In this off the cuff interview, Lindy Fralin offers up some super tips on how to solder, how to properly wire your Strat style guitar, how hum canceling works and much, much more!
To expand on what you said: 'back in the day' (i.e. vacuum tube TVs & radios etc.) at electronic trade school the instructors always made a point to explain that solder is there to prevent oxidation and corrosion of an already secure mechanical connection. However, when dealing with modern surface mount devices that is not possible and solder is the only way to secure the connection . . . which is why I sometimes had to re-flow motherboards on laptops with hot processors (or any hot components on PCBs) and poorly designed cooling. Or the laptops were actually sitting on a user's lap and the cooling vents were blocked. Even with the post vacuum tube so called solid-state TVs (actually hybrid cuz they still had picture tubes) I saw a lot of arcing burned out connections with Molex connectors and the like in TV horizontal and vertical (yoke) driver circuits. Same with audio amp power transistor output stages. Even with modern components there are also PCBs in many of the newer 10,000 Megawatt (I exaggerate for effect) hybrid 'tube' amps . . . But not the million-dollar boutique amps. Again I exaggerate for effect . . . but they ain't cheap High production flow soldering was not enough in many cases and you had to sometimes get a bit creative when repairing. I always checked any such connections did a bit of preventative maintenance. I charged for it but informed customers (sometimes after the fact oops) and there were always some assholes that that didn't appreciate it and accused me of padding the bill when in fact I was 'doing them a solid'. I thought that's why they were referred to my shop in the first place. I always figure I have the gear opened up on the bench and really getting intimate with it - so why not spend another 15-30 minutes touching up some problem prone connections while I'm in there. . . . . but I digress . . . Awe hell, since I'm already off on a tangent . . . Do you know how to get a musician to pay for his amp repair before you let him take it with him (vs. waiting till he plays the next gig)? Get the money from his manager (i.e. one of the guys in the band's girlfriend). Do you know how you lose a friend? Charge him a fair (fucking LOW 'friend') price for labor and parts at cost for an ASAP emergency repair he needed done yesterday. So you end up spending a beautiful summer weekend inside your basement doing the work while he's outside partying at the lake . . . . I'm not bitter that's the kind of friend I want to lose. LOL. I haven't owned a repair shop for decades. I only repair stuff mainly for myself but sometimes (as seldom as possible) for family and 'friends' . . . don't even get me started on doing repairs for family . . .
Thank you, LINDY! I am a believer in your Pickups. I'd played several guitars with versions of your Pickups in them and honestly,they're all great. Finally, I was able to purchase my first set of New LINDY FRALIN BLUES SPECIAL TELECASTER PICKUPS! I'm excited, buddy. Big deal for me,and I'll be installing them in the next few days. Waiting on new Tone Caps. You keep them coming out,please. Take care LINDY
For being an off the cuff video this is excellent information. Very clear description and the visuals are great. Looking forward to watching the rest of your vids.
Just ordered a blender pot via your business #,i've been reading up on this blender thing since last friday when i bought this MIM im tweaking,love the guitar and plan on making it my own poor mans version of the Eric Johnson model.I spoke with Paul and he suggested the Vintage Hot set after determining what i want out of the guitar,just wanted to thank you for putting such time and effort into your videos,very informative.I look forward to doing future business with you and getting this MIM hot
Awesome, I just found you by accident. You rewired a pair of vintage Tele pick ups for me years ago. Still own that '55! Sounds incredible! Billy Chapman did the re fret sent you the pick ups. Thank You! Great Job!
A couple of years ago, I sent the bridge PUP from my original '72 Strat to be re-wound by you (I had installed a Dimarzo Fat Strat). The original PUP was damaged when I self-potted all the PUPs. Now I want you to rewind the other PUPs, the potting I did was terrible and the PUP you fixed sounds great, plus now I've learned to solder the leads once I get the PUPs back :).
Thanks Lindy, I just ordered a set of Firebirds from you. First time Fralin user, went with you over Lollar. Cant wait to get them to put in my Firebird style project kit guitar I built.
Thank you, Lindy, i wiI just got my bassplste yesterday. I just found this video for the installation. Mine has the tape on it all ready. I am probably going to tin the ground wire first so not to disturb the solder on the pickup ground fragile wire. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge so freely 😃 Aloha Hare Krishna 🙏
very informative. learned a lot. I researched some more about the wave humbucker effect and came across the article "Das Klang-Mysterium der Humbucker-Modes" unfortunately in german, which states, that there are comb filters working, depending on the magnetic width of the pickup. So maybe not only one wave lenght gets eleminated by a certain width, but a whole filter curve.
Thank you for an excellent video. And thank you for pronouncing "alnico" correctly and not saying "al-nee-co". That alone made me subscribe to your channel!
@FralinPickups Thanks for the ultrafast response! I am especially interested in how the screwcoil sounds on the neck pickup! Thanks for these awesome vids!
