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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:01 am
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John C wrote:
It's like looking under the hood of a modern car - nothing you can really do yourself (or fix easily if something goes wrong).


ok so thats a very good point, also i must admit i had no idea that there was no default setting, ie going back to being a standard 5 way switch strat when none of the cards are in. That seems crazy!

Interesting seeing all the feedback here. I still think this may be a sign of the future of electric guitars, but ok maybe its not here yet... im not about to buy one either :wink: , just think its fascinating. Lots of teething issues to be sorted and costs to be brought down if it was to gather any momentum.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:32 am
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ollyclam wrote:
ok so thats a very good point, also i must admit i had no idea that there was no default setting, ie going back to being a standard 5 way switch strat when none of the cards are in. That seems crazy!


In the 2nd video, they demonstrate what happens when the card is removed... NOT A SOUND... COMPLETELY DEAD ! :shock: :shock: :shock:

And, you're right... It IS Crazy !!

One would'a thunk Fender wouldn't be so careless as to design it this way when a solution is so simple, frankly, I'm surprised. :roll:

cheers! :D

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:28 am
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Lightnin MN wrote:
ollyclam wrote:
ok so thats a very good point, also i must admit i had no idea that there was no default setting, ie going back to being a standard 5 way switch strat when none of the cards are in. That seems crazy!


In the 2nd video, they demonstrate what happens when the card is removed... NOT A SOUND... COMPLETELY DEAD ! :shock: :shock: :shock:

And, you're right... It IS Crazy !!

One would'a thunk Fender wouldn't be so careless as to design it this way when a solution is so simple, frankly, I'm surprised. :roll:

cheers! :D


In a way I can understand the concern but the Strats with that option need the card to complete the circuit. As long as it is locked in there well it should be close to a solder joint. Most electronics these days like your cell phone and computers use the same type of connections where a card plugs in and since the invention seem to be proving reliable.

But that said, anyone in a professional band that does not have at least one backup guitar is not professional. Anything can break at anytime for so many reasons. I got slammed hard by the first touring band I was in because I only took one ax on the road with me. What was I thinking? The answer is ...I wasn't. :?

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Last edited by ebaysux on Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:34 am
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John C wrote:

I know; was just using "digital" in the sense that ribbon wire connectors are used in digital devices. This is purely analog. The pickups are just N3s; I think that Fender has just added the plug connector for the ribbon wire as opposed to having the standard-length wires as on the other American Deluxes. Being a marketer, not an engineer I'm assuming that it has to be wired this way so the personality cards can control the functions of the pots.


Ah okay that is why you had it in quotes, I misunderstood. And yes being an EE and a guy who gets paid to do electronics in guitars as well as automotive can see the reason why they would choose a ribbon cable. It would seem with all the possible configurations (and chances are they will continue to put out new cards over time) that would be one heck of a mess of wiring under the guard. Ribbon cables simply neaten it all up and save space, money, weight etc. As well makes it "modular" in the sense that if you need to replace anything bad (or if they offer "upgrades" in the future) you don't have to know how to read schematics or solder....you just "plug and play" as we call it. Or with some really high tech electronics I install in vehicles...."plug and pray" lol.

It is hard for me to tell from the pics but it looks to me like those are some kind of split coil and have at least 4 conductors per pickup and possibly a common (aka "ground"). I guess they could have used standard wire with some kind of molex or other plug but the ribbon cables do have some advantages..we are not talking high voltage here.

I saw a reply with a concern of picking up noise via the ribbon cables and that is a reasonable concern since they do not seem to be shielded. But when you consider this is new technology for a guitar and they make noiseless pups it might not be a problem. I can't imagine that Fender has not tested this extensively for noise issues before releasing it. This is not 1962 anymore lol.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:17 pm
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ebaysux wrote:
As well makes it "modular" in the sense that if you need to replace anything bad (or if they offer "upgrades" in the future) you don't have to know how to read schematics or solder....you just "plug and play" as we call it. Or with some really high tech electronics I install in vehicles...."plug and pray" lol.


It's consumerism - replace instead of repair.
Not only does this rub me the wrong way because it's a waste and dumbing down, but what happens down the road when replacement parts and assemblies are no longer made?

Fender might not have built this one for the future, but expect customers to switch out the entire guitar, like they switch out their cell phone.
Planned obsolescence? Would Fender sink so low? If there's money to be made, in a heartbeat.


