I installed it in my American Strat. At the first I hasitated to put it in (ruin the guitar) but if anything it made it a good class above better. Retrospectively I am pleased that I made this upgrade.
This is the first video I’ve found that goes through all the blender tones clean. Thanks for that. Considering getting one of these and wanted to get an idea of what it would do.
Did you like those blended tones? Timestamps: Details about the Kit: 0:54 Full kit installation: 3:08 Pickup/Blender Options: 12:58 Tone Samples in a Mix: 14:00 Clean Tone Samples: 15:12 Dirty Tone Samples: 17:24 Sum Up: 18:38 Other Obsidian Wire Kits I've Used: Custom 4-Way for Tele - ua-cam.com/video/A_IQqjzb_3U/v-deo.html Traditional Vintage for Jazz Bass - ua-cam.com/video/CvSH4TeP6ww/v-deo.html
Love my strats that I've done the blender mod on. Being able to add some warm neck sound to the bridge , or brighten up the neck pickup with a little bridge pickup is handy...
Sounds great and looks really easy to install . I reckon if I was building myself a Partscaster Strat with all new parts ,this is a no brainer. Good on the Kiwis for ingenuity & a well made kit 👍👍👍
Looks like my Squire strat standard is about to get wired the kit you just installed sounds Amazing I really like the bridge and neck blend Great video!!!♍️🎸♏️⚡️
I put an Obsidian blender in an old Peavey Predator strat clone I've had since the early 90's. Also installed a new set of pickups that are comparable to fat 50's. It was my covid project. Next up are locking tuners, tusq nut and a new Wilkinson WV6-SB tremolo.
@@landonbailey Not yet but I will have to ream the tuner holes out a little. The old Peavey's have an odd 8mm hole but Hipshot makes a vintage tuner that is 8.5mm. I may just change the trem block out to a steel one from Guitar Fetish that "supposedly" is an exact replacement. The old block is made out of crappy thin zinc. When I'm done I will take it to my Luthier and have him set it up and install the tusq nut. It actually sounds really good when blending the bridge and neck pickups. Sounds like a telecaster.
Just got one of these. Was going to go into my vintage V6, but I just scored a 2010 Squier Standard SE with alder body and the 70s paint job with that sweet gold Squier label. So with the Graphtech string trees and nut, trem block, musiclilly pickguard and different plastic. Those and the Wilkinson wVS 60s set. Can't wait.
I always tap the pickups as I'm screwing on the pickguard just to be sure everything works. The worst thing about a Strat is having to take all the strings off when doing electronic mods. I like your HNIC T-shirt!
you all probably dont care but does someone know a way to log back into an Instagram account? I was dumb forgot the account password. I love any tips you can offer me.
@John Wesson I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and Im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Excellent and very complete vid... thanks! BUT, my OCD and Cringe Factor was VERY high with you laying the pick guard on the guitar body... You HAVE to have a wash cloth somewhere?
Thanks for the tip on the spare ground screw. I had no idea what it was for. I’m installing a set of Gen4 noiseless in my strat, and they also have 3 wires apiece.
I was thinking about putting those in my Tele, how do they sound? I like my Tele sounding thick, not twangy if that makes sence. I've heard they sound like both so I have not decided.
Yeah I have quite a rare model of Fender strat I got 16 years ago, and it kinda had this feature already. It had a button you press on it that switches the bridge pickup on for when you're in the neck or neck-middle position, so you can have that tele tone of neck and bridge, or you can have all 3 pickups on at once. It's very very useful, it adds a lot of variety. And that strat is kinda long in the tooth now, it needs refretting or maybe a whole new neck, so I'm considering buying a whole new strat instead. The quality of squier ones is so good these days. So I'm gonna get one of them and put this obsidian thing in it. Because it's hard to go back to a default strat with only 5 positions I think my strat is called the fender player deluxe strat, or something like that. Its been a long time so I forget. It only was in production for a year, hence it's rare. I'd rather not be replacing parts of that, instead just get a new one as I say.
The Obsidian kit looks like a nice upgrade. The convenience of not having to solder is a plus. Since the kit has a PCB with the components soldered to the PCB, is it easy to replace components like pots, caps, resistors?
Landon - Do you think these kits would work with the Squier Bullet Strats since their bodies are a bit thinner than a standard Fender strat? Nice video and it sounds nice!
Very cool, Landon. Thanks for pointing me here. This DOES seem very similar to the circuitry on the American Professional. Can you give me a link to the video where you bought the $70 Strat and then did the initial modifications to it? Thanks!
ya no problem. As for the guitar, I bought it around 2015 from Monoprice. They don’t sell that model and I didn’t document the first mods. That was all before I started on UA-cam
Awesome !! So how you finding that lace sensor mixed set ? I always have wanted a set in a strat. And with the blend kit you can definately see the Jaguar-esque sound it makes on a strat.
