18 gauge wire

[Watchie]

Is there any down side to using 18 gauge stranded wire for the various runs in my control cavity (between pots an to ground)?

 

[spauldingrules]

None soundwise.  I use it, and sometimes it's hard to cram everything in there, but you should be all good.

 

[Cagey]

Is there any down side to using 18 gauge stranded wire for the various runs in my control cavity (between pots an to ground)?

Not electrically or tone-wise. But, it's awfully heavy stuff for that duty. Be like wiring your telephone with welding cable.

 

[Watchie]

It's readily available at the corner hardware store, and surprisingly a lot more flexible and easy to work with than I thought it would be. 

I do have one other question with regard to this project.  My plan has been to use soldering lugs so as to avoid any chance of "boiling" my pots, and in general to make the whole thing a bit easier to complete. However, my body is rear routed, with no pickguard, and I am not sure with 10mm (short) pot shafts I will have the length I need to use the soldering lugs.  Any thoughts on this?

 

[Cagey]

Those lugs are pretty thin, less so than many washers. If they're going to make or break the installation length, you're already in trouble. You're probably only talking about using up a half a thread on the shaft.

 

[Cagey]

This isn't a short-shaft pot, but it'll give you an idea of what kind of space those lugs use up. This is the tone pot for one of my strats.

I bent the lug at about a 30 degree angle to make it easier to clear things on installation, and in case I need to work on it later.

In your case, you're going to need to add a wire to the ground lug to actually ground it, because the pot itself isn't going to be grounded on a wooden base.

 

[Watchie]

Got it.  They should work.  Thanks for the scan.

 

[Watchie]

Spotted these at the neighborhood True Value. They fit perfectly, and with the insulating plastic off should allow for both crimping and soldering.

<center>   
<a href="http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/?action=view&amp;current=solderlug.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/th_solderlug.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>
</center>

<center>   
<a href="http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/?action=view&amp;current=solderlug.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/solderlug.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>



</center>

 

[OzziePete]

Spotted these at the neighborhood True Value. They fit perfectly, and with the insulating plastic off should allow for both crimping and soldering.

<center>   
<a href="http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/?action=view&amp;current=solderlug.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/th_solderlug.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>
</center>

<center>   
<a href="http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/?action=view&amp;current=solderlug.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/jrcato/solderlug.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>



</center>

I use those sort of lugs to hookup a string ground within the tremelo cavity.........I attach that lug to the screws that hold the trem claw, between the bracket that holds the springs and the screw head....like a washer. Then I run the wire to ground.

 

[Cagey]

Yeah, those will work just fine. Plus, the ability to both crimp and solder is a Good Thing: the secret to a good solder joint is a good mechanical joint. Solder itself is pretty soft, so you can't rely on it too heavily for structural strength.

 

[Watchie]

Ah, then progress on my newbie adventure.

Okay, now back to the wire gauge.  The local Radio Shack has stranded 18 and 22 gauge wire.  Given I now have a reasonably available choice, which is best both in terms of sonic aspects and in terms of ease of use?  There is one web site out there that makes custom harnesses (pots, wiring, etc.) and claims that they use a heavier gauge wire to enhance the sound.  Anything to that?

 

[Cagey]

22ga. is fine. Anybody claiming heavier wire has a better sound has no idea what they're talking about, or is just trying to separate your money from your wallet by making claims they don't figure you know anything about or will check on.

 

[Cagey]

Check out the wire DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan uses on their pickups. I doubt if it's even 28ga. Stuff's like hair.

 

[Watchie]

Got it, and again, thanks for all the guidance and advice.  This has been a very fun project for me, particularly due to this site and all the info it provides.

 

[pabloman]

Anybody use solid wire?

 

[Cagey]

Anybody use solid wire?

For some stuff. For instance... (forgive the focus)

The switches are DPDTs, but they only need to be SPDTs. I just happened to have the DPDTs laying around. Each switch simply grounds the pickup's output or adds it to the mix. So, you end up with 8 possibilities, if you include "all off":

#	B	M	N
1	0	0	0
2	0	0	X
3	0	X	0
4	0	X	X
5	X	0	0
6	X	0	X
7	X	X	0
8	X	X	X

 

[bagman67]

What are those p'ups, Cagey?

Bagman

 

[pabloman]

I used solid wire on a few customer guitars and it just looked so clean. Especially with crazy switching schemes. Are those the NEOVINS Cagey? How do you like them?

 

[Cagey]

They're dirt-cheap noiseless units from Gordon Food Service GFS. They call them their "Neovin" series, the "Power Rock" variation. They're actually rail-style pickups, but they concentrate the fields at the top by putting in slugs between them so you don't get the "comb filter" effect side-by-side coils usually bring to the party. Dead-quiet, as they say, and they sound pretty damn good.

 

[Cagey]

Are those the NEOVINS Cagey? How do you like them?

Yes. I'm cautiously optimistic. As it sits, they sound pretty good. I still have some setup work to do, so it fights being played properly.