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The hell with soldering

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  • The hell with soldering

    Read a few threads on here lately about soldering problems, mostly from posters who are just into pickup making.
    I came up with this idea a while back when i started making pickups, maybe this would help somebody out, it requires no soldering at the pickup.
    I bought a few packets of compression springs 5/32" dia. and 1/4"dia, length 3", cut them up into short pieces and inserted two into the baseplate of the pickup and four into a humbucker test pickup, reinforcing them with a little superglue.
    I then pulled the springs back slightly and slipped in the start and end magnet wires.
    I pressed lightly down on each spring (to get through the insulation) until i got a reading from my meter.
    All was left was to hook up the switch control wires the same way to the springs underneath the baseplate.
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Here's my Epi Les Paul that I use for a test/demo guitar. I can substitute pickups without soldering, but I wanted to do the same for capacitors. Compression springs should work great. Thanks for the cool idea!
    Attached Files

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    • #3
      I have a bass with alligator clips like that. I also always have a set of alligator clips connected to a 1/4" jack handy.
      It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


      http://coneyislandguitars.com
      www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

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      • #4
        I forgot to add this drawing to my earlier post.
        Attached Files

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        • #5
          So what happens in a few years when the spring and the end of the magnet wire start to oxidize?
          It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


          http://coneyislandguitars.com
          www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by David Schwab View Post
            So what happens in a few years when the spring and the end of the magnet wire start to oxidize?
            Never got to that stage, what do you think would do the job?

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            • #7
              Originally posted by John_H View Post
              Here's my Epi Les Paul that I use for a test/demo guitar. I can substitute pickups without soldering, but I wanted to do the same for capacitors. Compression springs should work great. Thanks for the cool idea!
              Nice setup, i haven`t seen the controls cavity on a Les Paul up to now, not much room in there.
              Hope that idea of mine works for you.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Alabam View Post
                Never got to that stage, what do you think would do the job?
                Soldering.

                It's a cool idea for the wires outside the pickup though.
                It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


                http://coneyislandguitars.com
                www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

                Comment


                • #9
                  I built a bench "mule" for doing R & D work on pickups. It's essentially a crude neck mounted on a wood base resembling the body, with strings, bridge, etc., matching the geometry of my production basses. It's designed so I can quickly swap pickups in and out. Built on to it is a box with my normal pots and passive wiring harness. I used standard electronics lab type binding posts on the box for the hookups. Binding posts will clamp on the 22 ga leads, or directly on the magnet wire if needed. I also brought the tone caps out to binding posts, so they can be quickly swapped during testing.

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                  • #10
                    At some point I have to make a pickup testing platform.

                    I'm currently using this bass, but it's going to get renovated and put back in service soon, so I need a bench mule.
                    Attached Files
                    It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


                    http://coneyislandguitars.com
                    www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by David Schwab View Post
                      Soldering.

                      It's a cool idea for the wires outside the pickup though.
                      A kick up the butt and a pat on the back, nice one David, ROFL.
                      Regarding those tiny round coils we talked about a short while ago and the pic you supplied.
                      I noticed they were all wound separately and i wondered if you wound these yourself.
                      I wind them in series on the winding rod, three or four bobbins at a time which leaves me with just the start and end wires, have you ever tried this method?
                      The plastic bobbins I ground down to the right diameter so they fit right into Strat covers.
                      I got into this circular type of winding because i it seemed to me you got a closer contact to the magnet source than the standard rectangular wind, also it was a faster and smoother operation, and no need for all these gadgets i read about on the "Tools and Coil winding gear" forum.
                      Cheers.
                      Sam.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by David Schwab View Post
                        Soldering.

                        It's a cool idea for the wires outside the pickup though.
                        How did that thumbs down icon get there, must have clinked on it by mistake, sorry about that.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Alabam View Post
                          How did that thumbs down icon get there, must have clinked on it by mistake, sorry about that.
                          It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


                          http://coneyislandguitars.com
                          www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Here was my original Neo Jazz solderless connection system. It works well but it was a pain for me to do and most folks seem to be able to solder in a pickup or pay the guy at Guitar Center to do it so I dropped it on later models.


                            Ever Learning
                            Clint Searcy
                            www.searcystringworks.com

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                            • #15
                              I was using those same connectors on the preamps I used to use with my low z pickups. The one problem was it was for heavier gage wire. They do make smaller ones, but I was getting them at Radio Shack at the time.

                              If you want to talk about a REAL pain... make some of those multi pin connectors like on the bottom of EMG pickups!
                              It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


                              http://coneyislandguitars.com
                              www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

                              Comment

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