Solderless Connections

[Matt_D_]

I cant be the only person who's been thinking about how to connect electronics and pickups without the use of a soldering iron.

I've been thinking lately about either using RJ11 cables, or those jumper type connectors you find on hard drivers. just *something* so i dont have to resolder everything every time i swap pickups.

I've seen the solderless kits from other people, but they all seem to assume that you want to wire things up in a particular way, what i'd rather do, is have the wiring as-is in my guitars, but be able to swap in and out different pickups. rather than change the wiring layout each time.

So, anyone got any ideas? would anyone else be interested in this kind of thing?

 

[yellowv]

SD Liberator.

 

[Matt_D_]

the main thing I dont like about the "liberator" is that I need to basically re-wire my guitar to fit it.

All I want to do is put some kind of connector on the pickup input leads so I can replace pickups without needing to touch the wriing...

 

[rikomaru]

if pickup swapping is your main concern, then that's what the Liberator is specifically designed for. Once you do the initial wiring, the pickups swaps are just plug and play pretty much. Personally i'm trying to source parts to build "quick-connect" pots and switches, since i'm the type to suddenly want random coil taps/splits and extra electronics. lol

 

[Matt_D_]

As much as the purists probably hate the idea. a small circuit board with some connectors would probably be pretty handy. as long as the pots weren't soldered onto the board that is...

maybe I should learn how to fab boards in china

 

[Not The Same as Yours]

Hi

I have been dealing with that problem for quite some time. My first solution for passive pickup was to mimic EMGs, so I found some male/female connectors and tried to make them work. They didn't, because of their dimensions.

So, a few years ago (2/3 years) I found some electronic connector that do just the job and a perfect one it is.

There are several sizes and variation types, so try to chose the smallest ones. I do not have here any photo of them applied to my guitars, but here are some possible solutions:

So, I use these kind of connector blocks for my 2 humbucker guitars. Pins are soldered into the circuit and pickup wires are plugged in those holes, secured by screws. Obviously, pickups wires terminals must be prepared as a soldered end to make contact. It is as easy as that. I change pickups on a Floyd Rose guitar in less than 10 minutes and on a fixed bridge in a few more, having in account detuning and retuning strings.

These things are fairly cheap and can be found at your local radio shack or dedicated electronics shop.

These things also allow for out of phase corrections without any soldering, just swap wire connections...

 

[Matt_D_]

YES I JUST FOUND THE SAME THING ON AMAZON

Amazon.com: 5 Pcs 5.08A 5.08mm Angle 4 Pin Screw Terminal Block Connector Pluggable Type Green Color Skywalking: Home Improvement

 

[Not The Same as Yours]

Matt, those you showed on that link are Male/Female and take a lot of space on your control cavity.

Search for some more like the ones on the first or last photos. Those are small enough to place inside the guitar without taking too much space.

These do the trick:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

 

[ixlramp]

Bumping this instead of starting a new topic.

I have a health condition which requires me to avoid even mildly-toxic fumes. However also, i just dislike the idea of soldering. I have decided to completely avoid soldering in gutar wiring and rely on mechanical and easily-reversible connections, even if this costs a little more and takes up more space in a control cavity.
I am not interested in various so-called 'solderless' kits, as these still require plenty of soldering and are specifically for pickup swapping.

I am a beginner at wiring guitars, and have just finished a simple wiring job. I removed both humbuckers from a guitar, fitted a dummy pickup cover in the neck position and fitted a beautiful black quad-rail twin humbucker in the bridge position, and wired this direct to the output jack.

For connecting wire to wire i used the new compact '221 series WAGO reusable spring lever connector blocks', these come in 2, 3, and 5-port versions, allowing many ground wires to be joined together.
For connecting wire to output jack, i used 'female crimp spade connectors' which come in various sizes, one particular size securely slides onto the connector lugs of the output jack.
I use a crimping tool to fit the spade connectors to the wires.

