First timer - Need guidance on electronics

[Watchie]

I have just completed the finishing on a Jazzmaster body, routed for two humbuckers, with a rear routed control cavity.  My plan is to use the GFS Mean 90s (p90 in a humbucker size), and I am drilled for V-T-T with a knife switch slot.  So, here are my questions:

1.  Best source for the parts (not looking for the very top end, high price stuff, but do want better than the import crap)?

2.  Kit or components?

3.  Type of pots (250 or 500, linear, etc.)?

4.  Wire size, and should it all be shielded?

Any and all guidance welcome, particularly as to the first question.

Thanks!

 

[Firebird211]

Ok, let's see if this helps ya.

1.  You can get parts anywhere, sometimes you may have to try more than one source to get everything you want.  Musician's Friend, Allparts, etc...there are a ton.  Google search when in doubt.

2.  I would go for different components just to ensure the quality of each component.

3. I would go for 500k pots, audio for vol, and linear for tone.  Doesn't have to be a linear tone, but you may be happier with one.  CTS pots are good, but I have luck with Dimarzio's which are usually higher grade Alpha's.  Watch out for the cheap ones...they suck out loud.

4. Wire size should be similar to what the pickups have (Not smaller), simple circuits would benefit from shielded cable, but crazy circuit wiring benefits from all out cavity shielding IMO.

I almost forgot, I would recommend this solder http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062725&CAWELAID=107595526  the typical 60/40 stuff works, but this is much better, or find something similar.

 

[Dan025]

pots should probably be 500k but p-90's can go either way. 250 k wont be as in your face but if they are hot pup's it can get muddy in the neck position, im recommending 500k for those pickups. volume pots are audio taper, there is differing oppinions about te tone pots but most oem's use audio taper. also you can mix and match values, there is nothing wrong with using a 250k tone and a 500k volume, it will sound a little less bright. also there is caps. everyone has a preference but i like a smaller cap maybe a .022 neck and .03 bridge. i might even go smaller but it will limit the range, i dont know if you's like that. wire size is not important there isn't enough current to matter, but using a good 18 gage wire will make it sturdier if you poke around in the cavity a lot, no breakage. the vintage cloth wrapped wires are very nice to work with and harder to burn the insulation but are not a necessity

a blade switch can be a pain in the arse to completely wire with sheilded wire and you dont have a solder point for the ground there either so it isn't that important. i wouldn't bother. instead i would wire the pups to the tone pots, connect the grounds either by sheilding the cavity so the grounds will be connected by contact to the sheilding or by soldering a solid wire across all the pots. connect the tone pots to the switch with normal stranded wire. and the switch to the volume pot the same way. you can use sheiled wire to the output jack if you want but sheilding is over rated. especially if the cavity is sheilded.

as far as parts there are so many sources and manufacturers it is hard to come up with one single best or bst for the money. i think at a minimum the cts pots from warmoth and other sources. anything with brass bushings should be good. and if you are using push on splined shafts and knobs (fender strat style, not shure what jazzmasters had) i think brass shafts are also a nice feature.

 

[Watchie]

Great advice! Thanks.  Now to the shopping.

 

[Firebird211]

My Schecter C-1 Custom they used all linear 500k's (vol and tone), and the cheap alpha push-pull broke after 10 tries...I was so mad.  I figured I was going to overhaul the thing anyways.  I usually use all audio's in my builds, but the linear tone control has an even response instead of going from slight to drastic.  I have gotten used to the touch required for that.  I figured most OEM's use all audio taper pots just for simplicity of stocking parts for their instruments.

 

[Watchie]

As to the wiring itself,  if using solder lugs under the pots, and grounding those, am I correct that it  is still necessary to also ground a lug on each of the pots?

 

[Firebird211]

As to the wiring itself,  if using solder lugs under the pots, and grounding those, am I correct that it  is still necessary to also ground a lug on each of the pots?

If the surface the pots are connected to aren't conductive, I would ground lug every one of them.  If the surface is covered in a conductive metal or copper, the ground connection can carry through just one lug connection well.

 

[Watchie]

I probably didn't ask my question correctly.  From all the diagrams I can find I see that both the pot is grounded, and one lug from the pot. Usually it is shown with the lug bent back over the pot, and a ground wire is soldered to that.

What I am asking is whether or not I still need to ALSO run one of the pot's lug to ground if I am using a solder ring under the pot and running just that to ground? I assume that I do, and will need a capacitor between the lug and ground.  Is this correct?

 

[Firebird211]

Oh, that's what you meant by lug.  I don't know if it is correct terminology, but most peeps around here refer to the solder ring as a solder lug.  I call the three solder points on the pot, terminals.  They are all solder terminals/lugs anyways, so no matter.  Soldering directly to the back of the pot isn't advisable since the slightest amount of heat will damage it, and it takes quite a bit of heat to get that kind of solder pooled on the back of the pot.  Guitar manufactures do it all the time, and I don't know why.  The ring is a safer substitution to soldering to the back of pots.  What you can do is have both pots use the rings, coming out with the two ground wires where every ground point in the circuit will join it/them.  You can cover the surface everything is mounted to with copper shield just to insure every metal thing mounted is also grounded if it already isn't a conductive metal.  I apologize for the confusion. :doh:

 

[Watchie]

Alright, because I am dense I will ask one more time (my bad not yours).  If I use a soldering lug - thus grounding the pot - do I still need to ground one of the pot's terminals?  Every schematic I have seen seem to indicate this to be the requirement.  Otherwise, just grounding from a terminal would be enough, or just using a soldering lug/ring would do the trick.

Sorry to be so anal, but trying to learn, here.

 

[Firebird211]

Oh no, that's OK.  The solder ring's job is to ground out the metal chassis of the pot itself to prevent noise.  The terminal will still have to be grounded as well to complete the circuit it is hooked up to.  You can just solder a wire to that terminal then connect that wire to every other ground point including the end of the cap that is grounded.  The solder to the back of the pot kills these two birds with one stone, but has it's consequences if you are not quick with the iron.  My advice would be to use green wire to every ring, and terminal that needs to be grounded, then bring those connections together into one point, whether everything is twisted and soldered or a block to solder to including the end lead of the cap (including pickup grounds).  If the pot's are mounted to a metal surface, like copper tape, you can put half of the ground points on one ring, and the other half on the other to make it more neat.  Whatever you do, make it strong, and make a good connection.

 

[Watchie]

Great advice and exactly what I had in mind.  One last question - does the volume control housing also require grounding?  The schematic shown in the link below has only a terminal grounded, but not the volume control housing (unlike what is shown for the tone pots).

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/c=MiY411QZELyf83NJJjGg2vkqy/product/WD2HH3L12_00/Guitar-Diagram-2%20Humbuckers-1-Volume-2-Tones-3-Way-Lever-Switch-View-Download-Free

 

[Firebird211]

Great advice and exactly what I had in mind.  One last question - does the volume control housing also require grounding?  The schematic shown in the link below has only a terminal grounded, but not the volume control housing (unlike what is shown for the tone pots).

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/c=MiY411QZELyf83NJJjGg2vkqy/product/WD2HH3L12_00/Guitar-Diagram-2%20Humbuckers-1-Volume-2-Tones-3-Way-Lever-Switch-View-Download-Free

Yup, it's actually showing the volume housing grounded the same by the little dot.  They just didn't want to extend the wire up to the top because it would be a little confusing having one wire crossing over the other in the diagram in such a small section.

 

[Watchie]

Yes, I see it now.  Thanks.