Want to install my own electronics, much help needed!!!

stix_clgi · #1 07-25-2011, 11:57 AM

I recently purchased a set of dual coil Barts (XXM56M) and a pre-wired Aguilar OBP-3. The music store I normally get work done at is backlogged by three weeks, and the other music store is afraid to do the required routing (preamp is in a 5-knob config, bass currently has 4 knobs). So, I'm thinking about installing everything myself. I am trying to learn as much as I can, but I'm finding that instructional articles and vids assume too much. I am a total novice with electronics. I've soldered once, and it was a water heater pipe. So i guess my questions/request is, is this job too advanced? What do I need besides a soldering gun, solder? Is there a step by step guide I may have overlooked? I figure it wouldn't be too hard because the preamp is already wired (bought it here on TB), however I realize I don't know which knobs are which lol. Any help is appreciated.

-Stix

darkstorm · #2 07-25-2011, 02:28 PM

Sounds like you diff need someone to help you with it. Any friends whove done soldering and minor electronics work on guitars like changing pots or pups? I gotta wonder why the one store is reluctant to do the routing which from your description is simply drilling hole for new pots shaft. Is the control panal to tight to fit another pot or control cavity to small to comfortably fit everything in including the battery woithout some hassle?

Tools you'll need: soldering gun, solder, holder for soldering gun. Screwdrivers and pliers for removing old pots and accesssing control compartment. Wire cutters for cutting wires where needed and stripping wires at end so they can be soldered where they go. A battery or two for preamp. Some foam to put under battery to keep it from rattling around in control compartment and as protection to keep battery from being right on top of pots etc. Electric tape to cover any spliced wires as in battery leads or otherwise where your to splice a wire. The isntruction sheet for the stuff your gonna install.

Knob order. Generally its gonna be the order they are in without the wires of one crossing over a neighbors wires. This generality though can result in putting them in backwards. As in instead of: vol, blend, bass, mid, treble. The opposite of that. However the end of chain with input jack is gonna be at the jack end of control dept as basic way to determine which direction is right. Your gonna need to replace the input jack with the one that came with the preamp unless the bass is allready one with active preamp in it.

ejaggers · #3 07-25-2011, 03:44 PM

I modded a AFN P, and replace the electronics from scratch myself at first. Just to see if I could. It actually did work, but it was truely ugly!!! But then I got a 62 RI set pre-wired (except for pups), and let my luthier do it. It looks much nicer than what I did. Although you couldn't see it, mine would have bugged me just knowing how messy it was under the hood. But I repeat, it worked.

stix_clgi · #4 07-25-2011, 08:46 PM

Thanks for the replies fellow TBers! And sorry for the late response. I opted to have a local store do the install. I did a Google search and found a shop much closer to home that apparently is a gem hidden in Southern Maryland. I think I may by a little $50 bass with some cheap pups/pre to practice on...I really want to learn how to do this!

The preamp was bought used and came in a cardboard box wrapped in paper towels lol...no wiring diagram, or piece of paper saying which pot is which. I assumed the master vol and blend knobs were the knobs that had the most wires soldered to them; my problem was that two of the knobs were push pull pots and I decided that was a little too advanced lol.

As for why the store was reluctant, I'm not sure honestly. They never even looked at the bass, I talked to them over the phone. My best guess is they are backlogged, as they've done work for me in the past that required drilling a hole for a selector switch and making the pickup spaces a little bigger.

But thanks again for the responses, I should hear from the tech tomorrow as he wasn't in today. I'll update this post just to let you guys know how things went. Take it easy!!!

**line6man** · #5 07-25-2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkstorm

Tools you'll need: soldering gun

DON'T USE A GUN. Those are far too hot. You need a pencil iron.

SGD Lutherie · #6 07-26-2011, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

DON'T USE A GUN. Those are far too hot. You need a pencil iron.

Also, soldering guns produce a strong magnetic field at the tip.

The instructions that used to come with Barts said not to use a soldering gun because of this reason.

Question for the OP. The bass needs an extra hole drilled besides the wiring. Do you know how to do this, and is there room in the control cavity for an extra control?

If not you should wait until you find another tech to do the work. Wiring can be fixed, misplaced holes, not so easy to fix.

Rickett Customs · #7 07-26-2011, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stix_clgi

I recently purchased a set of dual coil Barts (XXM56M) and a pre-wired Aguilar OBP-3. The music store I normally get work done at is backlogged by three weeks, and the other music store is afraid to do the required routing (preamp is in a 5-knob config, bass currently has 4 knobs). So, I'm thinking about installing everything myself. I am trying to learn as much as I can, but I'm finding that instructional articles and vids assume too much. I am a total novice with electronics. I've soldered once, and it was a water heater pipe. So i guess my questions/request is, is this job too advanced? What do I need besides a soldering gun, solder? Is there a step by step guide I may have overlooked? I figure it wouldn't be too hard because the preamp is already wired (bought it here on TB), however I realize I don't know which knobs are which lol. Any help is appreciated.

-Stix

Where are you at in accokeek? I guarantee I'm very close to you, walking distance, i'd wager.......