Thanks indeed so well explained... Im trying to get more of a natural taper on volume pot and I was trying to wire super switch where neck and bridge were on in pos 3 and in 2 and 4 as normal middle bridge middle neck. The blender is neat I did get some ordered in to try the only thing is what if you like oo2 on bridge and o47 neck middle ? I am used to having 2 tone pots working independently for some reason thought this could be done with super switch but so far not working right. I did wire the magic cap in on bridge paf finding that interesting tonight ! more mids indeed and no harsh or shrill highs but you can dime it on 10 tone pot wise and its pretty great there or around 7,8 tops.. I might like 22 there better more used to that on paf in bridge I have another Hss style setup but its got rails in neck and middle and they are too dark. So I want to try a 15 on those neck and middle and 22 on bridge.. As for SSS setup im wanting to try .002 now in bridge taking ice pick highs out but leaving more sounds... from 0 -10 indeed did make the string thicker sounding.... OH I found a Decade box same as the one your demonstrating its en route now.. Makes me want to setup another Tele and or strat with no cap on tone pot and be able to try those on the fly to record or demonstrate with. It also occurred to me why not take these other caps im trying and if I dont like them wire them in another box to demonstrate caps such as paper in oil or poly side by side to hear the difference.. I found the .047 paper in oil caps too warm so went to orange drop in the neck 047 and its perfect. I used your 15 magic cap in bridge and thats a 57 paf so its pretty neat usable tones from 0-8 or wide open on 10... I notice that if im on bridge but just playing near 1st -9th lets say the mids really come out there sounds way better to me but Ill try 22 fralin cap there just to see.... Ive got two HSS style guitars same make same maple neck ones in standard ones in Eb. One has stock paf in bridge and two rails in middle and neck. Those are Dark so the other 15 I think is going there and the 22 will go in bridge. I might be swapping the 15 off the bridge but Ill just wire the other HSS with 22 on bridge and keep 15 on other both paf style pickups... compare contrast.. I loaded a different set in the 2nd one 63 style single coils and 57 paf. Now I like the one with single coils in neck and middle better..... So if the rails brighten up with the magic cap thats another sound but closer to what I like there. I do not like the taper on the volume pot though in those HSS style guitars im playing I have 680 and 150 tied on this one think its 500k 250 and 500 in those guitars wondering what to make that pot smoother more gradual taper for swells ? Also I gather if I wanted to try blender pot and I had super switch its just wiring the wires to switch bridge or neck. Id like to hear the 57 paf and 63 strat neck blended Might just go back in try it but I like 22 on 57 bridge and 04 7 neck middle on other. cant do that with blender. must be way to wire in 3 position having bridge and neck come on..
hi lindy. just came here to say that i got a set of vintage hots on my fender strat and i've finaly found the sound i've been looking for. brilliant pickups!
A few more tips : When soldering on a guitar body , place something over the body to protect it from solder spill , heat , accidental iron being dropped , scratching . Never put anything on the guitar body like solder wire roll etc unless the body is covered up . Masking tap and newspaper .. cloth, towel , ... I've done it all before :-( so don't do what I did by accident ..
Got the Split Rail parts Friday. Installed in my VZ Custom Tele and sounding great! Paired the pickup with a Lawrence L202TN I happened to have in the spare parts drawer, and loving the combination. The 5-way super switch gives me all the 4-way switch tones, plus "1/2 out-of-phase" (OOP with a cap trimming some of the neck's lows), which gives a wonderful, snarky midrange-y tone without losing too much of the bottom. The guitar really wants to play Lowell George/Robbie Robertson style funky country-rock kind of stuff....
I agree with you on the p90's. I've always thought that humbuckers were the way to go for that thicker sound, but I missed that deep rich tone you get from your strings. I'm guessing the mids and treble are dropped out in HBs. Not entirely sure about the science behind it. It's just what my ears tell me.
I have 3 questions I’m hoping to get answers on. On the back of old fender pickups, winding wires are vulnerable to damage, especially on the very exposed edges of the lower fiber bobbin plates. (or plastic on modern ones) Is that exposed wire on the very edge just the extra coil wire brought around from where it is already wrapped around the wire lead-outs at the coil side of the plate to simply end conveniently in the assembly process? I have not had to find out yet simply because I have not had to repair any pickups....yet. If you damage it at that point, will it open up the pickup? Those are very delicate wires exposed in a very bad place and can be easily damaged during installations. The other problem that people can miss is that those exposed tiny little wires can come in contact with any shield, whether it’s copper tape or some just shielding paint and can cause a pickup to not function. Do Fralin pickups have grooves on the bottom plates to lessen the likelihood of damage when you sell to general public customers?
Our Tele neck pickup does have grooves for the wire. The brass eyelets in the bottom fiber plate are for the beginning and end of the coil. The wire is stripped and run through them several times, those extra wraps are there just to keep the wire tight until you can get solder in the eyelet. If the eyelet is soldered correctly, (the first wire through making contact) then you could strip the wire on the front edge away. Most pickup makers don't because it is an insulated wire and usually doesn't cause problems. This can cause problems when the second or third wire through makes the contact, then as you said those exposed wires are part of the circuit. If a pickup dies the first thing I always try is re-soldering those eyelets.