I love the blender sound. I like soldering so I did the unassembled Mojotone blender kit to save some money, but the Obsidian kits are incredibly nice. Also put on some Bootstrap Pickups. Breathed new life into my Squier strat.
Neat! I may try obsidian for my Squier Standard Tele. I want to also change the lipstick Pick-up to a humbucker. Any ideas where to purchase a new pick guard?
Do odsinian wire kits actually change any tones, what all comes on the unit anyway? Is it just a simpler easy way to wire the same stuff in pretty much or does it change the tones a lot? Is the main purpose of the obsinian wire kit to blend the pickups or is there any other reason or styles of them for Stratocasters? How many models of these for Strats is there and what are the differences in them?
So is this obsinian wire unit, is it the same as series/parallel? Does it do the same thing? Do they both blend the different pickups together? Is this the same as a Fender blender pot? Is this the same as a KIngtone switch? I know you heard of those for sure. Tell us about all this stuff ok? Thanks
I ordered an HSS kit for my Indo made Squire Bullet earlier today. Sorry I didn't watch this before I did so you could get some affiliate moola. I subbed to make it up to you. ;)
I finally got one and watched this video again while waiting for it to get here. I forgot you had an affiliate link. Sorry! Had I remembered, I would have used it. Did yours not have a treble bleed? Ordinarily I wouldn't mind soldering all this up but I've made 2020 the year of trying to find the perfect pickups.
Hi Landon and channel followers, is Obsidian still super great and an excellent go-to? From their website it says they are supplying from USA now? I suppose they are still made in New Zealand? I'm thinking of getting a HSS 7-way for a squire. Maybe the blender for another old squire also.
@@landonbailey Hi again, thanks for your response. I ordered the HSS 7-way so excited about that. Now, I'm trying to decide for my SSS - I see you have made videos about both the Blender obsidian and the 7-way DG obsidian (on the black Gilmour inspired strat). It's prob a difficult question to answer, but what are the real differences between the two and now that you've tried both, do you have a preference? thanks
Just put one of these into a MIM Fender strat. Nice. Impressive packaging. Works nice, only problem was ground wire from guitar body too large for push in connector. put it in the screw down ground connector. guitar did not have a trem / ground wire. will put one in. impressed w product. will look into one for Mr Tele.
I tried to play a sample of your music on iTunes yet couldn’t get it to go. Uuuuuum... maybe something is wrong with it, or I did the wrong thing. Check it out, just to see if your player is working correctly. Just a heads up. Anyway... guitar sounds very good after the mod. I was Enjoying the Music that played at the top of the video, which is why I went looking at iTunes. Very Cool vibe, man! I like your relaxed videos. Thanks!
They are a great kit Landon but very expensive. If you were upgrading a US Strat it would of course be well worth it. Very interesting Landon thanks 👍👍
Something I think you should have pointed out in the video is how utterly fiddly it is to get the wires into the sockets. Gave me a real headache with my Mexican Strat as the wires weren't all that stiff and deformed on the way in. I got them in eventually but it was a real hassle, so much so that I can't actually recommend the product because of it. Can imagine the soft wires on the Laces were just as bad if not worse. The stiffer wire to the jack was easy - so it's clearly aimed more at high end pickup users.
Great project. It inspires me to do what you did on the squire jazz. My only complaint is that you don’t take the time to cover the guitar from damage while working on it. Makes me cringe. 🫣
I installed it in my American Strat. At the first I hasitated to put it in (ruin the guitar) but if anything it made it a good class above better. Retrospectively I am pleased that I made this upgrade.
nice! thanks for the story 👍🎸
This is the first video I’ve found that goes through all the blender tones clean. Thanks for that. Considering getting one of these and wanted to get an idea of what it would do.
Glad it was helpful!
This blows me away, 70 dollar guitar sounds like a custom now. Thanks for the demo.
Did you like those blended tones?
Timestamps:
Details about the Kit: 0:54
Full kit installation: 3:08
Pickup/Blender Options: 12:58
Tone Samples in a Mix: 14:00
Clean Tone Samples: 15:12
Dirty Tone Samples: 17:24
Sum Up: 18:38
Other Obsidian Wire Kits I've Used:
Custom 4-Way for Tele - ua-cam.com/video/A_IQqjzb_3U/v-deo.html
Traditional Vintage for Jazz Bass - ua-cam.com/video/CvSH4TeP6ww/v-deo.html
Love my strats that I've done the blender mod on. Being able to add some warm neck sound to the bridge , or brighten up the neck pickup with a little bridge pickup is handy...