SGD Lutherie · #8 07-26-2011, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickett Customs

Where are you at in accokeek? I guarantee I'm very close to you, walking distance, i'd wager.......

I'd say this is the best course of action!

darkstorm · #9 07-26-2011, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

DON'T USE A GUN. Those are far too hot. You need a pencil iron.

Yes, I meant the little 20 watt or so soldering pencil;stick type but didnt think of right name for them. Ty for correction.

FunkMetalBass · #10 07-26-2011, 01:36 PM

There is always the concentric/stacked pot option as well. Combining the bass and treble is probably the most common setup I see on any preamp because it almost always makes things easier to retrofit.

**line6man** · #11 07-26-2011, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkstorm

Yes, I meant the little 20 watt or so soldering pencil;stick type but didnt think of right name for them. Ty for correction.

20 Watt irons are worthless. Preferably, you would want 35 or 40 Watts to do this job.

stix_clgi · #12 07-26-2011, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickett Customs

Where are you at in accokeek? I guarantee I'm very close to you, walking distance, i'd wager.......

Hey Rickett,

I'm off of Pine Ln, about .25 mile south of the 228 junction. I actually took the bass to Island Music in LaPlata, the tech there, Dave said he could do the install with the proper routing etc, for around $100 bucks!! That's cheaper than the last place I went to.

Side Note: Do you make custom basses? That'd be cool to know I lived close to a luthier!

I did a double take when I checked out the wiring diagrams for the OBP-3, with all of it's variations lol. I figure I buy a cheap bass to practice on before I start messing around with my main axes.

Rickett Customs · #13 07-27-2011, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stix_clgi

Hey Rickett,

I'm off of Pine Ln, about .25 mile south of the 228 junction. I actually took the bass to Island Music in LaPlata, the tech there, Dave said he could do the install with the proper routing etc, for around $100 bucks!! That's cheaper than the last place I went to.

Side Note: Do you make custom basses? That'd be cool to know I lived close to a luthier!

I did a double take when I checked out the wiring diagrams for the OBP-3, with all of it's variations lol. I figure I buy a cheap bass to practice on before I start messing around with my main axes.

My brother used to live on pine lane.
I'm not familiar with any of the guys at Island..... Yes, i've been known to make instruments.

Yeah, buying a cheap bass, to wrench on is a good idea. If you want to get in contact with me, pm me, I can steer you in the right direction.

stix_clgi · #14 07-27-2011, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickett Customs

My brother used to live on pine lane.
I'm not familiar with any of the guys at Island..... Yes, i've been known to make instruments.

Yeah, buying a cheap bass, to wrench on is a good idea. If you want to get in contact with me, pm me, I can steer you in the right direction.

Yeah, it was my first time going to Island, but the tech came highly recommended by a friend of mine who plays a custom Conklin 7-string

and a Benevente 9-string

. I figured the tech must be good if my buddy let's him work on his custom basses...

I'd love to see some of your work, I recently got a quote from DP for a custom bass. I want to get one before I get married; I've heard horror stories about husbands, wives, and basses that have to go lol.

Anyways, when I start fiddling around with soldering, etc, I'll give you a shout, thanks for making yourself available. I'll update the post with some before and after clips/vids.

Rickett Customs · #15 07-27-2011, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stix_clgi

Yeah, it was my first time going to Island, but the tech came highly recommended by a friend of mine who plays a custom Conklin 7-string

and a Benevente 9-string

. I figured the tech must be good if my buddy let's him work on his custom basses...

I'd love to see some of your work, I recently got a quote from DP for a custom bass. I want to get one before I get married; I've heard horror stories about husbands, wives, and basses that have to go lol.

Anyways, when I start fiddling around with soldering, etc, I'll give you a shout, thanks for making yourself available. I'll update the post with some before and after clips/vids.

no problem....

I have a DP custom, that was made in 2005. A very nice bass, but for a few months, it has been sitting on a stand.

Ric5 · #16 07-27-2011, 07:59 AM

Want to install my own electronics, much help needed!!!

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Learning to do your own mods and your own setups will free you from relying ion the over priced hacks that work at the music stores.

stix_clgi · #17 07-27-2011, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickett Customs

no problem....

I have a DP custom, that was made in 2005. A very nice bass, but for a few months, it has been sitting on a stand.

Really? The only custom bass I've ever played is a Roscoe SKB3006 a friend of mine recently purchased. I'm thinking about putting the deposit down and having him build me a bass. The current wait time is 6 months, but if the basses are as nice as I've heard, then I think the wait will be worth it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric5

Want to install my own electronics, much help needed!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Learning to do your own mods and your own setups will free you from relying ion the over priced hacks that work at the music stores.

I agree, although I'm not sure if all of the "hacks" are overpriced. The tech I'm working with now is charging me waaay less than what some of the bigger stores charge. I don't know if it's because he gets a lot of business or what, but I definitely appreciate the discounted price. The same job at Chuck Levin's (supposedly the biggest music store on the east coast) cost almost $200, not including the price of a set of Bartolni 59JL1's and a brand new Aggie OBP-3.

That said, I definitely want to learn. I don't mind paying a professional, but then you have to have things done on their time, and I don't always like waiting weeks at a time.