Plug-in pickups

[mcgruff]

In my short experience of pickup winding, I find that I'm frequently swapping pickups in and out to try out different magnets or different coils. It's a pain to have to keep soldering so I'm planning to use mini-din connectors, with one connector in the pickup rout, and a short multi-core lead and connector on the pickup itself.

4-pin mini-din looks ideal for this since (as far as I know) it can take four conductors plus screen (humbuckers), the connector itself is shielded, it's small, it comes with solderable connections (rather than crimped etc) and it's cheap.

Anybody doing this already? Any advance on mini-din?

[ototo]

actualy, i was thinking on the same way, so that i don´t need to resolder always. better for the pots and less time swaping. im looking where to find them near home.
for me looks like a great idea. i think that emg uses it alsoĦĦĦ

[mcgruff]

Try audiospares if you can't find anyone close to home.

[big_teee]

Seymour Duncan has the liberator.
Liberator - change your guitar pickups using only a screwdriver

[mcgruff]

Interesting. A flat connector would be better. Mini-din is about 10mmm in diameter which should be OK most of the time but might be too much in a tight space.

I'd probably prefer to have the connection made in the pickup rout. It would probably be a little easier on a solid body since you don't have to push any wires through holes or take the control cover off. On a 335 style guitar, like I have, it would be a lot easier (why do they call them F-holes? - "F" is for "fishing" )

[Lyrebird Steve]

On my test guitar (Squire Strat) I've soldered in a few of these PCB mini screw terminals


They are really easy to solder to the lugs of the switch where the pickup leads go.

I also looked at the posibility of using RJ-11 plugs (4 wire phone plugs) at one stage to give secure (click-in) 4 wire connections



You will need a crimping tool for this though

[big_teee]

There are all kinds of things you can do for test guitars.
I have small tails soldered to my Pots, and grounds.
Then I temp connect them with small mini wire nuts.
It works slick.

[Stratz]

There are all kinds of things you can do for test guitars.
I have small tails soldered to my Pots, and grounds.
Then I temp connect them with small mini wire nuts.
It works slick.

Same thing here T, except I use a barrel connector for the bridge ground and alligator clips for connecting the pickup leads.

[David King]

I made up a really simple pcb with 5 pads (two coils + ground) that mounts on the edge on the slide in pickup trays. Inside my tester guitar there are 5 matching spring brass contacts that are mounted to another PCB plate.
I looked at a lot of connectors but the price was too steep for the 30 or so pickup trays I made.

[David Schwab]

I used to use a 5 pin header like EMG uses on their Hi-Z pickups.