Hi everyone,
I have been “lurking” on The Fretboard for a very, very long time and never had the confidence to dive in and get involved with the forum.
Having chatted to a few of the guys on the FB stand at the Birmingham Guitar Show in Feb, it’s time I got stuck in.
My name is Ed and I run Six String Supplies - what started as hobby has evolved into a business. Six String Supplies deals in Guitar electronics - wiring kits, prewired harnesses and individual components.
Very niche I know but I can’t compete with other suppliers who literally sell every single guitar part imaginable under the sun.
May as well stick to what you know eh?
We sell high quality individual electronic components, unassembled wiring kits and prewired kits for those without the confidence to solder themselves.
we have a range of wiring guides and video tutorials on our website with the aim of showing others how to wire the kits themselves (it saves me having to solder them!) and most of our organic website traffic comes from people searching how to wire a particular guitar.
Yes, it’s ultimately a business - but our website has a lot of free information.
The business started out just from pure passion and has been growing steadily the past few months.
i don’t believe in snake oil as sadly this
industry is full of it but ultimately believe that good quality electronics can make a big difference to your guitar. Switchcraft/CRL etc...the normal jazz.
I’ll periodically update this thread with photos of my work and bits and bobs.
Cheers all
Ed
Comments
It uses 4 CTS push pull pots (some really don't like them, I think they are superb)
The kit allows multiple options including coil splitting and out of phase switching. There is probably too much available to use in a live situation having to faff around with 4 push pull pots but it seems popular enough.
I tend to leave colour coded pickup "pigtails" on the harness so when it comes to installing you simply solder your pickup wire to the pigtail......otherwise getting your pickups in when it is sat in the control cavity is a right ballache.
I really enjoy wiring these kits.....but sometimes they can take a couple of hours to fully wire and pack and it can get a wee bit tedious.
A lot of heat shrink tubing gets used (though not really visible in these photos)
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
A tip - put a clickable link to your website in your signature. Makes it easy for people to find you on the www.
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
The standard circuit for Lucem models incorporates a master volume in series as well as individual tone/volume controls for each pickup.
Each volume control splits each humbucker.
Recently, I have provided him with a Jimmy Page circuit to fit his "Supermarine" Paradox (photos below)
I'm a very big fan of his work (regardless of the fact he's a customer) but its great to see UK builders pushing the boundaries and designing unique shaped guitars. I genuinely believe we are truly spoilt for choice at the moment in the UK market with custom guitars....and pickups obviously.
Lucem do a Nick McCabe (The Verve) signature so I was naturally thrilled to contribute. It's a fairly weird circuit....non-standard shall we say.
Each harness feautures Switchcraft toggle switches/jack, CTS pots, cloth wire/bus wire (the normal jazz blah de blah)
Got the hakko soldering station in the black Friday sales in November - what a steal...and worthy investment.
and here is the stunning guitar it went into. The Lucem Supermarine Paradox
that neck joint though....
The above photos of the guitar don't do it justice as I've just screenshotted instragram....but if you look at his Facebook page, you see the whole thing in its beauty.
I appreciate this is probably boring AF for many members - but I love it!!
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
For those of you who love building partscasters.
Premium wiring kits for those DIY enthusiasts.
Each kit features:
CTS "TVT" (true vintage taper pots)
Switchcraft or CRL switches
Switchcraft jack
Orange drop capacitors
Push back cloth wire/braided guitar wire.
Heat shrink rubber tubing
Wiring diagram
Treble pass capacitor is optional
Wiring guides available here
Each guide includes photo step by step guide and a video on how to wire it up.
I won't load a photo for each wiring kit....
Kits available for:
-Strat
-Tele (3 and 4 way)
- Les Paul (long and short)
-ES-335
- SG
- Jazz Bass
-Precision Bass
-Les Paul/SG Jr
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
Few prewired kits that left earlier today.
Custom job for a PRS Tremonti - Jimmy Page style kit
Next up, Strat with master vol, master tone and a blend control...
Classic Strat with treble pass capacitor on the volume.
and everyone's favourite and my soon to be enemy - Jimmy Page Les Paul.
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
Ed’s work is absolutely brilliant. Once I get the Junior stripped down I’m going to do away with the clip in wiring nonsense and get a new wiring setup from our man here.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
DO IT BLACK!!
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/
Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
One small thing I'd ask you to consider for that assembly Ed is that it would be great for the not so great solderers if you devised some sort of grounding tails or legs from both the Vol pots and maybe the bridge tone pot. Once the assembly is in place, the plastic covers on the lower pot on the DP pots gets in the way when trying to solder/ground the tailpiece ground wire to the BV pot, the pickup bare wires (both Vol pots) and the output jack ground (bridge tone pot).
I got round it by soldering some short shrinkwrapped tails onto the metal pot bodies that reached past the plastic covered lower pot before fitting the assembly. (Well OK I actually fitted it in place and then took it out again when I saw the problem - but the whole thing does need put in and taken out a good few times initially before doing any soldering anyway because you have to get the pot shafts set to the right amount of sticky outiness for your LP carve)
From that point on it was really easy to hook it all up 'from the top' with everything solidly anchored in place.
[edit] I do realise that it would probably be possible to hook up the pickup, bridge and output grounds with the assembly flipped over on the body of the guitar before fitting normally - but in my case the pickup wiring had been cut (by previous owner I assume) to leave not enough slack to do this - in fact I still had to solder some extensions on to the bridge pickup tails to reach the tails on the assembly [/edit]
I've a good sounding 50's wired LP now with all the Page #2 options should I feel like it.
I'd have likely given up trying to wire that assembly myself from scratch - really neat and handy job there Ed.
I highly recommend Ed/Six String Supplies!