Sounds great and looks really easy to install . I reckon if I was building myself a Partscaster Strat with all new parts ,this is a no brainer. Good on the Kiwis for ingenuity & a well made kit 👍👍👍
Just got my obsidian blender kit for my "sleeper" Squire. Can't wait to play around with these buttons! 😊
Enjoy!
Looks like my Squire strat standard is about to get wired the kit you just installed sounds Amazing I really like the bridge and neck blend Great video!!!♍️🎸♏️⚡️
I put an Obsidian blender in an old Peavey Predator strat clone I've had since the early 90's. Also installed a new set of pickups that are comparable to fat 50's. It was my covid project. Next up are locking tuners, tusq nut and a new Wilkinson WV6-SB tremolo.
nice! any body mods required?
@@landonbailey Not yet but I will have to ream the tuner holes out a little. The old Peavey's have an odd 8mm hole but Hipshot makes a vintage tuner that is 8.5mm. I may just change the trem block out to a steel one from Guitar Fetish that "supposedly" is an exact replacement. The old block is made out of crappy thin zinc. When I'm done I will take it to my Luthier and have him set it up and install the tusq nut. It actually sounds really good when blending the bridge and neck pickups. Sounds like a telecaster.
Just got one of these. Was going to go into my vintage V6, but I just scored a 2010 Squier Standard SE with alder body and the 70s paint job with that sweet gold Squier label. So with the Graphtech string trees and nut, trem block, musiclilly pickguard and different plastic. Those and the Wilkinson wVS 60s set. Can't wait.
have fun with the mods!
Unless you go with the standard configuration by obsidian wiring you will have a bad time
I always tap the pickups as I'm screwing on the pickguard just to be sure everything works. The worst thing about a Strat is having to take all the strings off when doing electronic mods. I like your HNIC T-shirt!
ah cool ya! tap test before closing up! take care 👍🎸😁
Very cool! Great video and nice tones too mate.
ya adds some really cool versatility!
you all probably dont care but does someone know a way to log back into an Instagram account?
I was dumb forgot the account password. I love any tips you can offer me.
@Marc Harry instablaster ;)
@John Wesson I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and Im in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@John Wesson It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much you saved my ass!
That's a nifty mod! That blender knob is pretty kewl.
Excellent and very complete vid... thanks! BUT, my OCD and Cringe Factor was VERY high with you laying the pick guard on the guitar body... You HAVE to have a wash cloth somewhere?
the body was $69
Thanks for the tip on the spare ground screw. I had no idea what it was for. I’m installing a set of Gen4 noiseless in my strat, and they also have 3 wires apiece.
hey cool!
I was thinking about putting those in my Tele, how do they sound? I like my Tele sounding thick, not twangy if that makes sence. I've heard they sound like both so I have not decided.
Sounds are mighty fine.Good quality playing
hey thanks!
Very nice enhancement. Def does not sound like a cheap guitar! Of course, with those mods, it is no longer a cheap guitar...
ha ya! for me anyways 🤪👍
@@landonbailey those pickups are awesome what is the name of the pickups
@@landonbailey send me a copy of Sweetwater link for the the pickups
18:00 this definitely sounds like a cheap guitar.
Really enjoyed the video, everything was great. Greetings from Mexico!
Thank you very much!
Definitely going to get one of these. Really adds another dimension to the tones. Thanks for a great video
cheers!
Yeah I have quite a rare model of Fender strat I got 16 years ago, and it kinda had this feature already. It had a button you press on it that switches the bridge pickup on for when you're in the neck or neck-middle position, so you can have that tele tone of neck and bridge, or you can have all 3 pickups on at once. It's very very useful, it adds a lot of variety. And that strat is kinda long in the tooth now, it needs refretting or maybe a whole new neck, so I'm considering buying a whole new strat instead. The quality of squier ones is so good these days. So I'm gonna get one of them and put this obsidian thing in it. Because it's hard to go back to a default strat with only 5 positions
I think my strat is called the fender player deluxe strat, or something like that. Its been a long time so I forget. It only was in production for a year, hence it's rare. I'd rather not be replacing parts of that, instead just get a new one as I say.
sweet kit, and that fretboard has some great colouring!
hey thanks! ya cheapest good playing guitar I've ever bought :)
Have one on the way with 7 position upgrade. I have some pickups in mind for after testing.
The Obsidian kit looks like a nice upgrade. The convenience of not having to solder is a plus. Since the kit has a PCB with the components soldered to the PCB, is it easy to replace components like pots, caps, resistors?
