Upcoming NGD and Beginning of Project thread - Blacktop HH Strat

[sunvalleylaw]

I posted recently in the Squier subthread regarding wanting to mod up a guitar into a HH superstrat similar (but not identical) to the one Rivers Cuomo has used over the years. The goal is to have a solidbody HH guitar in a strat form. For whatever reason, I just prefer that form to a Les Paul, and my Hagstrom is close enough with the control layout on that guitar for me. It was coming down to between a Telecaster and Strat. Strat form won out.

As I said, I was looking at Squiers, but was running into issues finding a guitar that had the neck I wanted, (CV level, and preferred rosewood for this one) and was routed for HH. I did not want to go all woodshop on the project. And as I was looking, I found that the Blacktop HH guitars have RW necks AND 22 frets which I started to want for some reason. I will have to learn to incorporate those threads into my playing some day. :poke:) So, was considering swapping out necks. But necks are expensive. Even used Blacktop ones. So along the way I found a craigslist ad for a Blacktop in the color I preferred for a decent price. Made an offer I expected to dicker from and low and behold, struck a deal! Yay! So, though the initial outlay is more than the squier I was looking at, overall, it will not be all that much more, and will end up with probably a better result. So, presuming the guitar arrives as planned and the deal does not fall through, here is the guitar that is coming my way! These pics are from the seller.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/00g0g_c3JkK9uBqaC_1200x900_zpsccembpcd.jpg~origina l

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/IMG_6265_zpsmayblpca.jpg~original

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/IMG_6267_zpsg6x6ldqb.jpg~original

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/IMG_6273_zpsycxrno9w.jpg~original

When the guitar gets to me I will post some better pics.

Plans: Pull the current pick ups and pickguard (after playing around with it stock first for a bit), then put in Tone2theBone's Dimarzio Virtual Hot PAF I got from him like nearly 10 years ago to put into a Fullerton strat I had for like 5 minutes. And put in something like a Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell, which is a pretty tonefull humbucker that can have single coil like qualities and sing a bit. Not all crunch. Again, some of this is Rivers Cuomo inspired. Also thinking I may replace the volume pot with one that has a little better taper. Something like a Proline pot. The Virtual Hot PAF is not F spaced, but based on what i have read, it should still work. The bridge is the narrower 2 1/16 so it is right on the line. But lots of folks seem to use regular humbuckers in their strats with no problems, so I will try it. Have been wanting to use this pick up a long time, and it is a very popular one.

Should be fun! I will update as I go! This one may take me a while. for one thing, I will have to dust off my soldering skills!

[tjcurtin1]

Ah, yes - fun to have a project like this to look forward to. Involved enough to keep you busy for a while in the planning and execution, yet not such a major project (routing, etc) to make it a chore. Have fun!

[sunvalleylaw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWymbWBpqsg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWymbWBpqsg

:D

[sunvalleylaw]

Deal done! I have a tracking number!

[marnold]

Excellent, I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

[sunvalleylaw]

Excellent, I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

Great! Thanks for replying! I was getting a little depressed that there was not more comment on a GAS acquisition!

Also, how are your pickups/switch wired on your Dinky? Still considering ideas for how I will want to wire this.

[marnold]

Great! Thanks for replying! I was getting a little depressed that there was not more comment on a GAS acquisition!

Also, how are your pickups/switch wired on your Dinky? Still considering ideas for how I will want to wire this.

It's stock. The only changes I made to that guitar were adding a trem stop and a treble bleed cap. The only thing I might ever try is a four-way switch so I could get both pickups in series too.

[sunvalleylaw]

It's stock. The only changes I made to that guitar were adding a trem stop and a treble bleed cap. The only thing I might ever try is a four-way switch so I could get both pickups in series too.

So currently it is a three way?

