Worth Upgrading Electronics?

[steve.h]

I know we have a few knowledgeable electronics nerds and luthiers around here: how much of a difference do the electronics make when it comes to guitar tone? I know pickups can change a lot of the character of the tone, but what about the wiring itself? Quality of/ohmage of the pots? How about those conductive strips/paints?

I know different wiring schemes and pickup types can make a huge difference: I'm talking more of the fine details/little stuff.

Thanks!

[kafka]

The quality of the job is more important than the quality of the components. The pots found in all guitars for the past 60 years or so are just cheap carbon pots. The standard copper wiring will be plenty adequate for the signal it's expected to carry.

The real trick is to make sure your soldering job is neat so all your grounds are at the same potential. This is especially important on the ground connection to the pot, which is always a little hard to get right. The case for the pot acts as a heat sink, so it's sometimes difficult to do a neat job.

[robertshaw]

Originally Posted by steve.h

I know we have a few knowledgeable electronics nerds and luthiers around here: how much of a difference do the electronics make when it comes to guitar tone? I know pickups can change a lot of the character of the tone, but what about the wiring itself? Quality of/ohmage of the pots? How about those conductive strips/paints?

I know different wiring schemes and pickup types can make a huge difference: I'm talking more of the fine details/little stuff.

Thanks!

big difference. shielded wire will reduce noise. cheap pots can be noisy, get dirty and they use cheap material that arguably don't conduct as well, taper may not be as smooth etc..... You don't use cheap cable? so your cable doesn't contain cheap wire why should your gtr? it's a no brainer and it does make a audible difference. At the very least high quality wiring will reduce rf 50/60hz and other unwanted noise. Also painting the cavity with copper paint or lining with copper foil will make a difference too. At the least it should be done to reduce interference and humming if not for sound quality. Low tolerance cheapo caps will affect 'tone' too. Look for some sprauge orange caps‎ better yet real bumble bees? phattness.............

[steve.h]

Many thanks for the informed responses. Having fiddled around (excuse the pun) with swapping pickups, I definitely have respect for those who can pull off a clean solder job. I'd like to start from scratch with a few of my guitars, electronics-wise, if nothing else just to rule out the possibility of bad/poorly-wired electronics from the great tone-seeking experience.

I assume, like most anything else, practice makes perfect?

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by steve.h

Many thanks for the informed responses. Having fiddled around (excuse the pun) with swapping pickups, I definitely have respect for those who can pull off a clean solder job. I'd like to start from scratch with a few of my guitars, electronics-wise, if nothing else just to rule out the possibility of bad/poorly-wired electronics from the great tone-seeking experience.

I assume, like most anything else, practice makes perfect?

Practice and the right gear.
You need to have a good quality iron.
Many people use the wrong iron- they don't go hot enough which means they have to leave the iron on the pot for too long, ruining the pot.