(Part 2) Best electric guitar parts according to redditors

The pick ups are Tex Mex from fender. The electronics are all from this kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COOFHA8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1#customerReviews

Fender Tex-Mex

Do the rest of the electronics while you're in there too.

I know a lot of people think that replacing a nut should be like replacing an auto brake pad--pull the old one out, install new, identical one--but it's actually more like replacing a crown on your tooth.

A nut should be made for your specific guitar, and since it would be made from a blank piece of material, left or right doesn't matter.

My belief's aside, you can find left-handed nuts from specialty nut manufactures:

https://www.amazon.com/Graph-Tech-Slotted-Guitar-PT-6060-L0/dp/B006QGG4V6

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/parts-c4/nuts-c105/graph-tech-m75/left-handed-t1277

But making a new nut fit a guitar exactly is only done by skilled hand work. The above nuts may be "good enough", depending on how discriminating you are.

If your tele has the classic two singlecoils, it will almost certainly be 250k as 500k pots will make it far too bright sounding. For the same reason, I'd imagine your Edwards (Jealous, btw) has 500k pots.

Even then, there will be differences in the quality of those pots.

You might want to try replacing the ones in your tele with something a bit more premium if it's really bugging you:

https://www.amazon.com/Emerson-Custom-Prewired-Telecaster-Guitars/dp/B015ZVKK6W/ref=pd_day0_hl_267_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B015ZVKK6W&pd_rd_r=ec575b9c-bc25-11e8-8b29-77fe1a29c361&pd_rd_w=EmygL&pd_rd_wg=ri7Q4&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=MBPZ6PTCQ79DFKZRW7HR&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=MBPZ6PTCQ79DFKZRW7HR

​

​

Shielding. It's fairly normal in most instruments that don't have the cavities shielded. You can buy copper tape and apply it yourself, and it should kill the amp "buzz" you have.

I like the premium bourns pots

http://www.amazon.com/Bourns-Premium-Guitar-Potentiometer-Knurled/dp/B00MEKB1R0

Here is a PDF detailing the details of the guitar as well as the p/n. Since it's a Bone Nut, THIS should work just fine.

Would this or this do the trick?

I had a strat that was really bad about this. I opened it up and applied some shielding tape in the pickup cavity and aluminum foil to the back side of the entire pickguard. Between that and removing the ground loops between the potentiometers, it's now the quietest guitar I own. Not bad for a few hours work. As a bonus, I was able to tie the bridge ground to the pickup cavity, so now I only have to unsolder the jack to remove the pickguard.

This is the roller bridge I got (it was cheap, but works fine): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T4B6W44/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And these are the locking tuners: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RX7JD4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Installing them is really a no brainer. Best of luck with your Wildkat!

nothing fancy just these https://www.amazon.com/FOXNOVO-Professional-Humbucker-Pickups-Epiphone/dp/B00RJIE944/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=1160HL7HQQ1WM&keywords=foxnovo+pickups&qid=1554825424&s=gateway&sprefix=fox+novo+pick%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1-fkmrnull but i plan on upgrading to seymor duncan invaders or active EMGs i figure if imma spend 160 bucks on passive pickups i might as well just switch to actives, but i do want to add some coil splitting eventualy

A solid paint job is easy, especially on a bolt-on body with no binding. I did a Strat in candy apple red with gold metalflake when I was 13 (56 years ago). It took forever, but it came out looking like custom shop quality. Make sure the temperature is high/humidity low enough (weather can screw you up), watch some Youtube videos, take your time and you'll be fine.

If you upgrade your pickups, get 4 wire rather than 2 wire if available if you ever want to coil splits, in/out phase or series/parallel setups. I've got some of these mounted in these and the Triple Shots made for an easy install.

Harness and pots? This one is probably okay for a low end stock setup.

You could just make a harness yourself if you can do some simple soldering. (TIP: Cut a piece of cardboard and transfer the vol/tone and switch hole positions to it, then flip it over and mount your pots/switch. Now you can wire without risking your new paint job.)

For a medium quality setup, I might consider something like these and some Orange Drop caps.

For highest quality, I would use these for volume and these for tone and wire it up myself with a couple of Orange Drops. $80 or so for everything.

Be careful of the "vintage toan filled pots/wire/magic-ingredient capacitors" hype. Quality doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg.

Seymour Duncan has a great database of wiring options. Look through the list for some ideas.

A standard 2 vol, 2 tone with a 3 way switch is pretty easy to do.

I prefer push/pull (or push/push pots) and splittable (4 wire) humbuckers pickups for maximum versatility.

Is this the correct link?

No worries dude, no rush. And yeah, I'd say that's definitely true about amps vs. guitars, so it's good you invested in that.

For the Strats, I bought pickups from GuitarFetish.com. They basically buy parts at wholesale and assemble them in-house, then sell them super cheap. Got two loaded pickguards - one with single coils and one with a single PAF humbucker in the bridge. I'm undecided about the single coils (still sounds much better than before), but I really like the humbucker.