[sunvalleylaw]

It showed up today! HNGD!! Looks very nice, and not much used. Fret ends need a little polishing. Strings need to be changed. Trem was floating WAY too high. You can see in the first pic when I first pulled it out of the pink peanuts and bubble wrap. I tightened it down a little and it is fine, but thinking I will do a little learning online and do a full setup. I am going to deck the trem in any case on this guitar, and will learn to check and adjust the intonation, relief, and action. I definitely will switch out the parchment PG. It looks pretty cool but is just not my taste. The Dimarzio should fit on there fine, as it looks and turns out. Cool! Project under way!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160524/c847bdf8a57a0dbd66e520387eb445f6.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160524/0248e473a5eaea1a73339c62a4da821b.jpg

[duhvoodooman]

...I definitely will switch out the parchment PG.
Hmm, looks more like mint green to me, but it could just be the lighting. But I'd change it, too--white pearloid, probably.

[tjcurtin1]

Purty guitar - what does it sound like stock?

[sunvalleylaw]

Purty guitar - what does it sound like stock?

Barely got a chance to play it before breaking the old high E string while tightening down that trem and re-tuning. will replace it and find out more. sounded pretty good

Here is a vid that demos a variety of tones:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koGIoGRElXA

and here is a vid of a guy that modded his similarly to what I was thinking about doing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyErLteijgg

I was thinking tort guard like this one. The bridge PAF from Tone2theBone is a zebra, and I was thinking black for the neck pick up I was thinking of which is the same as he has, the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell.

Here is the Dimarzio VH PAF that I have to put in the bridge:

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/Dimarzio_zpsea0omvoa.jpg~original


And something like this for the PG:

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/stratPG_zpsxzw2pifq.jpg~original

As I said, will at least deck, and maybe deck and block the trem on this one, as I plan on using it primarily for sustainy rock things. And I will do some fret end work, and oil up that rosewood real nice a few times. But overall, it looks great! The thing could be new, other than the fret end work and slightly dry appearing rosewood. Not bad but a little dry for my taste.

And @DVM, I think the PG is parchment and that is just lighting. The fluorescents in my office are really gross. But in any case, I think it is going tort. I am not a big pearloid fan. Though I could see that working if one was.

[marnold]

So currently it is a three way?

Yessir!

[sunvalleylaw]

Well, it is up on the wall! I took the strings off, did some initial very light file work that I will continue little bit later, did a thorough cleaning, not that it was that dirty, oiled up the fretboard, and further adjusted the trem.

It's action is too high but I don't have the right size Allen keys so will get those so I can adjust the neck relief which is a bit overdone and then adjust the saddles.

I just ordered a new pick guard and trem plate and will soon order the neck pick up. The nut for the truss rod is pretty buried in finish or gunk so will need to clean that out with some compressed air and maybe some unfolded paper clips or something so I can get into the nut better.

The guitar sounds pretty good as is, but think I will gain a little clarity with the new pick ups.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160526/efbd3d87de311a4f3e8063e5c2833cb0.jpg

[sunvalleylaw]

Got some tools to clean up the frets which I will do this weekend and adjusted the relief and action. By feel. I now have some proper measuring tools so will double check. Pickups are in the new PG,though I need some longer springs for one so will hit the hardware store. Hopefully soldering today or tomorrow. I like the look so far. Wish me luck!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160604/498bde4a4fb330b90f9fef01b099e3e4.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160604/8343c38af7b2cec9ec0a4250b1be931d.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160604/0b7f4956464d4cc7d5a85fb81e61b785.jpg

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, so soldering day. will hopefully get to the neck clean up as well if I have time. But solder first. I have never really soldered before, other than replacing a battery connector in my old Bad Monkey pedal years ago. I have a serviceable little iron, but not a fancy one, and do not have a nice holder, or a "third hand" alligator clip thingy. So will be doing it by hand, ghetto style. Found some good info here:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/so-you-want-to-solder-1

And even better here:
Good demo vids on technique lie therein.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/how-to-solder

And good info on the overall project here, even if the projects are slightly different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yshDK9wF5rk
If I have time, during the project, I will take a couple pics. For those of you that know how to do this, I am sure it seems super basic. but I am hoping it will be helpful to some others who have been reluctant to try any modding, etc.

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, got the old pickguard off, with parts still on it. But, brakes put on this aspect of the project. My old soldering iron is obviously insufficient as I am spending way too much time with the tip on the part to get stuff desoldered. Will need to get a recommendation for a new iron. Oh well, will move to the neck for the rest of my time today.

