Wiring tips for PRS pickups?

boardn10

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
829
Hey guys,

Been trying to get my Dragon bridge pickup reinstalled but I am unable to strip the white wire cover from the bare wire. I've tried everything. The wire is so narrow and tiny, I can hardly see it, let alone strip it. The most I've done is break off the wire and cover when I try. Any tips on stripping these tiny wires? They don't make it easy. :(
 
Hey guys,

Been trying to get my Dragon bridge pickup reinstalled but I am unable to strip the white wire cover from the bare wire. I've tried everything. The wire is so narrow and tiny, I can hardly see it, let alone strip it. The most I've done is break off the wire and cover when I try. Any tips on stripping these tiny wires? They don't make it easy. :(
Get a better stripper. Lol

I finally bite the bullet and bought a professional grade stripper with all the swaps I do. It's an awesome tool that was well worth it. So easy now.

 
Get a better stripper. Lol

I finally bite the bullet and bought a professional grade stripper with all the swaps I do. It's an awesome tool that was well worth it. So easy now.

Haha...

I will pick one of these up. Looks like it can do those tiny wires. Thanks.
My tech must have one.

I finally got the Dragon installed and played the guitar a while.

I ended up going back to the Tremonti Bridge pickup. The Tremonti, in my opinion, is such a better pickup. Better punch, clarity, fatter, more percussive etc.
 
Haha...

I will pick one of these up. Looks like it can do those tiny wires. Thanks.
My tech must have one.

I finally got the Dragon installed and played the guitar a while.

I ended up going back to the Tremonti Bridge pickup. The Tremonti, in my opinion, is such a better pickup. Better punch, clarity, fatter, more percussive etc.

It's worth it. Such a cool tool. I agree the Tremonti is an awesome pickup. A fav for sure. If you find an older one used that has round bobbins you can add a cover to that.. just a thought.
 
It's worth it. Such a cool tool. I agree the Tremonti is an awesome pickup. A fav for sure. If you find an older one used that has round bobbins you can add a cover to that.. just a thought.
Nice, my Tremonti is an older rounded one but it's in my CE22 without covers.

I thought of that in my SC250, but it looks great black open coil.

I keep listening to people, including winders who tell me that alnico is richer than ceramic. Yet everytime I install a alnico variant, I go back to my Tremonti Bridge. Sounds so rich and full.

For variety, I have some other high gainers, like the Suhr Aldrich and Wolfetone Timbrewolf that I love too.
Even my Rio BBQ gets some love.
 
Nice, my Tremonti is an older rounded one but it's in my CE22 without covers.

I thought of that in my SC250, but it looks great black open coil.

I keep listening to people, including winders who tell me that alnico is richer than ceramic. Yet everytime I install a alnico variant, I go back to my Tremonti Bridge. Sounds so rich and full.

For variety, I have some other high gainers, like the Suhr Aldrich and Wolfetone Timbrewolf that I love too.
Even my Rio BBQ gets some love.
I'm kinda starting to think that pickup builders/ winders, only tell you what is beneficial to them.
I recently bought a set of pickups from a very reputable and well known pickup maker who had a sale going on over Labor Day weekend.
When I asked if he was able to get A4 & UOA5 magnets for the pickups he was building me.
He informed me that, A2, A5, & Ceramic magnets, are the only pickups that pickup makers use.
He told me all the other variations that people offer are just error batches of either weak, or defective magnets that they ordered and are not full strength.
He told me don't buy into the hype and drink the kool aid, because and one point he did, until Tim Shaw set him straight. Nonetheless, the pickup set I bought off him and installed in my 2000 Singlecut Goldtop are stellar!
 
Get a better stripper. Lol

I finally bite the bullet and bought a professional grade stripper with all the swaps I do. It's an awesome tool that was well worth it. So easy now.

I want one. Tired of using my teeth.

Actually, I have three wire stripper but none like that.

I want one.
 
I'm kinda starting to think that pickup builders/ winders, only tell you what is beneficial to them.
I recently bought a set of pickups from a very reputable and well known pickup maker who had a sale going on over Labor Day weekend.
When I asked if he was able to get A4 & UOA5 magnets for the pickups he was building me.
He informed me that, A2, A5, & Ceramic magnets, are the only pickups that pickup makers use.
He told me all the other variations that people offer are just error batches of either weak, or defective magnets that they ordered and are not full strength.
He told me don't buy into the hype and drink the kool aid, because and one point he did, until Tim Shaw set him straight. Nonetheless, the pickup set I bought off him and installed in my 2000 Singlecut Goldtop are stellar!
Sounds like bullsh!t and the winders own theory...altho it may be based on some experiences he's had that make it seem true to him.

These guys don't know everything, they just act like they do.

A2, A3, A4 and A5 (and others) are all available from AddictionFX and you can try them and see for yourself how each changes the sound of a humbucker or P90.

So does whether the magnet is roughcast or polished smooth. If a pickup with a polished magnet (like a stock 59 or JB) is too edgey and sharp sounding I change the A5 magnet to a roughcast A5 magnet. Or to a roughcast A4 or A2

It works!

One of my favorite winders (whose pickups I love!) cannot hear the difference that a roughcast magnet and a polished magnet makes in a humbucker's sound.

So he uses polished. I change them to roughcast because I CAN hear the difference.

So can Seymour Duncan. So can his best winder Maricela Juarez (MJ) who runs the Duncan Custom Shop. I have a bunch of her pickups.
 
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Nature's wire stripper.. I think we've all done it!

It's hands down the best stripper I've had.. edit- wire stripper. :oops:
I tried that but it is so thin, I kept breaking the wire and was running out of room because the thick black out wire was tough to remove and I didn't have much length remaining. In the end, I got it and it worked.
I ended up going back to the Tremonti Bridge anyway.
 
Get a better stripper. Lol a professional grade stripper. They are awesome, well worth it and so easy.


The Most Cost Effective Professional Quality Stripper One Might Ever Encounter... ;)
 
Sounds like bullsh!t and the winders own theory...altho it may be based on some experiences he's had that make it seem true to him.

These guys don't know everything, they just act like they do.

A2, A3, A4 and A5 (and others) are all available from AddictionFX and you can try them and see for yourself how each changes the sound of a humbucker or P90.

So does whether the magnet is roughcast or polished smooth. If a pickup with a polished magnet (like a stock 59 or JB) is too edgey and sharp sounding I change the A5 magnet to a roughcast A5 magnet. Or to a roughcast A4 or A2

It works!

One of my favorite winders (whose pickups I love!) cannot hear the difference that a roughcast magnet and a polished magnet makes in a humbucker's sound.

So he uses polished. I change them to roughcast because I CAN hear the difference.

So can Seymour Duncan. So can his best winder Maricela Juarez (MJ) who runs the Duncan Custom Shop. I have a bunch of her pickups.
Gonna drop you a PM
 
Hey guys,

Been trying to get my Dragon bridge pickup reinstalled but I am unable to strip the white wire cover from the bare wire. I've tried everything. The wire is so narrow and tiny, I can hardly see it, let alone strip it. The most I've done is break off the wire and cover when I try. Any tips on stripping these tiny wires? They don't make it easy. :(
A good old Klein pliers will always do! but I use this one too, I recommend it, can strip up to 22 awg multi-strands, I've had the same one for years! my carpal tunnel thanks me!
KufSmUD.jpg
 
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