I don't know too much about the Bullets, but if they're the same size as the Affinity Strats, those pre-wired ones should fit (I'd just check to make sure the bodies are routed for humbuckers if you're considering that, though). The screw holes may not line up, so you might have to do some light drilling, but I just screwed them straight into the body and it was fine.

But actually, the other thing to consider if those Bullets are the same size as the Affinity series, and have the same style bridge, the best upgrade I made actually came from the Fender bridge I installed in the Strat with the single humbucker. Compared to the one with the stock bridge, the new steel tremolo block in it makes the whole guitar resonate way better, and sound fuller. Only drawback is that it sticks out of the back of the body just a hair, but it's no problem if you don't mind leaving the back plate off. I'd do some research, though, because I'm not sure if the string spacing varies on those guitars.

Depending on what you're trying to fix, you may want to look at this Fender replacement. It gives you slotted saddles like on a Mustang but still has individual saddle height adjustment. Similar (the same bridge?) as found on the Bass VI. Warmoth makes a similar bridge.

I don't really have any trouble with my Jazzmaster or Bass VI bridges. Both hold tune just fine and the strings stay put.

I searched for what a left-handed guitar nut looks like, and, coming from someone who's not exactly a guitar player, I see this and my first thought was, "What's the difference? Is this a scam?" Then I saw that the grooves are slightly different from each other...

So, thank you for the info on ambidextrous guitars. It seems like you love guitars. Are you a musician?

Just buy this http://www.amazon.com/Loaded-Prewired-Pickguard-Replacement-Guitar/dp/B009GSKW1Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394178541&sr=8-1&keywords=pre+loaded+pick+guard and get a fresh start.

Note that this one looks like it has one wire per pickup also, but note that its actually two wires bundled in one plastic insulator, the ground pokes out at the other end. This might also be the case with your guitar.

That's just a regular Stratocaster style nut. They can be made out of any number of materials like plastic, bone, Tusq or metal.

A "zero fret" is when you have a slightly larger fret located just before the nut itself, but they're not very common and it's not what you have in this case.

Here's an example of what you need. This one is made of bone, but there are other materials too.

https://www.amazon.com/Kmise-Electric-Guitar-Fender-Replacement/dp/B009GT0KNI/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1505487173&sr=1-1&keywords=Stratocaster+replacement+nut


Be sure to measure the width and thickness of your current, so you can get a similarly sized replacement, then watch lots of vids on YouTube before you go forward with the job. It's not hard, but the more you now about the process, the better. Expect to have to do a bit of reshaping to it, as well. The dimensions will be close but probably not perfect.

I have a '90 MIJ too and the one short coming they have is the electronics (pots and switches). I would go ahead and replace them all while you're at it with American CTS brand components. You can buy prewired/solderd kits for about $40 that drop right in place. One tip: the Japanese models are built to metric specs, whereas American models are on SI. As a result, there are ever so slight differences in the size of the pot stems. The bridge and saddles components are every so slightly different too, should you ever need to replace them. You'll also need to drill out the plastic in your pickguard a smidge to allow the new SI spec posts on the pots to pass through. Other than that, they basically pop right in place with just a few solders. You can also chose a different capacitor (cap) to shape the tone. If you really want to go all out, you can even re-wire your Strat into any number of alternate configs like a "bleeder pot" setup, which essenially turns one of the Tone knobs into an independant vol for one of the pickups allowing you to get a Tele config on a strat as well as other cool tones. Here are some examples. There are also tons of vids on youtube. Just type in "how to wire a Strat".

http://xhefriguitars.com/page9.html

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Wiring-Kit-Fender%C2%AE-Stratocaster%C2%AE/dp/B00COOFHA8/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1388732726&sr=8-17&keywords=stratocaster+electronics+kit

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/PK1/Strat-Guitar-Electronics-Super-Kit-w-CTS-Precision-Tolerance-Pots.html

Hi so pretty new to playing the guitar, its been about 3 months. I currently have a Epiphone LP Special II and a Peavy Vypyr 15w amp.

But basically was kinda looking through amazon and came across these 14$ Humbuckers, they seem to have pretty good reviews as do these 24$ humbuckers and was wondering if they are worth the upgrade?

I have basic experience with electronics and soldering but actually would like to make some effect pedals once I get some more time under my belt.

So I think I'm going make a Thinline Tele. Going to build the body and buy a prebuilt neck. What all hardware do I need? Right now I've found:

• Body blank
  
• Tele Bridge
  
• Thinline pickguard
  
• Vintage Reissue pickups
  
• 2 potentiometers
  
• 3 way switch (and tip)
  
• binding
  
• Switchcraft input jack and cup
  
• knobs
  
• neck plate and screws
  
• string ferrules
  
• Telecaster neck
  
• tuners
  
  I guess I should probably get extra wiring? Anything else?

Thanks for your help! I’m planning on ordering this one .

You can check out stewmac.com for some good, solid potentiometers

Or, you could buy a Fender Wiring Kit. I used one of these in my tele copy and I love it. All of the pots work perfectly with no scratches/noises/anything.

Basically, any quality part from a well known company is going to be better than the crap stock electronics that come with the guitar.

