Does anyone make use of quick disconnect connectors/terminals in their wiring? I've been wanting to compare a variety of circuits and pickups in my bass, but get tired of soldering/desoldering. Anyone use connectors? Which ones do you recommend?
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Does anyone use connectors or terminals to quickly swap out pickups?
- Thread starter jaroh24
- Start date
I have a bass that I used the bullet style connectors in your first pic. Mine are red, not sure if they are tonally equivalent to the blue ones 
I've done wire nuts in a bass or two. I'm done swapping pickups anymore, though. My basses will have the pickups they have permanently now.
Have you had any issues with the connector coming loose at all? Bullet connectors are not locking connectors, right? And yes of course the red ones always sound better than the blue onesI have a bass that I used the bullet style connectors in your first pic. Mine are red, not sure if they are tonally equivalent to the blue ones
I have only had it apart about 4 times to test different p pickups.
No issues to report atm. Last time I was in there, they had remained reasonably snug.
The quick-connects that EMG uses are very similar (if not the same) as the 3-pin connectors used for hobby radio-controlled servos for model planes and boats. If you buy a "servo extender cable" it will have a male plug on one end, a female jack on the other, and 3 stranded wires in between. Cut the thing in two, and solder one end to your preamp input, volume pot or where ever your pickup(s) connect to.
Really, almost anything that makes a decent connection (and will fit) is fine.
Really, almost anything that makes a decent connection (and will fit) is fine.
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I’ve been considering something like these since they seem to take up less room and still have a locking connector.
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By the time you source connectors, strip wires, crimp them on, solder pig tails with connectors onto your pots, tape over the connectors so there are no shorts, trouble shoot the ones where the crimping didn't work, etc. etc, you're further ahead just to stick with solder. I've tried tons of pups, never felt the need for anything other than solder. Also, sometimes those 'solder-less connectors' like the EMG ones, can be buggers to disconnect.
Just get a real solder station, like a Weller WESD51, some .032" 60/40 rosin core, set it to 685 degrees and practice. (Some people use different percentages of solder/rosin, post some questions and ask. But 60/40 works for me.)
Just get a real solder station, like a Weller WESD51, some .032" 60/40 rosin core, set it to 685 degrees and practice. (Some people use different percentages of solder/rosin, post some questions and ask. But 60/40 works for me.)
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I don't think servo connectors are locking - they are friction fit but I've never had one pull apart by accident. When I installed an EMG preamp in my Ibanez bass, I had to adapt my pickups to EMGs solderless system by clipping off one end of the jumper cable they supply and soldering it to my pickup wire. EMG goes to the trouble of using shielded wire for the pickup jumpers.
It's a tradeoff between ease of replacing pickups vs. the slight chance the connectors will cause a problem.
Yes, solder is superior and preferable in a permanent installation. A soldered electrical connection is encapsulated in conductive material, protecting the wires from corrosion (within reason!), and it's stronger physically too. But modular connectors are FINE for use in musical instruments, as EMG's and Seymour Duncan's use of them prove.
It's a tradeoff between ease of replacing pickups vs. the slight chance the connectors will cause a problem.
The last time I swapped pickups in my P Bass I also installed an Obsidian Wire harness with spring terminals. Haven't switched pickups since then, but when/if I do there'll be no soldering to be done.
As a matter of fact, yes. My "harness guy" uses block connectors. Jenny, my go to girl, has one of his harnesses, and I've had no issues. This is the harness he built for my vintage P project. (I specified mini-pots due to cavity size)
I agree, I like solder, but just for accuracy:
solder is made from material that is a surprisingly poor conductor.
it holds conductive material together well if applied properly, but it should not be the primary conductor... wires should be wound together first, then soldered, so the wire is directly touching in many places. Wire pressed to wire securely is the best connection - not solder - but solder is the most permanent way to hold a properly wound connector pair together.
Cheers
- Jul 7, 2010
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A test harness with quick connects can be very useful, as it spares one from having to solder all but the bridge ground. I do recommend once a pickup has been settled on, it be soldered and remain so until it’s time for something else.