I wouldn't be able to answer, I've never worked on them :)
The same as any other Strat. The pcb mostly connects to the switch.
I’ve been looking for a demo of this exact setup. Thinking of doing this same setup on my mim.
Oh so I'm not the only one who eats these gel things. I'm opening a candy store with them as the feature product
Landon - Do you think these kits would work with the Squier Bullet Strats since their bodies are a bit thinner than a standard Fender strat? Nice video and it sounds nice!
I don't think they will fit. I would email Obsidianwire to ask for sure
Very cool, Landon. Thanks for pointing me here. This DOES seem very similar to the circuitry on the American Professional. Can you give me a link to the video where you bought the $70 Strat and then did the initial modifications to it? Thanks!
ya no problem. As for the guitar, I bought it around 2015 from Monoprice. They don’t sell that model and I didn’t document the first mods. That was all before I started on UA-cam
Thanks for the video, it really helped me understand what I bought more.
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome !! So how you finding that lace sensor mixed set ? I always have wanted a set in a strat. And with the blend kit you can definately see the Jaguar-esque sound it makes on a strat.
I’ve been a fan of Lace Sensors for a longtime. I think they are pretty cool. :)
Reverb
I love the blender sound. I like soldering so I did the unassembled Mojotone blender kit to save some money, but the Obsidian kits are incredibly nice. Also put on some Bootstrap Pickups. Breathed new life into my Squier strat.
nice!
Thank you I bought it after watching your video......worth the cash
Great to hear!
This is the way to go if you can afford the extra bucks. Thanks for sharing bro. 😎👍👌🙌💯🎸🎸
No problem 👍 ya it makes it really easy to install
Neat! I may try obsidian for my Squier Standard Tele. I want to also change the lipstick Pick-up to a humbucker. Any ideas where to purchase a new pick guard?
cool! I get my stuff on Amazon or Ebay
Yes I do like the blender tones. Good video 👍
I used a reamer to make the holes bigger. No problem.
cool! do what works
I got the same set of pickups I’m have trouble with pots in my guitar getting the same volume and tone with blender kit
check out their site for the troubleshooting guides:
obsidianwire.com/blogs/product-support
It sounded good because of that fender strap dude!
🎸👍😁
Do odsinian wire kits actually change any tones, what all comes on the unit anyway? Is it just a simpler easy way to wire the same stuff in pretty much or does it change the tones a lot? Is the main purpose of the obsinian wire kit to blend the pickups or is there any other reason or styles of them for Stratocasters? How many models of these for Strats is there and what are the differences in them?
I suggest you email Obsidian Wire directly. I don't know the answers
So is this obsinian wire unit, is it the same as series/parallel? Does it do the same thing? Do they both blend the different pickups together? Is this the same as a Fender blender pot? Is this the same as a KIngtone switch? I know you heard of those for sure. Tell us about all this stuff ok? Thanks
I dont' recall. this was a couple years ago and I don't have that guitar any more
Nice vid on Blender.. Got mine from DarkMoon, Obsidian looks quality as well.
thanks!
I ordered an HSS kit for my Indo made Squire Bullet earlier today. Sorry I didn't watch this before I did so you could get some affiliate moola. I subbed to make it up to you. ;)
hey cool! no worries I do this for fun
I like it, and I've been thinking about building a partscaster.
I finally got one and watched this video again while waiting for it to get here. I forgot you had an affiliate link. Sorry! Had I remembered, I would have used it. Did yours not have a treble bleed? Ordinarily I wouldn't mind soldering all this up but I've made 2020 the year of trying to find the perfect pickups.
They make great stuff.
great quality for sure!
this is pretty darn cool. strats should just come with blenders!
I prefer the versatility for sure
Hi Landon and channel followers, is Obsidian still super great and an excellent go-to? From their website it says they are supplying from USA now? I suppose they are still made in New Zealand? I'm thinking of getting a HSS 7-way for a squire. Maybe the blender for another old squire also.
yes to all your questions 🎸👍
@@landonbailey Hi again, thanks for your response. I ordered the HSS 7-way so excited about that. Now, I'm trying to decide for my SSS - I see you have made videos about both the Blender obsidian and the 7-way DG obsidian (on the black Gilmour inspired strat). It's prob a difficult question to answer, but what are the real differences between the two and now that you've tried both, do you have a preference? thanks
Good stuff Landon
👍🎸
Just put one of these into a MIM Fender strat. Nice. Impressive packaging. Works nice, only problem was ground wire from guitar body too large for push in connector. put it in the screw down ground connector. guitar did not have a trem / ground wire. will put one in. impressed w product. will look into one for Mr Tele.