Hi Lindy, I know your busy but i just purchased your p-92's for an Epiphone Dot, 8000/9200, (replacing wire harness with 50's style pots), is that a good choice for a clean "chimmy" tone that the P-90's are known? Thank you.
Just installed a bridge split-blade blues pickup in my strat plus. Awesome! First time that I have been really happy with the tone of bridge (tried several other pups along the way). Bought a base plate as well, but I haven't install it. Is the base plate meant to be used with the split-blades? I haven't seen anything that says yes or no on this...
Hi Lindy, Thank you for the advice. Do you make a 500k blender pot for Gibson style guitars? Also, what pots and caps do you recommend for humbuckers? I was thinking of getting CTS 500k precision pots and sozo.022 caps for my humbuckers. How can I retain my highs and have a clear open sound in the neck and a classic rock type sound in the bridge and have a nice blend between the two? Thanks so much! All The Best, Sam
I gained some knowlegde from this video Thank you.I have to ask though,what happened to your finger?Did you get into a fight with jason lollar?I am sorry I could not help myself>
I have a single coil pups that have about a quarter inch thick magnet across the bottom. Am I able to add a base plate to those, or do they only work for pole magnets?
Ok, I got a royalty check and can send the PUPs. But one question, is it possible for me to just remove the pickguard with the PUPs still in and send to you? Or would you rather that I remove the PUPS (and mark which is neck and middle) and send?
Lindy, All your vids are great. I was wondering if you could recommend a set of your pick-ups for a Fender Texas Strat. It has a humbucker in the bridge and two single coils. I was looking at your hum canceling singles but what about for the bridge? Thanks in advance.
Great tips thank you. Question, about the steel base plate on the bridge single coil. I have a alnico5 set from "the Stratoshpere" company that is like all parts a alternate shop sells guitar parts. What benefits will I see hear if I add the steel base plate to my alnico5 single coil?
Hi Lindy, just wanted to ask you a question. I have your blues strat pickups in both of my s strats. How do I get that really quack sound in the number 4 position. The bridge and middle pickup combination? I can't seem to get much quack as opposed to some videos by some other people on you tube.
i have neck humbucker pickup And its too short wire, Can i extended them to my stack wire pickups? The Stock pick up is 4wires have a 1hot, 1,ground, 2 not usable ground, The New humbucker is only 2 wire.
Hi Lindy, Do you have a schematic for the split blade pick ups blues neck and mid with high output on bridge fitted to 1993 standard US Strat. can't find anything on the schematics page at the web site. Thanks... Steve UK
I've been seeing boards with a plastic thing, kind of like you plug speaker wire into, that lets you easily connect/disconnect wire and possibly capacitor. seems convenient, but I don't know if there's any reason not to do it on a guitar like this
They most likely work fine, but I prefer soldering. A good solder joint has both a mechanical connection like the push-ons and the solder surrounding the mechanical connection.
hello sir thanks for the inspirated video, can you help me, i have 3 humbucker pickup and i want to wiring with 2 500k vol pots & 1pushpull tone , hope you help how to wiring, thanks
Well crap...i used solid strand...but still hasn't broke after almost a year (79 gibson the paul) You re-leaded my t tops lindy, WAY better than my attempt that worked for a few months
Hi Lindy, What would the effect be on a Pickups tone to extent the pole pieces length beyond the baseplate of a pickup.Added tone and output?Thank You kindly.
Sir Franlin, does the material which the base plate is made of change, will the effect change with it ? ( like using cooper instead of Steel) greetings
I use 750 when soldering terminals and 850 when doing the back of pots. Where you have to be careful with too much heat is chips and printed circuit boards.
Lindy, I would like to install a base plate on my bridge pickup but one of the pole pieces are sitting proud on the backside. So, the plate is not sitting flat and rides on the pole piece. Is there a way to safely cut the magnet back flush?
It was pushed down with-out cutting the coil so it can most likely be pushed back up. It is a small risk though. You could drill a hole in your baseplate and let the magnet poke into it, it will still do its job magnetically.
You should always be using an exhaust. Especially if you're doing this all the time. It's important you're around many more years to keep making the good stuff.........
Don't do soldering, without protecting the guitar body from splatter! I find a small fan, arranged to move the toxic fumes away from my nose is sensible too.
I would be pissed if that was my guitar he was working on, if it's his own guitar cool, but working on it on your lap, no cover for the little super hot pieces of solder that spit all over the guitar when you are wiring and I've done a ton of them and it gets everywhere.
You are right, it is my guitar. I only work on my own guitars and don't pretend to be a guitar builder or repairman. I have been soldering so long and have the right equipment that I never drop any. The key is to use as little solder as possible and shake off excess before bringing the pencil over the guitar.
Yo there Captain Midnight that 80 watt is a great way to take shit apart really fast! I use 40 watts at the maximum. I don't have people like you do. You are messing with the minds of the young people. Why would you tell the kids to take their PJs off to solder? Never sit close to the tv like Captain Midnight said kids.
