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Post subject: Making a Strat
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:03 pm
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I'm building a strat out of parts and i was wondering what kind of wire i should use and what potentiometers. I've heard something about vintage cloth wire don't know if it's better or something or what. and about potentiometers: what does no load mean? And will I have to have different types for volume and tone? What is the difference between 250K and 500K?

HELP ME!!!

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06-07 Fender Deluxe players strat.
85-89 sigma 12 string
2008 homebrew strat with dlx players body, tex sp pu's, and a custom neck
mid 60's Harmony tube amp


Last edited by Rob104254 on Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:57 pm
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Just to address the question of load and the difference between 250k and 500k...

These are references to impedances (or to make things a bit more starightforward, call it resistance). It has to do with the relationship between the amount of electrical resistance and current flow in a circuit. Consider two garden hoses, each hooked up to the same source of water (so the source pressure is the same for both), but one having a smaller diameter than the other. The diameter would be analogous to resistance and current to the amount of water flowing through the hose. A smaller diameter (more resistance) means less water flowing through the hose, and vice versa. The smaller hose would squirt farther, because the restriction increases the pressure. This pressure would be like voltage in an electrical circuit. The relationship is expressed in the equation Ohm's Law as follows:

E=IR, where E is the voltage (or Electromotive force), R is resistance in ohms, and I for some reason was chosen to represent current in amperes or amps.

In a guitar, less resistance means more current and therefore more VOLUME, all other things being equal. The volume knob works by varying the amount of resistance in the circuit. As you go from 1 to 10, you are reducing the resistance in the circuit, allowing more current to flow. The volume knob is a potentiometer, as is a tone knob (resistance also affects tone in this type of circuit).

The "k" in 250k means one thousand, so a 250k pot has a maxiumum resistance of 250,000 ohms, whereas a 500k pot is twice that.

That's the physics behind it. I'll leave the rest of the story to those of you out there who have wired more guitars than I have and can tell you exactly how all this affects your sound.

Hope that helps, or at least gets the ball rolling.

"Is electronics shocking, or what??"

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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:38 pm
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You can get all the parts you want and high quality too, from Callaham Guitars. Just google it.


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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:23 pm
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Thank you for the lesson ,but I'm still going to need help with how this all affects my sound/tone. Someone must know, and about the callaham guitar parts: as far as i can see (from their site) they offer nothing as far as hardware in gold plating or gold color wich is what i'm looking for.

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Get away from the blind side of life - SRV

06-07 Fender Deluxe players strat.
85-89 sigma 12 string
2008 homebrew strat with dlx players body, tex sp pu's, and a custom neck
mid 60's Harmony tube amp


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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:45 pm
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The tone of an electric guitar is affected by three things in the electronics; Inductance in the pickup coils, the variable resistance in the pots (vol, tone controls) and the capacitor(s) used to shape the filter characteristics for tone adjustment. As for the 500k/250K pot question, a 500k with a .01 mf cap will have a rolloff frequency of 200 Hz, where the same cap with a 250K pot rolls off at 400 Hz. The type pickup has a LOT to do with the tone, and varies by model and manufacturer. Single coils tend to be more trebly, while Humbuckers are more mellow sounding. Just think of the difference between a Strat and a Les Paul, and you get the idea. Most LPs have 500k pots.

Pup position on the guitar has a lot to do with the tone as the string harmonics are typically more trebly (higher freqs) as you get closer to the bridge, and less trebly (lower freqs) as you get nearer the neck.

Wire is wire. Ohms Law doesn't care is it's vintage cloth covered wire or PVC insulated 21st century stuff. You can use stranded 22 or 24 gauge wire for your connections and solid tinned wire for your grounds in the control cavity. I recommend using stranded to hook to your jack as it can take quite a few more bends when removing and replacing the pickguard, assuming they are both attached separately to the guitar, unlike your Strat.


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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:05 pm
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thank you telecaster1987 for clearing that up i guess i'll put in 250k pots with the texas special i'll be putting in, anything else i should know about the wiring process of a strat?

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Get away from the blind side of life - SRV

06-07 Fender Deluxe players strat.
85-89 sigma 12 string
2008 homebrew strat with dlx players body, tex sp pu's, and a custom neck
mid 60's Harmony tube amp


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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:23 am
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One thing you might try before installing the electronics is to line the cavity with either copper or alluminum foil (copper is better, but alluminum is easier to come by). Form it to the inside walls of the cavity, with just a little lip extending over the edges and fasten it down. Then put in your pups, switches and wiring, being careful to avoid shorting to the foil. The pick guard will cover the whole shot, so you don't have to worry about esthetics. Stewart-McDonald did a real nice e-article about this recently, so if you can get hold of that, it shows you step by step exactly how to do it.

What this will accomplish for you is to shield your electronics from electromagnetic interference, such as the hum you get when your guitar is too close to fluorescent lights, motors and that kind of thing. I love the sound of the single coil pups, but they do tend to be pretty neat little antennas unless they're well shielded.

In case you're interested, this is a miniature version of what's called a Faraday Cage. They're used in research and industry whenever you need a radio-dead zone to work in.


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Post subject: Re: Making a Strat
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:00 am
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Rob104254 wrote:
I'm building a strat out of parts and i was wondering what kind of wire i should use and what potentiometers. I've heard something about vintage cloth wire don't know if it's better or something or what. and about potentiometers: what does no load mean? And will I have to have different types for volume and tone? What is the difference between 250K and 500K?

