Thanks very much Paul. This series of videos has enabled me to replace faulty pots and a switch on a couple of my guitars. Saved me some cash and the hassle of dropping them to a tech. Not to mention being without my guitar for a while 🙏
The mound of solder on the claw is cloudy (not shiny) and not wetted to to claw at all. The fix here is to use additional flux on the claw. Preheating the claw can help a lot also.
just asking where did that wire soldered to the trem claw came from. can u have a demonstration to show where that black wire came from. thanks.. i need immediate reply if u pls. thaank you
I have a red wire and blue coming from volume knob. Also have another blue wire that was grounded to the claw as seen in this video. Cant remember which one was which. Does it matter. Both seem to be soldered in same position so should I just wing it and see what works
@@RadioshopPickups Thank you, Paul, I haven't played my guitar since, but I used some soldering knowledge I learned in high school, to solder it to the trem claw, so hopefully it will be better
Where is the other side of this wire connected? I recently swapped pickguards and I noticed that it wasn't connected and I do hear a lot of buzzing that wasn't there before.
Either the surface is too cold or you need more flux. Since the claw is only contacting two screws and some springs, don't be afraid to let it get very hot-- it won't damage the guitar or your claw. Use the largest soldering tip you can get for your pencil. If you are using just a little conical tip, it will be VERY difficult to get enough heat into the part. Try a large chisel tip or (even better) a large bevel tip 4mm or bigger. Usually the problem isn't the amount of power your soldering iron has, the problem is that the heat isn't flowing into the part fast enough. Here's you how can test to see if the problem is heat flow out or power flow in: dab some solder on the tip and use that to heat the claw up. If the tip cools so much that it will no longer melt solder applied to the tip, then you need more power. If the tip is hot enough to melt solder, then you have enough power--- the problem is getting the heat out of the tip, not restoring the heat that has been lost.
The tab doesn't really do anything. The solder is doing the work. It's no different than soldering to the bottom of the volume or tone pot-- just that it needs even more heat.
I've used solid wire on several guitars, it works just fine. Not as flexible, but since the current and voltage are so low, it's perfectly find to use a fairly fine wire.
No, but the grounding will prevent a lot of noise from being induced. A guitar without grounded hardware can be very buzzy and noisy. Seeing has how this is a musical instrument, background noise is a pretty big deal.
Thanks for sharing! I was putting on a new solder to the claw but would not stick and someone told me that I need a solder that can reach higher temperature. If so what is the temp needed for the the claw? Thanks!
If you are using proper electronic solder (rosin flux core) and are getting it hot enough to melt the solder, the reason it's not sticking is that the claw itself is too cold and has oxides on the surface. It will help is you are using a eutectic solder (63% tin, 37% lead) as it has a lower melting point. Then, try a bit of flux from a flux pen on the claw, heat it up with the iron until the flux bubbles and sizzles, THEN apply the solder. Should flow out like magic.
My guitar got quiet and I saw that the term somehow made that wire disconect from The tremclaw. Do you think my problem is that it disconected or is there something wrong with the other elextronics? Cheers
Would you get shocked if the trek law ground or aux ground came loose? I’m worried maybe my soldering isn’t right I mean it’s stuck on there but there’s A small pool of solder on top of the wire aswell
1:19 Appreciate your video, but put down a cloth or cardboard next time. This is an instructional video, and about 1:24 you dropped hot solder and singed the paint.
Thanks very much Paul. This series of videos has enabled me to replace faulty pots and a switch on a couple of my guitars. Saved me some cash and the hassle of dropping them to a tech. Not to mention being without my guitar for a while 🙏
The mound of solder on the claw is cloudy (not shiny) and not wetted to to claw at all. The fix here is to use additional flux on the claw. Preheating the claw can help a lot also.
just asking where did that wire soldered to the trem claw came from. can u have a demonstration to show where that black wire came from. thanks.. i need immediate reply if u pls. thaank you
Does it matter where you solder the wire at on a tremolo?
I have a red wire and blue coming from volume knob. Also have another blue wire that was grounded to the claw as seen in this video. Cant remember which one was which. Does it matter. Both seem to be soldered in same position so should I just wing it and see what works
That all means your guitar won't go "to Eleven".
