Installing Pickups

OK, I started installing the pickups!  I decided to install them in a spare pickguard and then transfer them to the guitar's pickguard once done.  As mentioned yesterday, I bought some ring terminals for a pittance, but didn't emerge unscathed, because I decided to get a better multimeter, one that would do a continuity test and beep rather than just display something, the former being much more satisfying. Another $30 lost to this gear habit; OTOH I do like this one a lot more than the tiny portable one I bought a while back.

As mentioned, I'm doing the blender wiring thing.    Also, following the suggestion from a guy on thegearpage.net, I'm doing star grounding.  Even though the guy at Searcy Pickups said it's stupid, at the very least it seems much neater. I'm breaking it up into steps

1. Solder all ground wires to the ring, including the claw and jack wire, except for the volume pot ground
2. Solder all connections to volume pot
• volume pot → switch
• volume pot → tone
• volume pot → output wire for jack
• volume pot → ring for ground
3. Solder all pickups to switch, and solder the switch to the blender pot. Note that the bridge and neck wires will each share a wire with the wire going to the blender; twist them together first
4. Solder the cap on the tone pot - note diagram says 0.047 not 0.022!
5. Test

Today I did Step 1.  It was pretty easy, and using the new multimeter was great fun.

As for step 5, here's my approach to testing.  First, a reminder of how the blender pot works: when on "10", i.e. fully clockwise, it has no effect.

• When the switch is in position 1 or 2, turning the blender towards "1", i.e. counterclockwise, mixes in the bridge pickup
• When the switch is in position 4 or 5, turning the blender towards "1", i.e. counterclockwise, mixes in the neck pickup

With this in mind, I'll temporarily solder the wires to the new jack, then plug it into an amp.  Then for each switch position, I'll do this:

• Switch to appropriate position
• All pots to 10, tap each pickup which should be on with a screwdriver, and note response from amp
• Blender pot to 5, tap each pickup which should be on
• Blender pot to 0, tap each pickup which should be on, expect stronger response from mixed in pickup

 Also, it can't hurt to see if the tone pot is doing anything, though that may not be discernible.

What Comes After Testing is Completed?

1. Remove neck and reinstall with new neckplate
2. Remove pickguard and transfer new electronics to it
3. Install new pickguard, threading through claw ground wire, but not attaching permanently
4. String up and test
5. Once Tremel No arrives, install, solder claw ground
6. Intonate, adjust, etc...