Guitar wiring

[vmaximus]

Right guitar players and builders, i need a bit of help. Some time ago i showed interest in building a oil can guitar and now i have more time i have started the build. have cut a squire strat body down to fit inside the can and intend fitting 2 strat pickups and replace the bridge pickup with a piezo and under saddle pickup wired in parallel as per Michael Ruhe telecaster build on Youtube and incorporate 3 on, on, on mini toggle switches 1 tone and 1 volume pot, the wiring is similar to Brian May simplified wiring but only using the 3 toggle switches. Now because 2 neck screws are inside of the can it means that the whole neck and part strat body would have to be removed from the back of the can if i have to shim or make any adjustments or even take the neck off. Now getting to my problem could i use connectors so that i can disconnect the pickups if i have to take everything apart. if so what size as most of the wires to the pickups are only 22AWG or would it be better just to have longer wires. I would also like to put separate tone and volume pots for the piezo's but i have no idea how to wire it that way. I think that i may be over complicating it but its just that i don't want to go through this trouble only to find that are not suitable with the strat pickups. I know the diagram shows 3 tri sonics but Michael Ruhe used 2 telecaster and piezo/undesaddle pickups that sounded in balance according to him, but this is inside a steel can and it may pick up too many unwanted noises. Also i have seen cigar box builders fitting springs on the inside of their cigar boxes to give a sort of reverb effect. What's your thought, any input would be greatly appreciated. Pud.

 

[m_c]

I would suggest you ask on www.thefretboard.co.uk as there are several people on there who really know their stuff about pickups, wiring, and shielding.

 

[vmaximus]

I would suggest you ask on www.thefretboard.co.uk as there are several people on there who really know their stuff about pickups, wiring, and shielding.

Could not register on www.thefretboard.co.uk. shielding is not the problem, done that several times on Strats useing copper slug tape from poundland it's the size or type of connectors for such small wire and how to wire the piezo pickups Tone/Vol separately. If it's not possible I will just use the the diagram above. Thanks for your reply.

 

[pedrobedro]

Being a bodger and not knowing any better I recently had to do this with a Yamaha Pacifica but it is different as it has a 5 way selector. The pots had stopped working for tone and volume and some of the wiring was not connected to anything. I found a few wiring diagrams on Pinterest and followed one of those and I used telephone wire as it was the thinnest stuff I had It worked after I put it back together, I still only know 3 chords but it keeps me entertained.

 

[vmaximus]

@ pedrobedro​

standard wiring and 5 way switching is not a problem, there a loads of wiring diagrams on the net its just 1 on,on,on switch plus tone and volume control has got me stumped. And bye the way most rock n roll are 3 chords and Status Quo have made a very good living from those very same 3 chords. Keep it up you will get to 4 or 5 chords then you are really rocking. Thanks . Pud.​

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[Misterg]

it's the size or type of connectors for such small wire and how to wire the piezo pickups Tone/Vol separately.

I would use gold plated connectors for the pickups, but other than that, I don't think it particularly matters as long as they'll physically fit into the space available. Use 3 pin connectors - 2 for the pickup windings and one for the metal case (if there is one). Maybe something like servo plugs / sockets (for example).

I *think* that the piezo pickup will need a preamp before you can mix it with conventional pickups (the piezo pickup is very high impedance, and the normal pickups are fairly low impedance - they will load down the piezo and make it very 'tinny').

I'd encourage you to persevere with The Fretboard - there are people there who know this stuff inside out.

 

[vmaximus]

Thank you all for your input, i have read somewhere on the webb about the interaction with piezo and standard pickups but the Michael Ruhe's acoustasonic build on the Tube did not seem to have any effect and in fact it sounded pretty good on all p/ups, its just that his build was a hollowed out Telecaster body and top sound board with 2 Telecaster pickups and piezo's with the simplified Red Special wiring (as above)and mine will be an oil can with 2 Strat pickups and piezo's which will probably sound tinny anyway. I will do a mock up at some time and see what it sounds like, it may land up in the bin. I have tried to register several times on www.thefretboard.co.uk. but all i get is email address is in use, I've never registered so i have given up. But thanks to every one for replying. Pud.

 

[minimutly]

@ pedrobedro​

standard wiring and 5 way switching is not a problem, there a loads of wiring diagrams on the net its just 1 on,on,on switch plus tone and volume control has got me stumped. And bye the way most rock n roll are 3 chords and Status Quo have made a very good living from those very same 3 chords. Keep it up you will get to 4 or 5 chords then you are really rocking. Thanks . Pud.​

​

I’m a guitar learner, and saying SQ just used three chords is a bit of an oversimplification. They drop tuned and all kinds of stuff to enable them to play their tunes, and the sheer speed of some of them make it very difficult to copy - I know, I tried...
And failed. But, ever hopeful

 

[vmaximus]

Yes S/Q generally used 3 chords with the exception of Your In The Army Now which used 4 as far as i am aware even with drop tuning or altered tuning they generally used the 3 chord trick. Pud.

 

[m_c]

I have tried to register several times on www.thefretboard.co.uk. but all i get is email address is in use, I've never registered so i have given up. But thanks to every one for replying. Pud.

If you want to DM me your email address, I can message the admin over there and see what the issue is.