Bobby K Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Just wanted to ask about resoldering the hot wire in a P bass pickup. (at the actual pickup itself, at the lug/hole where the single copper strand from the coil leads to) I'm toying with the idea of going straight to jack with my pickup wires, bypassing tone and volume controls altogether. Only problem is, the hot wire isn't long enough to reach the jack. It's very thin and flimsy anyway, so wanted to replace it with a decent (slightly thicker) cloth covered length of wire I've got spare from a P bass wiring kit. I know this is a very delicate procedure that can bugger the pickup, but just wanted to get some advice/ thoughts before even considering attempting it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 You'll need a fairly hot iron (40W?) with a narrow tip. And be a bit more than delicate! G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 [quote name='geoffbyrne' post='986079' date='Oct 12 2010, 07:10 PM']You'll need a fairly hot iron (40W?) with a narrow tip. And be a bit more than delicate! G.[/quote] I'm assuming the danger is breaking or even melting the single copper strand... or is there more to it than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Probably best extending the wire elsewhere. Usually there is a joint at the pickup anyway, the fine winding wire terminates and a more durable wire is attached to the bobbin more securely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='986112' date='Oct 12 2010, 07:35 PM']Probably best extending the wire elsewhere. Usually there is a joint at the pickup anyway, the fine winding wire terminates and a more durable wire is attached to the bobbin more securely.[/quote] Ok, so maybe join the new wire to the existing hot wire by soldering and then insulating the join with insulation tape, or even that shrink wrap stuff? The new wire (the aforementioned cloth covered one) is a bit thicker, seems a different gauge. Is it ok to join these two diffent thicknesses together? The [i]more durable wire[/i] you mention...do you mean the hot wire itself? It's just that I can't see any other wire; the fine copper strand seems to lead directly to the bobbin, unless I'm a bit thick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 The stuff wrapped round the pickup poles is super fine, probably thinner than a hair, so it probably stops and a thicker wire is attached, but it might be inside the actual pickup somewhere, so that the insulation on the thicker wire can be attached tot he housing and take any strain. Using thicker wire is fine, the winding wire is super thin. Just keep lengths to a minimum, you could attach shielded wire very close to the pickup, that is probably best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='986201' date='Oct 12 2010, 08:33 PM']Using thicker wire is fine, the winding wire is super thin. Just keep lengths to a minimum, you could attach shielded wire very close to the pickup, that is probably best.[/quote] So I could make the join I described above, but just make sure it's not too far from the pickup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 [quote name='Bobby K' post='986208' date='Oct 12 2010, 08:39 PM']So I could make the join I described above, but just make sure it's not too far from the pickup?[/quote] Yeah, the distance from the pcikup isn't critical, but more of the wire shielded is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='986226' date='Oct 12 2010, 09:54 PM']Yeah, the distance from the pcikup isn't critical, but more of the wire shielded is better.[/quote] Also bear in mind that the wire used in the pickup coil is lacquered. You'll have to gently scrape off the lacquer to make a good solder joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 [quote name='dincz' post='987220' date='Oct 13 2010, 06:19 PM']Also bear in mind that the wire used in the pickup coil is lacquered. You'll have to gently scrape off the lacquer to make a good solder joint.[/quote] I'm not soldering anywhere near the pickup wire now. Maybe i've confused the issue by referring to the [i]hot pickup wire[/i] - all I meant was, the lead wire that normally goes to the first lug of the volume pot. I'm now going to join some more wire to this lead wire, as it is currently too short to reach the jack socket. Originally I was considering [i]replacing[/i] the existing lead wire and putting a longer one in. This seems to be fraught with danger and far too delicate for my shoddy soldering, so I'm opting to lengthen the existing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Ok.. Lead wire has been lengthened, all wires now going straight to jack and all is well. Bass sounds great, maybe a smidgen louder...? maybe that's some sort of placebo effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 (edited) [quote name='Bobby K' post='987904' date='Oct 14 2010, 11:55 AM']Ok.. Lead wire has been lengthened, all wires now going straight to jack and all is well. Bass sounds great, maybe a smidgen louder...? maybe that's some sort of placebo effect [/quote] Just one more thing fellas. If I find that the straight to jack sound is a bit harsh (with new strings for example) could i attach a capacitor across the tip and sleeve of the jack, to tame the sound a bit? Or will a cap only have an effect when used in conjunction with a tone control? Cheers Bob Edited October 17, 2010 by Bobby K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 A cap will act like a fully rolled off tone control, although that would be dependent on the cap value. Probably best losing some treble elsewhere in the chain, like rolling off the tweeter some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='991768' date='Oct 17 2010, 11:02 PM']A cap will act like a fully rolled off tone control, although that would be dependent on the cap value. Probably best losing some treble elsewhere in the chain, like rolling off the tweeter some.[/quote] Oh I see. I thought it would be the other way round (like having the tone on 10) , but the resulting sound being dependent on the cap value. Anyway, there's no harm in trying out different caps, so that's what I'll probably do. I don't have any tweeters in my rig, but can tweak the amp eq, but usually at gigs, my bass guitar's sound goes straight to front of house through a DI box, hence the need for losing treble at the bass itself. I'll experiment with different caps and maybe even go back to using the tone control after all. Going the long way round is always the best way to learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Get a socket so you can cap change easily, and have it poking out the former tone knob hole. Could also put a high value resistor before the cap, equivalent to the pot resistance, that would do the same as on 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 18, 2010 Author Share Posted October 18, 2010 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='991825' date='Oct 17 2010, 11:53 PM']Could also put a high value resistor before the cap, equivalent to the pot resistance, that would do the same as on 10.[/quote] Would that need to be 250k, like the tone pot then? Could I get one in Maplin or somewhere like that? I'm not the greatest with electronics, what exactly would I need..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 [quote name='Bobby K' post='991919' date='Oct 18 2010, 07:58 AM']Would that need to be 250k, like the tone pot then? Could I get one in Maplin or somewhere like that? I'm not the greatest with electronics, what exactly would I need..?[/quote] Yes, and should be able to. Or you could just leave the tone put in place, in the cavity, if you are really desperate to have the same thing without the control option. If you got for the resistor way, it just replaces the tone pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby K Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 (edited) [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='993046' date='Oct 19 2010, 02:36 AM']Or you could just leave the tone put in place, in the cavity, if you are really desperate to have the same thing without the control option.[/quote] Yes, it did dawn on me that the tone pot was in fact a (variable) resistor and it also dawned on me that i might as well be able to control said resistor I've basically come full circle and will now wire up the controls conventionally The reason I went straight to jack originally, was that I wasn't happy with my tone and wanted to check pickup was ok on it's own (straight to jack) - Tone changed dramatically and for the better, but obviously there were those issues with the sound being a bit harsh etc. So, the pickup was obviously ok. I've now discovered that my problem lay with the cap, which I'd probably heat damaged and wasn't having any effect. Will pop a new one in. It's all been a learning curve. Thanks for your input Mr F Edited October 19, 2010 by Bobby K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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