I can adjust wiring quickly and repeatedly with no waiting for a soldering iron to heat up.
No messy, fiddly and skill-requiring soldering needed.
No fumes and needing to work in a very well ventilated area

Of course, volume pots and EQ controls may be more difficult, depending on the connector tabs they use, but i expect i could find a mechanical connection solution.

//////////////////////////////////

It seems to me that soldered connections are partly a result of commercial pressures on mainstream factory guitar production. Obviously, a tiny blob of solder is far less expensive than connector blocks and spade connectors, and the wiring technician, who has the necessary soldering skills perfected through repetition, can sit there with a soldering iron always on and wire guitars one after the other. It is probably assumed (correctly) that the average guitarist will not want to alter the wiring later.

So i just want to emphasise that many aspects of guitar that most do not question are not necessarily best, and may just be the result of cost-cutting. Question everything.
For example, another such aspect for me is nuts. I consider that nuts should be 'per string height and intonation-adjustable', they need to be. However, cheap plastic nuts 'very roughly' work well enough for the average sloppy-setup guitarist, so they are used for cost-cutting.

 

[Adieu]

Bumping this instead of starting a new topic.

I have a health condition which requires me to avoid even mildly-toxic fumes. However also, i just dislike the idea of soldering. I have decided to completely avoid soldering in gutar wiring and rely on mechanical and easily-reversible connections, even if this costs a little more and takes up more space in a control cavity.
I am not interested in various so-called 'solderless' kits, as these still require plenty of soldering and are specifically for pickup swapping.

I am a beginner at wiring guitars, and have just finished a simple wiring job. I removed both humbuckers from a guitar, fitted a dummy pickup cover in the neck position and fitted a beautiful black quad-rail twin humbucker in the bridge position, and wired this direct to the output jack.

For connecting wire to wire i used the new compact '221 series WAGO reusable spring lever connector blocks', these come in 2, 3, and 5-port versions, allowing many ground wires to be joined together.
For connecting wire to output jack, i used 'female crimp spade connectors' which come in various sizes, one particular size securely slides onto the connector lugs of the output jack.
I use a crimping tool to fit the spade connectors to the wires.

I can adjust wiring quickly and repeatedly with no waiting for a soldering iron to heat up.
No messy, fiddly and skill-requiring soldering needed.
No fumes and needing to work in a very well ventilated area

Of course, volume pots and EQ controls may be more difficult, depending on the connector tabs they use, but i expect i could find a mechanical connection solution.

//////////////////////////////////

It seems to me that soldered connections are partly a result of commercial pressures on mainstream factory guitar production. Obviously, a tiny blob of solder is far less expensive than connector blocks and spade connectors, and the wiring technician, who has the necessary soldering skills perfected through repetition, can sit there with a soldering iron always on and wire guitars one after the other. It is probably assumed (correctly) that the average guitarist will not want to alter the wiring later.

So i just want to emphasise that many aspects of guitar that most do not question are not necessarily best, and may just be the result of cost-cutting. Question everything.
For example, another such aspect for me is nuts. I consider that nuts should be 'per string height and intonation-adjustable', they need to be. However, cheap plastic nuts 'very roughly' work well enough for the average sloppy-setup guitarist, so they are used for cost-cutting.

There are no toxic fumes to speak of in solder, and certainly not for a casual seldom-DIYer in a ventillated space

The RoHS lead ban was primarily concerned with landfill waste, not soldering exposure. Which in any case would be relevant for industrial workers who do thousands of solder joints a day, every day... not some guy who does a dozen solder joints once or twice per year.

And, in any case, you can use the crappy RoHS compliant solder and/or wear a respirator if so concerned

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Guitar Fetish RED Active solder less components will work for passive systems also, just omit the power supply. The Buss, the connectors, the switches & pots.

 

[NotQuiteWes]

I used Mad Hatter guitar products on my Epiphone when I put in SD Alpha/Omega's. They're kit worked very well. The only problem I had really was due to the small control cavity in my Special II.

