jello's workbench: One for @Guitar Heel...and one for me as well...FINISHED!

jelloman

jelloman

Couch'd Tater...
@Guitar Heel sent me a bunch of parts to build a Strat...it's going to be a bit unique with a solid rosewood neck and 2 P90s (SD Phat Cats)...

2017-09-24_08-14-25 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

He wants it to be 2 knob strat with a blade switch and had the pickguard made that way...I have an idea to add a 4 way switch mod to it, but unlike tele pickups with 2 conductor (black and white) wiring the P90s are a single conductor with braided shield...the 4 way switch mod requires the neck pickup black AND white wire to be attached to the switch...

So here's a question for the wiring experts out there...does the braided shield on a P90 perform the same task as the black wire on a tele neck pickup? Can I attach it to the switch and get the same results?
@Wyatt @Help!I'maRock! @RyanNo3 @baimun @telecaster911 @Modern Saint
 
I don't have p90 specific knowledge, but the braid should be ground. You need two ends of a pickup winding for the pickup to work. Take a look at where the braid is attached on the pickup, is the other end of the winding attached there?

Use your multimeter set to ohms and test from the hot lead to the braid. What is the resistance?

Are going to do position 4 in series? That might be interesting with p90s, never heard of it, but it could be interesting.
 
You'd have to modify the pickup. If you remove the baseplate you'll find that there are two wires coming off the coil. One of those wires is soldered to the baseplate while the other goes to the inner conductor of the pickup lead. The braided ground is also soldered to the baseplate, and you'll leave that there. You need to undsolder the second wire from the baseplate and run a second conductor to the switch for that.
 
GilmourD said:
You'd have to modify the pickup. If you remove the baseplate you'll find that there are two wires coming off the coil. One of those wires is soldered to the baseplate while the other goes to the inner conductor of the pickup lead. The braided ground is also soldered to the baseplate, and you'll leave that there. You need to undsolder the second wire from the baseplate and run a second conductor to the switch for that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, no way am I comfortable doing that...
 
GilmourD said:
You'd have to modify the pickup. If you remove the baseplate you'll find that there are two wires coming off the coil. One of those wires is soldered to the baseplate while the other goes to the inner conductor of the pickup lead. The braided ground is also soldered to the baseplate, and you'll leave that there. You need to undsolder the second wire from the baseplate and run a second conductor to the switch for that.
Click to expand...

This. You can't connect the Ground in series wiring, you have to isolate it from the black wire (–). The same procedure has to be done with vintage-style Tele neck PU's, because their covers are usually Ground through that black wire.
 
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I want a full report on the rosewood neck. I have a Strat project in the works and have been thinking about getting one.
 
So, I decided to do 2 at once...I was going to wait and do mine after Heel's, but since they are such similar projects I am going to do both at the same time...

I'm going to redo the Strat known as "Skinny", change out the pickups, pickguard, and do a pretty cool wiring mod...

2017-09-24_07-47-23 by jelloman 1965, on Flickr

I'm going to change out the bridge pickup (SD JB) for the same thing in Trembucker, add an SD Cool Rails single coil size humbucker, and wire them to a 5 way Strat "Super Switch" (4p5t) and wire it up like so...
1. Bridge pickup double coil
2. Bridge pickup single coil
3. Bridge and neck single coil
4. Neck single coil
5. Neck pickup double coil
 
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The body on mine is already routed for humbuckers, but I need to rout out Heel's body...normally that would be the first thing I'd do but it's too damned hot in the shed to do that job right now...
 
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