So the tone knob controls all three pick ups?
hey there! ya one tone for all
@@landonbailey great! I'm going to the US next week, it'll be on my shopping list, for sure.
cool they ship direct from New Zealand too
David Gilmore had his strat modded for neck and bridge so yeah you probably have heard it before lol.
Also, Tele
love his playing!
I tried to play a sample of your music on iTunes yet couldn’t get it to go. Uuuuuum... maybe something is wrong with it, or I did the wrong thing. Check it out, just to see if your player is working correctly. Just a heads up.
Anyway... guitar sounds very good after the mod. I was Enjoying the Music that played at the top of the video, which is why I went looking at iTunes. Very Cool vibe, man! I like your relaxed videos. Thanks!
Hey thanks for searching it out! I think there’s links to my music in the video description
They are a great kit Landon but very expensive. If you were upgrading a US Strat it would of course be well worth it. Very interesting Landon thanks 👍👍
Even for a sheap stratocaster it worth it im upgrading my Jet JS300 with it
Does anybody know who plays the song in the background?. It's a cool tune. Would love to know who it is.
I got picks with mine too
Real nice guys
cool! great company
Great job
Very Cool, great video!
thanks!
Does this work for Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster HSS, if I get the 500k version? Thanks.
I dont think so. You would probably have to mod the cavity. I would check their site for the official recommendations
@@landonbailey ok. Thanks. I appreciate the response. Was curious since 500k version says it is for guitars with humbuckers.
When plugging into the input jack is there a click like an American strat that makes it feel secure?? Random question lol
it clicks, but I don't have an American model to compare that with
I know this is -retry old but please mention that the Strat wiring kits don’t work on lefty strats.
Hey my friend i installed this on a squier but the tip of the switch doesnt fit, do you know which is the good one?
the switch tip from your Squier doesn't fit on the Obsidianwire switch end?
@@landonbailey it doesnt fit
Something I think you should have pointed out in the video is how utterly fiddly it is to get the wires into the sockets. Gave me a real headache with my Mexican Strat as the wires weren't all that stiff and deformed on the way in. I got them in eventually but it was a real hassle, so much so that I can't actually recommend the product because of it. Can imagine the soft wires on the Laces were just as bad if not worse. The stiffer wire to the jack was easy - so it's clearly aimed more at high end pickup users.
I don't really see that as a fault of the Obsidianwire kit. Make sure your wire ends are good and it's pretty easy
Love your Shorts ,,,,, No ,,,,, Wait ,,,,,,
You Missundermeant what i Stood
Rather than drilling out the hole for the jack, why not just use the original jack?
the new one was probably better quality/materials. I don't recall anymore
A strat with the bridge and neck blended is called a tele.
I've got a few of those 👍🎸
i dint find them in the uk only ones i found are the 500k pots, unfortunately.
Damn! i eat the silica gel!
😜🎸🥧👍
Doughnut eat say what
Do you still use and recommend these kits from obsidian
yes! I've just used another. 4 total now. ua-cam.com/video/AxLCUyxSBUs/v-deo.html
Thank you putting some pearly gates in my rip l.p.
Wow! Even a caveman can do it! Good job!
man cave man too!
Will it fit in a squire
it might. Check their site, they list what is compatible
Thank you
what pickups do you use?
For 70 bucks that thing has nice looking copper shielding in it
Does it come with ground wjres
yes
Lando27Music sweet! I’m putting together a silver strat soon with this , thanks for the quick reply
nice! check out their website. they have the wiring diagrams online
Ontario ???
Good things grow....in
Does someone know if this fit on a G&L strat guitar?
Body cavity ground not explained very well... in the manual.....thank you!!
I hate you ❤❤❤ Now I gotta go get my kit now 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Don't worry kids these days won't actually eat that 5:13 .. it's not a tide pod
has anyone said that you sound like Pual Rudd?
i think once :)
I thought blender meant split single coils
Win32 fault. bsod
The best way to remove the knobs?
Have someone else do it! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
First Comment!
It’s not a $70.00 guitar anymore.....😆😉
for anyone else it's worth-less! 👍🤪 I never put money into a guitar with any expectation to recover it. that doesn't happen
How to start your Relic Job
idk why cant all guitar manufacturers simply do all the wiring like this.. its 2023
$$$
Sorry i wired this blendend Mode already 20 years ago...nothing NEW.
Polishing a turd, lol.
Great project. It inspires me to do what you did on the squire jazz. My only complaint is that you don’t take the time to cover the guitar from damage while working on it. Makes me cringe. 🫣
the guitar cost $71!