[sunvalleylaw]

Well, I tried one more time and it worked. I guess I just did not let it heat up enough. It says in what I have read you don't need an expensive iron for this stuff. and I guess you don't. But one better than my cheapo 15/30 from Radioshack might be nice. I may get a better one for my next project.

[duhvoodooman]

It is CRITICAL for fine soldering work that your soldering iron tip be (1) clean, and (2) "tinned" before each soldering operation. It's all about rapid/efficient heat transfer between the tip and the substrate. An oxidized or dirty tip won't transfer heat well, but even a clean tip won't work well without a coating of fresh solder to transmit the heat between the two surfaces. The tip should be a shiny silver before each use. As soon as the tip surface dulls or discolors, it's time to clean & re-tin.

[marnold]

What DVM said.

Plus be patient in letting your iron heat up. You'll get nowhere fast otherwise. Mine's just a Radio Shack job (although it does have a stand) and does what I need just fine. I don't do anything approaching DVM-level projects, though.

[sunvalleylaw]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/40e418aec2458acc42a500dca8ed7c1d.jpg

Thanks guys. I attempted it again once I got it heated up properly. Here is the final result of the first attempt before attaching the Jack and ground wires. Probably not the neatest job in the world but maybe it will work. If not, I will have learned before the next attempt. [emoji4]

[duhvoodooman]

If everything is grounded and the output jack is still wired up, you can test your wiring through an amp by tapping the selected pickup with a screwdriver. You can even test the volume and tone pots from the changes in output sound. Alternatively, you can measure the resistance across each pickup as described HERE (http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/8311). Beats getting everything reinstalled and restrung and then finding out there's a connection problem....

[sunvalleylaw]

If everything is grounded and the output jack is still wired up, you can test your wiring through an amp by tapping the selected pickup with a screwdriver. You can even test the volume and tone pots from the changes in output sound. Alternatively, you can measure the resistance across each pickup as described HERE (http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/8311). Beats getting everything reinstalled and restrung and then finding out there's a connection problem....

Yes, did that, (saw that tip in the Fender vid I linked) and it was all working. But in triple checking before trying to put everything back in, I found a one loose joint. Fixed that. So will check again later.

So, the tale. I will upload pics in a few minutes after posting via Tapatalk. Easier that way.

So, got the soldering figured out as I said. Got confused on one connection, but I think I have it right. Did the "gross" connectivity test you mention and it seems to work. Did not remember to test the tone pots.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160606/625f71ebbbd4a211885d21cfd85f8ccd.jpg
Here is the only stripping tool I have. Will order a better one.

Got excited and decided to put it all back together. BUT . . . when I went to install the wired PG, it would not fit all the way in. Guess what? The screws provided by Dimarzio are too long to fit in the routing of the guitar body. So, I tried to pirate the screws off the stock PG, though I had wanted just to leave that for a later project without messing with the pup mounting in the mint PG. But, guess what? Those screws are too wide! Will not fit in the Dimarzio screw holes. HaHa! So just comical. Oh well. I learned a lot about soldering. The result was a little messy looking, and certainly not up to DVM standards, or probably anyone else's including Marnold's. But it seems to work. If I get it all installed and it is not quite right, or even if I screwed up a stock pot or switch, they are not expensive, and I can get a couple new ones. I was thinking to get a new volume pot anyway for better taper for volume roll down, so if that one does not have clean joints, no big deal. I learned a lot for the next project. Definitely more challenging for me right now than the Santellan solderless kit I used in my tele. But once I get my soldering cleaned up, it will be no big deal.

So, that was the mixed success and lack of success. Perserverance then demanded that I use my time, so I went on and cleaned up the neck using my new files and file guide, and a cheap little file I got as part of a kit to dress the ends once excess material was removed. I then hit the ends with a sanding sponge and steel wool, and then cleaned it all up and oiled the fretboard. Then I put it to bed for the night until i get the correct screws.


All in all, a good learning experience and some good progress was made. :)

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160606/5d6f254a33f4eebfec62b1190958c0e2.jpg

[duhvoodooman]

...I attempted you have attend every time once I got it heated up properly.
Ummm, say what??

