Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound for Tele - some install questions

[James _R]

Hello all!

I've been getting some great help from the users here (especially bagman and cagey). I've decided to go for a SD Quarter Pound for my custom Tele but have a couple of questions before i get started (when countless more questions will arise I'm sure!).

From what I've read around the subject, most people ground their bridge pickups by soldering a wire from the baseplate of the pickup to the copper shielded lining of the pickup cavity. The SD Quarter Pound doesn't have this base plate, so that isn't an option for me. How do i ground my bridge pickup??

Also - there's a note with my pickup saying about 'weak sounding' pickups can mean it is out of phase with the neck pickup. I've gone for a Dimarzio True Velvet T - will a mismatch be a likely problem? If so, how do i match them as, worryingly, it mentions cutting the small jumper wire on the baseplate, something mine doesn't have!?

Help a noob out  :tard:

 

[James _R]

No baseplate and no 'jumper wire'...

 

[bagman67]

You have nothing to worry about.  Looks like tere are two leads coming off that pickup.  One will be the hot lead, the other the ground.  Solder the ground to the back of a pot in the control cavity, a ground lug, or to copper tape lining the cavity, whatever approach works for you.  Solder the hot lead to the input lug on your volume pot per the included wiring diagram.


One thing you don't mention but one you'll need to consider is how to ground the bridge itself.  If you're using copper shielding tape in your pickup cavity, just let a strip of it come up over the edge of the cavity so it lays on the top of the guitar.  Then when you screw the bridge down it will make contact with the grounded shielding. 


Alternatively, run a wire (multi-conductor, not solid)  through the ground wire hole that is likely already drilled in the guitar body.  Strip a half-inch of insulation off and splay the wire strands.  When the bridge is screwed down, it will clamp the wire between the bridge and the body, making a solid electrical contact.  Solder the other end to whatever you're using as your common ground in the control cavity.

 

[James _R]

Cheers Bagman! I assume it's a wise idea to sand the black finish of the underneath of the bridge plate back to bare metal in order to get a good contact to ground it? I would imagine the finish on the bridge isn't electrically conductive.... :dontknow:

Also, with regards to the out-of-phase thing - what are your thoughts about the lack of jumper wire? A problem?

 

[bagman67]

My guess is the bridge actually has a metal oxide coating, but sanding it to bare metal won't hurt.


I would also not worry about the phase thing unless you get wacky results when both are installed and you need to troubleshoot.

 

[James _R]

Cheers Bagman! Always a great help  :icon_thumright:

I think i'll sand the plate just to be sure...

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

That's one of my fave SD sc's, just wish it had a dummy coil for hum cancelling is all, but great sounding pickup otherwise.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

With Teles that don't have the self grounding plate, I use a crimp on eyelet with wire between the bridge plate and spring (or tubing) of the pickup mounting screws.  Then you have 3 wires, pickup hot, pickup ground, bridge ground.

 

[PhilAngus]

You need not fear about noise with this pickup. I have the quietest sounding Telecaster I have ever (not) heard!
The trick here is to ground the cavities absolutely thoroughly using a good quality sheet of copper shielding, and cut pieces to fit. Do not use cheap tape, and especially without testing continuity first. I bought a sheet of it which is self-adhesive on one side. Make sure, when you stick one piece over another, the glue on the underside is conductive and that the whole cavity is shielded and that you get electrical continuity from one side to another. I connected all of my cavities together using solder braid. It’s perfect because not only is it a good material but it sits nice and flat. I also rolled a piece of the shield, then poked it in the jack input cavity allowing the front to sit under the input jack metal and the inside to stick to the shielding within the control cavity. I believe from memory I also then rolled up some shielding and made a kind of ring, which I then poked in to the cavity from the inside and jammed it between the shielding I had previously inserted and the jack body. I also shielded the underside of the scratch plate, even though there are no electrical connections on a Telecaster's plate. Then, as others have also said, I stuck a piece of shielding from the bridge pickup cavity and roll it over the body edge so it sits under and is hidden by the bridge. This is why it is so important to make sure you get good quality shielding which still gives continuity when sticking one piece on top of another. Don’t try and attach a piece of wire to the underside of the bridge, it will never take (even after scraping off an area of chrome) it’s a complete waste of time and effort. I actually did try doing this with my Wilkinson bridge and I gave up. Then I remembered about this method I had read about some weeks previously. The shielding method is much cleaner and tidier, less effort and I believe far more reliable. It simply can’t go anywhere or become detached!
I also fitted the Seymour Duncan Phat Cat (P90 in a humbucker shell) and it’s the best sounding neck pickup for a Telecaster in my opinion.

I can't get over how noisy my 2004 American 50th Anniversary Strat is!  :icon_scratch: I have checked inside and there is shielding, but it is nowhere near as well shielded as my Telecaster.