I am about to do my first major (for me) modification. I am putting in a Dimarzio Super Distortion 100 in the bridge of my 3 tone Sunburst HWY 1. I have put the following on a "wish list", but have not placed the order yet:

1. New white Fender pearloid 11 screw HSS pickguard.
2. The Dimarzio SD 100 Humbucker "F" spaced, Black
3. A Dimarzio 500k split shaft pot
4. Some copper tape to shield everything
5. Soldering gun -- at Lowes
6. Black Fender accessaries: knobs, switch tip, trem tip, and coil covers (Already bought)

Is there a particular solder I should use or just regular electrical stuff? Is there a site I can go to to get instructions on doing the job. I know the Dimarzio site has wiring schematics. Any help would be greatly appreciated. All together it will be a $160 modification.

I posted this on another area, but I think this one has more traffic.


RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Make sure you use RESIN CORE solder (the regular stuff), NOT acid core which is for plumbers.

The only real wiring you'll be doing is removing the OEM pickup and installing the DiMarzio. With the DiMarzio, the braid and black wire go to ground and the white wire goes to where the OEM wire was on the toggle. If you find the DiMarzio out of phase with the middle pickup, simply reverse the DiMarzio's black and white wires.

With the shielding, make sure a piece of it is allowed to come out of one of the pickup cavities and rest on the body of the guitar. Once you put the piclguard back on, the OEM foil from the back of the pickguard will come in contact with your new foil, thus integrating your new shielding into the circuit and grounding it among everything else.

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One more thing: I recommend the "$161 modification": That 500K pot MIGHT make the single coils sound rather nasty. If this be the case, solder a 470K ohm resistor (readily available at any Radio Shack) in between the hot wire of each single coil and its respective terminal on the toggle. This will make the guitar's circuit 'see' a (very close to) 250K pot when the single coil is selected.

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Thanks for the reply. I will take pics of the project once I order and get parts in. I have already ordered the black Fender accessary pack. As soon I get it, I'll throw that stuff on and waite intil next paycheck for the next item.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

The 500k pot is for the Dimarzio humbucker. On the Highway 1 the bridge is hooked up to the bottom tone knob. I want to keep the middle and bridge just like they are. BTW the Middle p/u is the one on this guitar that you cannot adjust the tone on. Do you think I will still need the 470k ohm resistor? See, this is the type of stuff I do not know much about.

I see a guitar book on do it yourself modifications in my future, make that a $175 modification.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Is this 500K going to be a volume or tone pot?

If a volume pot, as I've eluded to above, it will make your single coils sound clanky and anemic as a 500K pot is too much for your single coils. On the other hand, if you are using the 500K pot as a tone pot for the DiMarzio, you won't notice a whole lot of difference as essentially it is the volume pot in a pickup's circuit which yields the more dramatic difference. Consequently, leaving the original 250K as a volume pot will make the DiMarzio sound compressed and a bit fizzy.

Premising the 500K is for the volume, yes to your question about the resistor on the middle pickup. Incidentally, I don't think you'll find this resistor tip in any, "How To" books.

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OK...so I should use the 500k pot for the volume (not the tone) and put the resistors on the single coils to maximize the output for the Humbucker. Do you recommend a 500k pot for the tone as well along with the volume, would this add more tonal possibilities or is it just a waste of money and time?

Sorry...but a noob to this kind of work.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Don't apologize, no one is born with this kind of info!

Yes, the 500K for the volume pot.

The resistors on the single coils in order for them to retain the tonality they have now; it has nothing to do with the HB.

No to a 500K tone pot as the single coil still has to be considered in the equation and, the tonal expansion would be marginal. So yes, it would be a waste of time and money.

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A couple comments

A soldering pencil is much easier to use then a gun

A electrical tape or shrink tube will be needed for the humbucker unless it only has 2 leads.


Have fun & enjoy the experience

Craig

Martin,

Thanks for the all the info and advise.

Knottty,

I was thinking the same thing, but where I am from saying a soldering gun and meaning the pencil is synominous (even though it is not). It is like that also if you order a Coke here, the majority of the people will ask you what kind meaning DP, Pepsi, Coke, Diet Coke, ect. Thanks for your advise too, a soldering pencil it is.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

You're quite welcome.

I wasn't going to comment on this issue but...

Unless your soldering iron is reasonably powerful, you will not be able to unsolder the OEM ground wire cleanly and quickly off the back of the pot nor install the DiMarzio braid and ground wires in the same manner to the back of the pot. In either case, you run the risk of burning up the pot internally.

Yes, you will get more mileage out of a soldering iron in general but there are times when the gun is necessary. And if you do use the gun, make absolutely sure that the transformer, etc of it does not come near the pickups, it can and will demagnetize them.

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Ok I just bought the soldering iron (pencil) today, it says 40 watts and get up to 900 degrees. It came with changeable tips. One of the tips was a fine point, I thought it would do well for exact soldering. It is still in the package and I have the reciept, I can return it and get the heavy duty gun that was at the store. I thought that 900 degrees would do it, but I do not want to burn the pot up as well.

Again all the advise is appreciated, I want to do this job right.

rk

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I installed a Dimarzio Super Distortion in my Deluxe Fat Strat HSS and I love it. I did have to drill 1 hole into the pickguard because my old Tex-Mex humbucker had different screw pattern than the Dimarzio. The Fender pup had 2 holes on one side and 1 on the other. I just drilled the new hole to install the Dimarzio and left the existing screws in the pick guard with a washer and nut in the inside. It doesn't have any function but it looks better than haveing 2 holes int the pick guard. Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy the Dimarzio.

Keep the iron. For most guitar applications, you do need the iron first and foremost as a gun is simply overkill. That 40W job you have should work most times for melting the solder on the pots. From previous experience though, sometimes it does not work and that's when I pull out the gun. You'll know right away as properly heated solder and/or a good solder connection goes on liquidy, is shiny and bright and dries the same looking whereas the opposite is pasty and gray and gunks up.

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Martian,

I will keep that in mind. If I need to, I will buy the gun; but I will hold off until I need it.

Pasloade74,

I am hoping so. Give me a few weeks and I will give a review on the tone.


I will also post pics as the job gets going. My first pics should start in about a week when my black accessary package comes in. I'll swap out all the white plastic for the black, minus the pickguard...see how that looks. I really cannot wait until I unviel the finished product, I think it will be sweet.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head