[sunvalleylaw]

Ummm, say what??

Ha! Siri error. I fixed it. I just meant I tried it again after the iron finally heated up all the way. I ordered one of the BYOC ones along with a decent wire stripper for next time.

[marnold]

Your wire stripper is far better than mine. I just use the cutting part on my needle nose pliers. As far as soldering quality goes, notice I am careful not to post many pictures of my work here :) The only thing I ever had trouble with was getting the claw on my Floyd hot enough to solder the ground to it. I also ended up sanding it a bit to get a better surface to solder to. All I needed was "Yakkity Sax" playing in the background when I was doing that to complete the experience. It wasn't funny then, but it is kinda now.

[sunvalleylaw]

Your wire stripper is far better than mine. I just use the cutting part on my needle nose pliers. As far as soldering quality goes, notice I am careful not to post many pictures of my work here :) The only thing I ever had trouble with was getting the claw on my Floyd hot enough to solder the ground to it. I also ended up sanding it a bit to get a better surface to solder to. All I needed was "Yakkity Sax" playing in the background when I was doing that to complete the experience. It wasn't funny then, but it is kinda now.
I was trying that, but kept cutting the wires. My current stripper is too large for the wires. To get the job done, I ended up heating up the plastic with flame. (read lit it on fire) then blew it out and pulled it over with gloved hands. I attempted not to breathe while doing this.

[duhvoodooman]

...The only thing I ever had trouble with was getting the claw on my Floyd hot enough to solder the ground to it. I also ended up sanding it a bit to get a better surface to solder to.
This is a common problem. The issue is that the thermal mass of something as large as a trem claw, or even the back of a control pot, is enough that a small iron tip of the kind generally used for wiring work just can't transfer an adequate amount of heat quickly enough to get the substrate above the melting point of the solder. Many people think that the iron itself doesn't have enough power, but that's rarely the problem. The solution is to get a second, larger tip for the iron. See photo attachment below--my wiring/pedal work tip is attached to the iron on the right side, and the larger tip I use for pot grounding, amp work, and soldering to larger substrates is on the left. Its about twice as wide at the tip, but the mass difference is much higher, probably 4 - 5x the small tip. Makes a huge difference. It also helps to use a chisel-style tip--this type will give more surface area contact than a curved conical tip, so quicker heat transfer. And, of course, all of this assumes that you keep your iron's tip CLEAN & TINNED!

Sanding or otherwise roughing up the surface is also a good idea. It doesn't help the thermal mass issue, but it often improves the adhesion of the solder to the substrate surface. A lot of these parts will have a coating of one sort or another that interferes with adhesion--I've seen it cause molten solder to actually bead up on the part surface like a raindrop on a freshly waxed car. But scuff it up with some fine sandpaper and the solder flows and adheres normally.

2385

[sunvalleylaw]

Good info DVM! thank you. Since I have ordered the BYOC economy soldering station, and it is variable setting between 5-40watts, how do I want to set it for doing the type of work I was doing here? I have seen some internet discussion about temps, but have no idea how it translates related to the wattage. Also, I presume there is a good technique for turning it down between periods of work to avoid "blacking the tip"? Any tips for this solder slob?

[duhvoodooman]

Since I have ordered the BYOC economy soldering station, and it is variable setting between 5-40watts, how do I want to set it for doing the type of work I was doing here?....Also, I presume there is a good technique for turning it down between periods of work to avoid "blacking the tip"? Any tips for this solder slob?
I just leave mine set to 700F (~370C) for everything. Since (1) I have had it since late 2009, (2) used it for at least 150 pedal builds plus various other guitar and lighter amp work, and (3) the two tips both look essentially the same as when they were used the first time, I guess I wouldn't worry too much about tip damage at that kind of heat setting. Of course, with a different iron, "YMMV"....but not by that much, I'd suspect.

[sunvalleylaw]

I just leave mine set to 700F (~370C) for everything. Since (1) I have had it since late 2009, (2) used it for at least 150 pedal builds plus various other guitar and lighter amp work, and (3) the two tips both look essentially the same as when they were used the first time, I guess I wouldn't worry too much about tip damage at that kind of heat setting. Of course, with a different iron, "YMMV"....but not by that much, I'd suspect.

