grounded together. So, as I suggested, research the 5-way, redraw the diagram, and ask lots of questions, we'll walk you through all of this stuff.
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ianao
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Post by ianao on Feb 17, 2013 12:45:52 GMT -5
Newey Great advice - thank you. I can't seem to add my diagram to the post as an image. If I click the 'Insert Image' button, I get ' [/img]'. Am I doing something wrong? Anyway, it looks like I have an import type switch, with 7 'lugs' (holes) in a row at the bottom of a green board. Not sure if there is a left or right side or which conductor to connect to which lug. My diagram now has each insulated conductor replacing the North Start conductors to the left of the switch, and all bare wires grounded to the volume pot. Finally I'm showing the output socket and the tone pot grounded to the volume pot. Just need to figure the wiring to the switch. Many thanks!
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Post by newey on Feb 17, 2013 14:20:20 GMT -5
The 7-conductor switches are oddball ones. A photo would help. Better still, if you have a multimeter (or even a continuity tester), you can work out the internal connections. Usually, the one center lug will be the common lug (most import style switches are 8-lug and have 2 commons, but the 7-lug ones have the two commons internally connected.) But to be certain, some testing before wiring is strongly recommended, as there are several different types of the 7-luggers around. There is a thread on image posting under the forum's info here. Proboards doesn't allow image hosting on the board (unless we pay to do so, which we don't). This means that you have to upload images to a photo-hosting service. Not all of these services "play well" with the Proboards software. Photobucket and Imageshack are the two that will do so for sure, others are a crapshoot. Only .jpg, .gif, and .png files are supported by the img tagging.
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ianao
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Post by ianao on Feb 18, 2013 16:21:17 GMT -5
Hi Newey Here's my diagram, and I have created a graphic of the switch. Thanks for your help.
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Post by newey on Feb 18, 2013 16:54:27 GMT -5
Your diagram is fine. To translate to your switch, the center lug will be the commons, and is wired to the Vol pot hot. The pickups get wired 1-2-3 to the lugs on one side of the switch. In order to be sure that the neck pickup is attached to the correct lug for when the lever is pointed to the neck, realize that the lugs are opposite from the lever. With the lever pointed to the neck, the lug furthest from the neck is the one which is active.
Probably best to do your diagram with your swiitch graphic to be certain you get it oriented correctly. At worst, you'd just have to either flip the switch around the other way or rewire it.
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ianao
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Post by ianao on Feb 20, 2013 14:20:34 GMT -5
Newey
Thanks so much for all your help. Might take a bit of trial and error, but all very positive.
Started sanding the body and neck, and will get started on the wiring over the next few weeks.
Will keep you posted with the progress!
Thanks again, ianao
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