 

[gunch]

Mad hatter guitars sells kits for any kind of setup, thinking about going that route too if I can decide wether I want to stay active or go passive (have an emg 57 and a single volume rn in my headless)

 

[jarledge]

yep i prototyped with both one of the green connectors mentioned and rj 11 cable. I could never get the costs and installation down to what i felt was a reasonable price for the average guitar player.

 

[Tom30cal]

I’ve found these to be perfect for changing pickups and wiring configurations. They’re sold primarily for Remote Controlled vehicles. The 4 wire connectors are only 5mm wide. The only drawback is the need to have a PCB in the control cavity.

 

[ixlramp]

There are no toxic fumes to speak of in solder

Ok thanks, but research indicates that even the safer types of solder produce potentially harmful smoke (maybe a tiny risk to a normal person, but not to me).
I rarely wire up guitars so extraction equipment is not justified. It is often cold where i live so opening all the windows is not an option for half the year, a waste of home heating too.

I recently felt ill for a day purely from the fumes from the adhesive on the back of copper shielding tape i used to line the control cavity =)
I cannot use respirators because they have a strong (to me) odour that also affects me (or at least, the last ones i bought did, and i do not like the idea of buying them not knowing if i have wasted my money). Besides, once the job is done, any fumes are still in my house.

And yet, i would like to build instruments, it is making me investigate alternatives such as metal or mechanically joined wood, which suits my innovative approach =)

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Ok thanks, but research indicates that even the safer types of solder produce potentially harmful smoke (maybe a tiny risk to a normal person, but not to me).
I rarely wire up guitars so extraction equipment is not justified. It is often cold where i live so opening all the windows is not an option for half the year, a waste of home heating too.

I recently felt ill for a day purely from the fumes from the adhesive on the back of copper shielding tape i used to line the control cavity =)
I cannot use respirators because they have a strong (to me) odour that also affects me (or at least, the last ones i bought did, and i do not like the idea of buying them not knowing if i have wasted my money). Besides, once the job is done, any fumes are still in my house.

And yet, i would like to build instruments, it is making me investigate alternatives such as metal or mechanically joined wood, which suits my innovative approach =)

Look for respirators that are sealed in foil (like a potato chip bag), full face will help too. Stick with a name brand like 3M or Honeywell. Also make sure your cartridges are fresh. Most of the time, the weird smell is from either the packaging the APR comes in or from an old and loaded cart.

Get an purification system. They're actually really affordable now that OSHA got a lot more stringent with particulate standards. I was able to get a 1000+ CFM model on Amazon for <$300 delivered.

You could always go the nuclear route and go for a full supplied air rig. New they're like $1k for an entry level setup, but local fire departments sell used, great condition ones for less than half that. My work just bought a few reconditioned MSA (best company) units for something like $300.

I've been a HazMat technician for almost a decade, I've worn all kinds of PPE. I also have asthma, so I understand being sensitive to stuff. The tech is out there to help you. Let me know if you need any more recommendations or information.

 

[Adieu]

Guys, be serious

This is relevant for a dude who solders all day every day for decades at a factory.

Not a once every leap year DIYer

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Guys, be serious

This is relevant for a dude who solders all day every day for decades at a factory.

Not a once every leap year DIYer

If he's not comfortable he's not comfortable.

Why do you care if he spends $40 on an APR?

 

[jonsick]

This topic has come up ever since I can remember on the old HC boards, BC Rich boards, even JustGuitar (or whatever it was called) BBSs. I had a bunch of guitars using EMG's solderless system. All I found is that they are noisier for sure and require a lot more space in the electronics cavity than is reasonable. If you google around, I did my old Ibanez RG2570 (silver one) with EMG Solderless. It looked like a bad spaghetti bolognese with optional battery.

In the end, I've redone pretty much all my EMG-loaded guitars with hardwire connections. I still have a tonne of the solderless stuff for just in case I ever need it (I doubt it), but instantly noticed that going soldered fixed all the noisiness and I didn't have random hits of "Why doesn't my X work anymore?"

I get soldering can be a pain, but once you get good at it, it's nothing. The consequence of higher reliability and no noise is worth taking an evening out to do it right given you'll do that anyway to take the guitar apart.