What is the wire for?
Thank you for your question, Athos! That's the ground wire to the tremolo claw on the back of a Strat :) - Paul @ Radioshop
@@RadioshopPickups what does it do though, cause I got my guitar and it wasn't connected, and I don't know what it does
@@jjocsings2885 Hi JJOC, it grounds the guitar and that helps eliminate buzz - Paul :)
@@RadioshopPickups Thank you, Paul, I haven't played my guitar since, but I used some soldering knowledge I learned in high school, to solder it to the trem claw, so hopefully it will be better
Where is the other side of this wire connected? I recently swapped pickguards and I noticed that it wasn't connected and I do hear a lot of buzzing that wasn't there before.
What if the solder won't stick to claw? I have sanded to no avail.
Not enough heat. Get a more powerful soldering iron, at least 40W
Either the surface is too cold or you need more flux. Since the claw is only contacting two screws and some springs, don't be afraid to let it get very hot-- it won't damage the guitar or your claw. Use the largest soldering tip you can get for your pencil. If you are using just a little conical tip, it will be VERY difficult to get enough heat into the part. Try a large chisel tip or (even better) a large bevel tip 4mm or bigger. Usually the problem isn't the amount of power your soldering iron has, the problem is that the heat isn't flowing into the part fast enough. Here's you how can test to see if the problem is heat flow out or power flow in: dab some solder on the tip and use that to heat the claw up. If the tip cools so much that it will no longer melt solder applied to the tip, then you need more power. If the tip is hot enough to melt solder, then you have enough power--- the problem is getting the heat out of the tip, not restoring the heat that has been lost.
What if my trem claw doesn’t have the tab to solder the ground wire to? I have a Floyd Rose original and am gonna install it in a Jackson Dinky.
The tab doesn't really do anything. The solder is doing the work. It's no different than soldering to the bottom of the volume or tone pot-- just that it needs even more heat.
Someone please respond, the cable is soldered to the opposite side of the trem claw then it usually is can I leave it that way? Please help thank you
Yeah, that’s done then 👍
Good video. I was wondering if a solid wire can be used for the ground wire?
I've used solid wire on several guitars, it works just fine. Not as flexible, but since the current and voltage are so low, it's perfectly find to use a fairly fine wire.
Do you need this for your electric to work
No, but the grounding will prevent a lot of noise from being induced. A guitar without grounded hardware can be very buzzy and noisy. Seeing has how this is a musical instrument, background noise is a pretty big deal.
Helpful, thanks.
Thanks for sharing!
I was putting on a new solder to the claw but would not stick and someone told me that I need a solder that can reach higher temperature. If so what is the temp needed for the the claw? Thanks!
If you are using proper electronic solder (rosin flux core) and are getting it hot enough to melt the solder, the reason it's not sticking is that the claw itself is too cold and has oxides on the surface. It will help is you are using a eutectic solder (63% tin, 37% lead) as it has a lower melting point. Then, try a bit of flux from a flux pen on the claw, heat it up with the iron until the flux bubbles and sizzles, THEN apply the solder. Should flow out like magic.
@@G5Hohn will try that, thank you!
So you can use the shielded vintage wire for grounding huh ? Always thought Copper was the best route ? Thx
Oh dear . . . You started a question with the word "So".
Oh dear.
Does it need to be on exposed copper?
My guitar got quiet and I saw that the term somehow made that wire disconect from The tremclaw. Do you think my problem is that it disconected or is there something wrong with the other elextronics? Cheers
Check the input jack or the pots.
Would you get shocked if the trek law ground or aux ground came loose? I’m worried maybe my soldering isn’t right I mean it’s stuck on there but there’s A small pool of solder on top of the wire aswell
1:19 Appreciate your video, but put down a cloth or cardboard next time. This is an instructional video, and about 1:24 you dropped hot solder and singed the paint.
What does the other side connect to?
Hi Eric, usually to the top of the volume pot to ground the guitar and make sure there's no buzz. Cheers, Paul