You can go cheap and get some parts to get it up and running for 15 bucks or get the real gibson versions of the same. Here are links to the cheap stuff:

smile.amazon.com/Tune-o-matic-Bridge-Tailpiece-Chrome-Replacement/dp/B0094NVV5C/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1459372355&sr=1-3

http://smile.amazon.com/Control-Gibson-Replacement-Electric-Guitar/dp/B0098DFNY8/ref=sr_1_7?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1459372449&sr=1-7&keywords=gibson+knobs

Emerson Custom 4-Way Prewired Kit for Telecaster Guitars - 250k Pots https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015ZVKK6W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_cZltDbJS42QAS

Looks like it was a lot more than I remembered.

https://www.amazon.com/Threaded-Saddle-Mounting-Mustang-Jazzmaster/dp/B015N9VEC0

Dropped the above into my jag and it's been great so far.

The strap is a perri's and its one of the best part of the guitar lol. https://imgur.com/a/N1h6s I got the buzzstop off amazon. Professional Buzz Stop (Chrome) – Fits Fender Jazzmaster & Jaguar Guitars – Buzzstop Supports Tremolo https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013RX1IJI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2xrgzbTNJMEQ1

Ive got a VM Jaguar myself and I was able to get rid of basically all the buzz with the installation of these:

Mustang Bridge


Buzz Stop

This might be what you have: amazon link.

Amazon's got you covered :)

Sad part is I looked on line for a new one and can't find any. The only ones I can find look like this

Mine is slightly different and looks like this

Yes—use less gain at your preamp, less output from your pickups themselves, or a combination of both. Then use your power amp (amp's master volume) to make up for lost amplitude.

You can also roll back your tone pot, and if you really want to get fancy, you can install higher impedance volume pots in your instrument (e.g, 500 kΩ instead of 250 kΩ).

The self-noise that single coil pickups generate is a combination of two elements: RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) and electrical grounding inconsistencies.
The best way to combat RFI is to shield your instrument—line your control cavity with copper foil, or paint it with a coat of shielding paint. Also, use as short a cable run as you can tolerate, and make sure that it isn't coiled up at any point, or wrapped around anything (makes an antenna).
There's only so much you can do to combat ground loop hum, though—make sure your PUs are properly grounded to your bridge. If your amp or any pedals you might have feature a ground lift switch, see of those help. As an added measure, you can also plug your amp into a power conditioning strip (like a Furman). Another tactic would be to rein it in with EQ—subtract at even multiples of 60 Hz (50 Hz if you're outside North America).

You can also always use a noise suppressor/gate, like the Boss NS-2 or ISP Technologies Decimator, which will eliminate noise during rests.

Use the middle and neck pickups out of a set of Fender Fat 50s, and either a Dimarzio Evolution or Seymour Duncan Nazgul in the bridge

After doing a bit of research, these pickups seem like a good fit for what I'm describing:

https://www.amazon.com/Seymour-Duncan-Nazgul-Output-Humbucker/dp/B00L4KT3RQ

I want something that lets me have clean attack. I love aggressive riffs that cut cleanly..


Ideally trying to achieve this tone in the Human Abstract song "Complex Terms":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaZcioAQ9o0

Maybe this:
https://www.amazon.com/Fender-Adjustable-Thimbles-Mustang-Jazzmaster/dp/B00JAMZQDA

This can be a fun project. I'm on my 3rd squire rebuild. Don't let anyone convince you it's going to take some crazy amount of money to get this playable.

Since this is your first project I'd say buy some cheap stuff, just to get it working. Then, if you like modding, you can go and buy better parts, or move on to another build.

The simplest thing would be to buy something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Loaded-Prewired-Pickguard-Replacement-Guitar/dp/B009GSKW1Y/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1419484234&sr=8-12&keywords=stratocaster+pickguard

All pre-wired and ready to just screw in.

If you want something a bit different you could go with a double humbucker pickgaurd.

http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Mite-MM5404US-Retrofit-Pickguard/dp/B0084AB8WM/ref=pd_cp_MI_0

and a pair of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Humbucker-Pickup-Chrome-Gibson-Replacement/dp/B009A5JA98/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1419484443&sr=1-3&keywords=guitar+pickups

Even with volume, tone pots and a three way switch you are looking at around $40 USD for the electronics and a pickgaurd. I've never replaced a bridge so I'll let others speak to that. I don't think that's allot for a hobby rebuild. Especially since some people are suggesting that it's $100 for pickups alone.

It won't be a PRS when you are done, but it will be all yours.

Nah I wouldn't change the stop tail. I would however get something other than a tune-o-matic bridge. You don't want sharp stupid junk stabbing you while you are trying to palm-mute a disgusting beef blast.

​

For cheap bucks: https://www.amazon.com/Allparts-GB-0596-010-Chrome-Roller-Tunematic/dp/B00T4B6W44?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

​

For TonePro-ish bucks: http://www.fullcontacthardware.com/fch-oem-tune-o-matic-original-series

Just buy a new bridge. A stock, one-for-one replacement bridge for your Strat is less than $30.

http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Vintage-Style-Standard-Stratocaster-Assemblies/dp/B00LJY360C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453664536&sr=8-1&keywords=stratocaster+bridge