Hi, I can't believe that I posted about this project back in 2019, and it's still not finished. It's been twenty years or so since I started this build. I could not work out the wiring for the active pickup set I had, so I replaced them with regular Strat pickups and wiring.
It's a bit of a Frankenstein-type of build, a mix of everything: black and white, chrome and gold, Fender and Gibson style pickguards, with a pine neck and body.
A few minor jobs and it's done. I don't like the pine as it marks too easily.
Taff
Replies
Hi Paul, I do appreciate your help and advice. The pre-amp supplied has the seven wires potted into the case so I do not know what is what. I have a number of preamps here but none that would receive seven wires, five really as two are for the battery.
If you lived in Aussie you could have them, maybe one day I may find the time to sort it out, but at the moment I'd sooner get wood shavings to grow than solder to flow. Ha ha.
Cheers Taff
It would definitely take a while to figure out what's what. Use a wiring scheme and trace it all back. YAY! LOL
Hi thanks for input Paul and Brian. Yes dead right Brian, I bought six or so sets,humbuckers, bass, and strat single coils from a shop that was closing down in the late 90s. I had used some but over the years box’s got opened and some how there are no selector switches. I do have the original wiring diagrams. I believe the EMGs had the pre amps built into them, The Reflex p ups have a seperate unit.
Cheers Taff
Can you use a Gitty Pre-amp with those pickups?
I've found all kinds of wiring on Google for the Red EMG Pickups, but not any for the GFS Redactive Pickups. Only thing I found for the GFS Redactive pickups was a discussion and a layout for the GFS Redactives - H/H and a S/S/H on The Gear Page.
GFS seems to be trying to make their customers buy all their components instead of mix matching.
Paul, I think he’s talking about the Reds active pickups made by Reflex in the later 80’s-90’s? They were UK made & not so many dealers carried them here in the states? But if they’re the Reflex brand I’m thinking of, then they came with a specialized preamp to make them play nice with your signal chain? If they are, then I have a photo of the wiring diagram Taff?
Looks great, nice grain
Hi Paul, it was the set of "REds" active pickups, I could not get them all to switch properly. I tried three different five-way switches with different selection capabilities but no joy. I think not knowing how to wire in the preamp was the problem. Not like the EMG actives that I have wired up in the past.
Thanks for asking.
Taff
Hi, here is the last of the Pine project posts… finished at last? Hmmm.
I could not get the Reds pickup to work after all, not smart enough in the wiring department. I could not find a switch that would work with the active pickup system, So... I went back to old faithful single coil Fender style pickups and wiring. A cheap Chinese set from the parts drawer, if the guitar plays well I get something better down the track.
I had to re-route the pickup cavities to take the different pickups.
Also shown is how I transferred the control cavity shape to a plastic cover plate.
Now that I have become used to the wider fingerboard and neck profile I enjoy playing this guitar, although I have to revisit the pickups etc., for better tone and balance. I can’t judge what difference a Pine body has made as so many other components come into play too.
The Pine Project only took twenty years, now I’m working on a twelve-string acoustic… started nearly thirty years ago. I had better get a wiggle on I think.
Cheers Taff
Looks great Taff
Which pickup is giving you grief?
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