HELP ME!!!


WDmusic.com has your gold parts as do Stewart-MacDonald.com and others.
Looks to me like you got your answers to your other questions; very good ones too! Just don't ry using 250K or 500K pots where they weren't used to begine with; you won't like the results.
Guitar Player magazine published a book on maintaining your guitar a few years back; in it they disussed the noise some guitars have and how grounding and shielding help aleviate it.
In their book Guitar Player reccomended a 250K 1/4 watt resistor be soldered in between the Bridge/Tailstop/Trem Claw and the controls. According to them the resistor still allows a good ground but would act as a limiter in the event you should contact objects that are improperly grounded like a mic stand or other gear.
If you search the net you'll find some electrically conductive paint that works to ground your pick up and control cavities; Just run a ground wire (from any common ground) with a butt connector (crimped or soldered) on the end and screw it into the wood where the paint or foil shielding is[/quote][/code]


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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:46 pm
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Man, it seems like everyone is showing off their knowledge without giving this guy the answers he needs. I buy my pots on Ebay. Find a seller who will sell you a matched set. I've tried 500K pots in a Tele I modded. The sound was brighter and fuller, but not more twangy. The tone seemed a bit more of everything, and I just loved it. The 250K pots will be fine for most apps, but I like trying new things. The 500K pots were cool. Be sure to buy the full sized pots. I use unshielded wire from the hardware store. With a proper ground, I've not had any buzzing issues.

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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:28 pm
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Rob104254 wrote:
Thank you for the lesson ,but I'm still going to need help with how this all affects my sound/tone. Someone must know, and about the callaham guitar parts: as far as i can see (from their site) they offer nothing as far as hardware in gold plating or gold color wich is what i'm looking for.


Try stewmac.com

you can use any 20 or 22 guage electrical wire.

The larger pot will give you a brighter tone. Some say too bright. If you don't like it it's easy to just switch back.

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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:49 am
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Guitargeezer1 wrote:
Man, it seems like everyone is showing off their knowledge without giving this guy the answers he needs. I buy my pots on Ebay. Find a seller who will sell you a matched set. I've tried 500K pots in a Tele I modded. The sound was brighter and fuller, but not more twangy. The tone seemed a bit more of everything, and I just loved it. The 250K pots will be fine for most apps, but I like trying new things. The 500K pots were cool. Be sure to buy the full sized pots. I use unshielded wire from the hardware store. With a proper ground, I've not had any buzzing issues.

I have never heard of "matched pots" is that a new thing? I understand the matching of tubes and replacing electronic components with the same part and MFR if possible but pots? I was taught to be sure the impedence was the same and the taper as well.


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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:28 pm
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hey guys been readin' up on wiring a strat and was wondering if i need a capacitor, wich one and where to put it. also what type of solder should i use? i'm putting in no-load pots so when i switch it all the way to 10 it takes the pot out of the circuit entirely was wondering if it needs any special wiring. :?

_________________
Get away from the blind side of life - SRV

06-07 Fender Deluxe players strat.
85-89 sigma 12 string
2008 homebrew strat with dlx players body, tex sp pu's, and a custom neck
mid 60's Harmony tube amp


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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:50 pm
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250k will have less of a diffrence in your knobs than 500k


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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:14 pm
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Rob104254 wrote:
hey guys been readin' up on wiring a strat and was wondering if i need a capacitor, wich one and where to put it. also what type of solder should i use? i'm putting in no-load pots so when i switch it all the way to 10 it takes the pot out of the circuit entirely was wondering if it needs any special wiring. :?


Go to the Fender support page and see if you can find the wiring diagram for the type guitar you want (Texas Special, etc.) to get the cap value you need. You'll likely find the one you need at Radio Shack. Some I've seen on the diagrams are 0.047, 0.01 mfd (Microfarad).


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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:41 pm
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dna9656 wrote:
Guitargeezer1 wrote:
Man, it seems like everyone is showing off their knowledge without giving this guy the answers he needs. I buy my pots on Ebay. Find a seller who will sell you a matched set. I've tried 500K pots in a Tele I modded. The sound was brighter and fuller, but not more twangy. The tone seemed a bit more of everything, and I just loved it. The 250K pots will be fine for most apps, but I like trying new things. The 500K pots were cool. Be sure to buy the full sized pots. I use unshielded wire from the hardware store. With a proper ground, I've not had any buzzing issues.

I have never heard of "matched pots" is that a new thing? I understand the matching of tubes and replacing electronic components with the same part and MFR if possible but pots? I was taught to be sure the impedence was the same and the taper as well.


A little info on pots and caps. There are probably a dozen or so manufacturers who make them that everyone buys from. You CAN match pots if you have access to a fairly large box of them. But it's not necessary to go to all that trouble. They all are made to certain tolerances; 5%, 10%, 20%, with the lower (tighter) tolerances being more expensive. All caps have tolerances as well, so there's some variation in both pots and caps. High precision for the filter (tone) portion of your circuitry isn't really necessary anyway.

Also, a little clarification of terms. Pots are variable resistors with units (ohms) of resistance. Inductance is AC resistance (also in ohms) and involves a coil of wire; Pups, solenoids, motor windings, etc. There is also DC resistance for the wire coils which is different than the inductance which increases with the AC frequency.

There are formulas for determining the frequencies of filter circuits which can help you ballpark the response the tone controls will give as well.


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