OK, I have no idea how to translate the wattage into temp but maybe the instructions on the BYOC will say, as I bet machines differ. If you know of a general guide to translating what wattage setting, say 35W or 40W equals 700F or whatever, please point this soldering noob in the right direction. Thanks for all your insights! :D

[duhvoodooman]

OK, I have no idea how to translate the wattage into temp but maybe the instructions on the BYOC will say, as I bet machines differ. If you know of a general guide to translating what wattage setting, say 35W or 40W equals 700F or whatever, please point this soldering noob in the right direction. Thanks for all your insights! :D
Some soldering stations (like my Hakko) have a controller that is marked in degrees C or F--can't tell from the photo on the BYOC site if the station they sell is one of these or not. I'll see if I can get more info from them...

[sunvalleylaw]

So the new solder station seems really nice. I like the tip size, which is like a finishing nail but more tapered. And the temp control works well. They give you temp ranges in celsius for the markings.

Yeah, ok. It all seemed good as I tried to finish the project. Having the right size screws for the pickups is really nice. But in bench testing it for connectivity, in the middle position, I am missing the inner coil of the bridge. The outer coil toward the bridge is active. So something must be awry with my wiring on the switch. I have double and triple checked it, and it sure looks like I put the wires back where they were when I pulled them off the other pickups. Of course on the Dimarzio it is black and white together rather than green and white. But otherwise, the positions should be the same. Hmm.

Also, in the second and fourth positions, I seem to be getting both lower coils on one, and both upper coils on the other. And I think it should be inner coils on one, outer on the other. So maybe that is messed up too. Hmm. Will have to do some study to see what I can fix before putting it all together.

Wiring stock:

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/IMG_5076_zpszrqmvbl7.jpg~original


Modded by me with Dimarzios

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/GuitarStuff/IMG_5080_zpsvvtwnudi.jpg~original



The rest of it is coming out really nicely. I really like the look of the new pick guard, especially with the zebra picked up. and I have the neck and frets cleaned up and feeling really good.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160611/02a616391a92eeb6e0e1120b7b68c50d.jpg

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, this seems to help. will open it again over the weekend, and see how things got messed up.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgoPW5QSMzE

[duhvoodooman]

For the problem with the inner/outer coils at positions 2 & 4, I would just turn the neck pickup 180 degrees. The other issue with the one coil missing at position 3 sounds like there may be an unwanted connection/short between a couple of adjacent lugs on the outboard side of the switch.

EDIT: See photo attached--is that a solder bridge between the two adjacent lugs?

2386

[sunvalleylaw]

For the problem with the inner/outer coils at positions 2 & 4, I would just turn the neck pickup 180 degrees. The other issue with the one coil missing at position 3 sounds like there may be an unwanted connection/short between a couple of adjacent lugs on the outboard side of the switch.

Thanks DVM. That sounds like a possible solution on the coils. I had set them so both sets of wires came off toward the pots. Hmm. Maybe it will work the other way on the neck. It is a swimming pool route. For the other stuff, I may just redo that entire side. I have to re-do the hot wire for the bridge too, as I don't like the joint. The insulation is stripped too far back, and there is no slack.

[duhvoodooman]

That sounds like a possible solution on the coils. I had set them so both sets of wires came off toward the pots. Hmm. Maybe it will work the other way on the neck.
It'll work unless you have unusually short wires on the neck p/u. You want to keep the connections at the switch the same or run the risk of (a) wiring the two humbuckers out of phase, (b) wiring them so that they hum in combination, or (c) worst of all, both! The inside/outside coil thing is purely to get the added effect of varying physical separation between the active coils of each humbucker when in the 2 or 4 switch positions, so it has nothing to do with the wire connections. When the two inner coils are active, their closer proximity will give rise to greater magnetic filed-induced frequency cancellation than you'd get from the combination of the two outside coils, hence a noticeably different tone. Right now, I'd guess that the tone of those two positions is probably pretty much indistinguishable except for one being a bit more trebly than the other..