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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:30 pm
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arth1 wrote:
ebaysux wrote:
As well makes it "modular" in the sense that if you need to replace anything bad (or if they offer "upgrades" in the future) you don't have to know how to read schematics or solder....you just "plug and play" as we call it. Or with some really high tech electronics I install in vehicles...."plug and pray" lol.


It's consumerism - replace instead of repair.
Not only does this rub me the wrong way because it's a waste and dumbing down, but what happens down the road when replacement parts and assemblies are no longer made?

Fender might not have built this one for the future, but expect customers to switch out the entire guitar, like they switch out their cell phone.
Planned obsolescence? Would Fender sink so low? If there's money to be made, in a heartbeat.


Well anything is possible but I find it hard to believe the big wigs at Fender were sitting around discussing ways to push products onto us that will quickly become obsolete. I mean this is one of the few companies that have pretty much kept something (Strat and Tele) essentially the same for 60 something years.

Now where I would think it is more feasible with a feature such as this personality card that they might have considered is upgrades...such as new cards.....and eventually new pups and modules and perhaps pots. And honestly most people who have any kind of strat like to have options to upgrade stuff and personalize it like a hot rod or a Harley....this is just bringing another way to do it that is for those who are not so much purists but techy geeks. They could have gone digital and then you would need to read a thesaurus to figure out how to work it or need an electronics wizard to fix it once out of warranty but this setup they have is relatively simple.

Now of course if it flops and they stop producing replacement parts any that go bad down the road will be shafted but I really don't think this is the intention...it is just a way for them to offer options and show that even though for the most part they stick to what made them what they are, they are not afraid to venture into new ideas.

And as I have stated before...they are not forcing anyone to buy it and they still offer the full line of guitars that do not have that feature. They are remaining true.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:41 pm
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I'd like to see inside one of these.
The pic posted on some sites suggests this is a personality harness and it may well be but I have seen it described as solderless pickups and I am not sure if they both relate.
I do see a slot where you can plug a card in but is this how the new ones are wired?
Maybe someone who has one can pull the guard and let us know!
here is the original photo description..
http://www.themusiczoo.com/blog/2012/la ... s-pickups/
I don't like either idea but that's just me :D


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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:01 pm
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jimmy_james wrote:
I'd like to see inside one of these.
The pic posted on some sites suggests this is a personality harness and it may well be but I have seen it described as solderless pickups and I am not sure if they both relate.
I do see a slot where you can plug a card in but is this how the new ones are wired?
Maybe someone who has one can pull the guard and let us know!
here is the original photo description..
http://www.themusiczoo.com/blog/2012/la ... s-pickups/
I don't like either idea but that's just me :D


That link you posted is from 2012. What is being discussed in this post is the personality cards which are already on the market and does not have anything to do with changing pickups... you simply plug a card into a compartment in back of the guitar and it changes the wiring configurations and tone controls.

As far as the Fender solderless pickups I do not know if those are out yet or ever will be but it is not really that innovative being Gibson/Epiphone already use that and call it "Gibson Quick Connect Solderless Guitar Pickups" or harness. Pretty much the entire electronics harness is plug and play. But the only advantage to that is if you buy new pups etc you don't have to solder. With the Fender personality cards you are not replacing anything or taking anything apart, just inserting different cards to suit your desires.

That said, since the entire electronics on the personality card strat have all the components connected by plugs, if down the road something goes bad you can replace it without soldering......or if in the future they offer new pups and other components for it, you won;t have to solder as well....just unplug the old, and plug in the new.

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Last edited by ebaysux on Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:08 pm
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ebaysux wrote:
With the Fender personality cards you are not replacing anything or taking anything apart, just inserting different cards to suit your desires.


Anybody remember the Dan Armstrong guitar made of Lucite with the modular slide-in pickups from some forty years ago?

How'd that work out -- where are they now?

:roll:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:20 pm
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ebaysux wrote:
jimmy_james wrote:
I'd like to see inside one of these.
The pic posted on some sites suggests this is a personality harness and it may well be but I have seen it described as solderless pickups and I am not sure if they both relate.
I do see a slot where you can plug a card in but is this how the new ones are wired?
Maybe someone who has one can pull the guard and let us know!
here is the original photo description..
http://www.themusiczoo.com/blog/2012/la ... s-pickups/
I don't like either idea but that's just me :D


That link you posted is from 2012. What is being discussed in this post is the personality cards which are already on the market and does not have anything to do with changing pickups... you simply plug a card into a compartment in back of the guitar and it changes the wiring configurations and tone controls.

