Wiring tips for PRS pickups?

boardn10

boardn10

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
814
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. :(
 
boardn10 said:
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. :(
Click to expand...
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.

Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper

hilmor is retooling the HVAC/R industry with key products including manifolds, gauges, electronic gauges, refrigeration hoses, ball valves, flaring and swaging tools, bending tools and service tools.
www.hilmor.com www.hilmor.com
 
SinSir said:
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.

Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper

hilmor is retooling the HVAC/R industry with key products including manifolds, gauges, electronic gauges, refrigeration hoses, ball valves, flaring and swaging tools, bending tools and service tools.
www.hilmor.com www.hilmor.com
Click to expand...
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.
 
boardn10 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
SinSir said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
boardn10 said:
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.
Click to expand...
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!
 
SinSir said:
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.

Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper

hilmor is retooling the HVAC/R industry with key products including manifolds, gauges, electronic gauges, refrigeration hoses, ball valves, flaring and swaging tools, bending tools and service tools.
www.hilmor.com www.hilmor.com
Click to expand...
I want one. Tired of using my teeth.

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

I want one.
 
Jbyrd78 said:
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!
Click to expand...
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.
 
Last edited:
SinSir said:
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:
Click to expand...
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.
 
SinSir said:
Get a better stripper. Lol a professional grade stripper. They are awesome, well worth it and so easy.

Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper

hilmor is retooling the HVAC/R industry with key products including manifolds, gauges, electronic gauges, refrigeration hoses, ball valves, flaring and swaging tools, bending tools and service tools.
www.hilmor.com www.hilmor.com
Click to expand...

The Most Cost Effective Professional Quality Stripper One Might Ever Encounter... ;)
 
Lewguitar said:
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.
Click to expand...
Gonna drop you a PM
 
boardn10 said:
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. :(
Click to expand...
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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