For the other stuff, I may just redo that entire side. I have to re-do the hot wire for the bridge too, as I don't like the joint. The insulation is stripped too far back, and there is no slack.
Do you have a solder sucker and/or de-soldering braid to clean up the joints after you de-solder the existing connections? Makes a big difference in keeping things neat.

[sunvalleylaw]

I have a solder sucker that I ordered when I ordered the solder iron. I left it at work, and i plan on picking it up before I re-do this stuff.

[sunvalleylaw]

So where do you guys buy small gauge wire for using as jumper wires on switches and etc? And what do you get?

[sunvalleylaw]

One other update. I guess I may be ok on my wiring after all. I looked more closely at the specs and it lays out switching like this, in every place that I can find specs on switching.

Position 1. Full bridge pickup
Position 2. Two inside coils
Position 3. Full neck & bridge pickups
Position 4. Outer neck single coil
Position 5. Full neck pickup

SO, though my position two seems off due to the wrong coil being active in the neck, that is fixed by my swapping the pickup 180 around in the hole as DVM suggested. I put it in there with both sets of wires toward the pots, but maybe this Dimarzio is set up differently. In any case, there is room with the wire I have and in the hole just to switch it around. AND, looking at position 4, it appears I am not supposed to have a coil active on the bridge in that position. Looks like neck only. So I should be good! I guess I can swap that pup around and put it all back together after all.

[duhvoodooman]

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Guitar-Hook-Up-Wire-24-gauge-Stranded-USA-Made-100ft-spools_p_409.html

[sunvalleylaw]

Well, I thought it was working, testing with the screwdriver test. Put it all back together, strung it up, but no go on the bridge in any position. Despite it acting active when I tested. I must have something goofed up or loose on the power on that side, and knocked it putting it back together. So, good thing I left the extra string on the strings. Will try again either some night this week or more likely next weekend. The good news?? It looks awesome, and the neck pickup I bought sounds freaking great! It has a lot of articulate sound that is not all one blast of sound, but has some depth, and it will get the Weezery feedback I wanted. I think it will sound great for what I want. So that is cool!

So, the learning process continues. :)http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160613/431712d010754cc76c44a6681ef49809.jpg

[marnold]

That's what I like about the vintage-style tuners I put on my '51. Makes it easy to remove strings and string them back up quickly.

I had the same thing happen the first time I put my Lace pups in my '51. Got it back together and the bridge was dead unless the grounds were partially defeated. Turned out that the leads got pinched somehow in the bridge pup cavity itself. Just resetting it fixed the problem. Took a call to Lace to get it figured out, though.

[duhvoodooman]

Probably a twitchy solder joint on the bridge p/u connections. Could be either the hot or ground connections for that pickup.

[sunvalleylaw]

So yay! Took it back apart, without ruining the strings on there, and cleaned up the solder in one area with the black and white wires from the bridge, where there was an extra big glop of solder, and re-did the red hot wire, as I did not like how that joint turned out anyway. Too much exposed wire with no insulation. So, corrected those things, and it all works! Awesome! I finally get to hear the Virtual Hot PAF I bought from Tone2theBone ages ago! And it sounds really good! I like the variation in the wiring set up this way too. Lots of different sounds. 2 and 4 are somewhat similar, but have their own vibe. One thing I might think about is seeing if a guy can take one of the tone pots and turn it into a blend pot as between the two pickups when they are being run together. I have never really messed with separate tone controls all that much.

Old nasty non functioning solder job
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160618/895b64831b25b7fc861f5a2cc1493556.jpg

New and improved. Now with sound!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160618/554ef331b2c1b4a82e97104f2f9bbc64.jpg

All buttoned up. It seems to like its new friend, Rabid Rodent. ;)
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160618/a48d9e183b9551d801cb40320978e001.jpg

[tjcurtin1]

Congrats on getting the wiring sorted out, Steve - it can really make you sweat bullets when it doesn't work like it's supposed to!

[sunvalleylaw]

Congrats on getting the wiring sorted out, Steve - it can really make you sweat bullets when it doesn't work like it's supposed to!

And thanks to DVM for all the great help he provided helping me get there!