As far as the Fender solderless pickups I do not know if those are out yet or ever will be but it is not really that innovative being Gibson/Epiphone already use that and call it "Gibson Quick Connect Solderless Guitar Pickups" or harness. Pretty much the entire electronics harness is plug and play. But the only advantage to that is if you buy new pups etc you don't have to solder. With the Fender personality cards you are not replacing anything or taking anything apart, just inserting different cards to suit your desires.


Doh I realise that.
Have you been following this thread.
I am just posting a reply to part of the discussion where this photo was posted! :D
This is all old news.
I ran a poll on this months ago with very little response...


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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:26 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
ebaysux wrote:
With the Fender personality cards you are not replacing anything or taking anything apart, just inserting different cards to suit your desires.


Anybody remember the Dan Armstrong guitar made of Lucite with the modular slide-in pickups from some forty years ago?

How'd that work out -- where are they now?

:roll:

Arjay


I have no idea. I only know Fender is still here....and so is Gibson/Epi who now use all plug and play pups and harnesses. Honestly I do not understand why some of you old dogs are so resistant and negative to change. You still can get a zillion strats without this feature....why is the fact that they are trying something new and innovative seem so offensive to some of you? I am sure when however it was at Fender thought this up did not do it out of spite to a few of the forum users :mrgreen:

I am actually in agreement in the sense that this is not a feature I need. As a matter of fact I am fine with one pickup and only a volume control. I am a less is more kind of guy and generally like to keep it simple. But at the same time I can respect those who are not afraid to try new things. Sometimes things do improve. You are replying to me about some 40 year old lucite thing when it is not the 1970s anymore.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:28 pm
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jimmy_james wrote:
ebaysux wrote:
jimmy_james wrote:
I'd like to see inside one of these.
The pic posted on some sites suggests this is a personality harness and it may well be but I have seen it described as solderless pickups and I am not sure if they both relate.
I do see a slot where you can plug a card in but is this how the new ones are wired?
Maybe someone who has one can pull the guard and let us know!
here is the original photo description..
http://www.themusiczoo.com/blog/2012/la ... s-pickups/
I don't like either idea but that's just me :D


That link you posted is from 2012. What is being discussed in this post is the personality cards which are already on the market and does not have anything to do with changing pickups... you simply plug a card into a compartment in back of the guitar and it changes the wiring configurations and tone controls.

As far as the Fender solderless pickups I do not know if those are out yet or ever will be but it is not really that innovative being Gibson/Epiphone already use that and call it "Gibson Quick Connect Solderless Guitar Pickups" or harness. Pretty much the entire electronics harness is plug and play. But the only advantage to that is if you buy new pups etc you don't have to solder. With the Fender personality cards you are not replacing anything or taking anything apart, just inserting different cards to suit your desires.


Doh I realise that.
Have you been following this thread.
I am just posting a reply to part of the discussion where this photo was posted! :D
This is all old news.
I ran a poll on this months ago with very little response...


If you realized that then why are you asking how it is wired or asking how it relates to the solderless pickups that don't exist? And if you were following this post would realize the top picture in the link you left is the EXACT same setup that was posting in this thread already and all of it has been explained over and over.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:34 pm
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Hey you have not read my comments correctly or I did not get my point across.
Someone posted that pic saying that is how the personality unit was wired.
I am trying to say... no I don't think so that is a pic of solderless pickups and posted the link to it.
In the link they also suggest that you may be able to plug in effect cards etc hence the confusion.
Which bit am I missing? :D


Last edited by jimmy_james on Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:42 pm
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jimmy_james wrote:
Hey you have not read my comments correctly or I did not get my point across.
Someone posted that pic saying that is how the personality unit was wired.
I am trying to say... no I don't think so that is a pic of solderless pickups and posted the link to it :D


Okay there is a misunderstanding and the last thing I want to do is offend you. But the link you posted from 2012 is showing pics and an explaination of this as a prototype which is now on the market but not as "solderless pickups" but solderless wiring configurations.

Unless what you mean is those pics that were posted is not what the actual electronics look like on the personality card Strats?

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Post subject: Re: American Deluxe Strat Pluses w/ solderless personality c
Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:50 pm
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Hey no worries.
What makes you think the top pic is the personality card structure.
To me they both seem to relate to solderless pickups.
The plug for the personality strat is in a different spot etc and are there any ribbon cables so yep that is what I mean and why I wanted someone to show us the final structure :D


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