Bought a Texas Special pre wired pick guard. Using this video, I successfully installed it in my 40th Anniversary American Strat in less than an hour. This was also my first time soldering, so this video was fantastic help!
If you are going to solder on top of your expensive stratocaster at least put down a piece of newspaper or old towel. Solder can sputter and a small bead of hot solder will leave a lovely pin sized burn mark on your paint. This is very evident with a white guitar.
Good idea ! Would you make a movie about how set up pickups, what high is proper for each of them, like single coil and humbucker. Tele and strat. That could be as well interesting form many.
I’ve always disliked the white pickguard on my sunburst strat and there was no way I was going to even attempt pulling the pickups out to install a new one. But the pre-wired ones are a good option and this guy makes it look pretty easy.
This is way harder than just changing the pickguard man, you just have to unscrew them and screw them in the new one. May seem scary but it’s a lot easier than you’d think.
I put two Wide Range humbuckers - same pickups as a Telecaster Deluxe - in my one Strat recently and it came out great. I did need the Strat routed for the pickups, but that only set me back about $40. I've dubbed the guitar the "Stratocaster Deluxe."
The Stratocaster - is a Harsh Mistress - the entertaining factor is unbeliefebale your screwing is very good and the construction is iconic be shure if you do something wrong - the Instrument gives you Feedback so thank you Fender as always
Hey "Miami" Mike. Great video. Fender makes it so easy to swap out pickups. I'm about to put the Tex-Mex assembly into my Strat. Thank you, and Fender. 🤘🏽
@Équinoxe none of those are jokes. A more concise list including restatements of the same joke: 1) I identify as an attack helicopter 1b) did you just assume my identity 1c) we have as many jokes are we have genders Etc. It's all one joke really, said different ways.
Just beware that some Fender Strats have a truss rod adjustment where the neck meets the body and that adjustment wheel requires a NOTCH that won't exist on a standard replacement pickguard kit. I just replaced the pickups on my 2017 Fender Elite strat which has this notch. My solution, rather than buy a specific pickguard for the Elite/compatible notched layout, was to buy a pull loaded pickguard (cheaper vs. individual components of same quality/spec) and then cut my own notch. I used a dremel. I used the old guard to make a paper template for the notch and marked the back of the new pickguard and used a cutting wheel on the dremel to (relatively) slowly cut the notched shape and a dremel low abrasion grinding tip to smooth it out. With the notch added, the pickguard fit into place perfectly. Just be mindful of your own guitar and if the loaded pickguard's common shape matches what you need and, if not, have a plan to deal with it. Full confession, I did NOT account for this but thankfully I had a dremel and quickly figured out a way to fashion a fix for it.
Pickguard will not slide out in if your body has SSS cut and 22 frets , cause neck pickup is on the way !!! On the video they have HSH cut and this exstra space from H in the neck ,allows to slide it in so easy-peasy. But, if you have SSS cut , be prepared to play with the neck pickup(fully unscrew it to take pickguard of and figure out how to screw it back , when pickguard is already attached ).
I really like these, pretty straightforward, though I have soldiered anything in donkey years , I have guitar that came with P90's somedays you love them and other days its like fighting a grizzly bear, but for the money its a great upgrade, I am considering , great video very clear, what I would suggest also before unsolidering is taken a photo of where wires go , just in case, the instructions are there but sometimes just having a visual also helps, what colour scratch plate with flamed red Alder Body would be best I like black ,
what's the wiring setup for these pickguards? Is traditional like first tone for neck, 2nd tone for middle, and bridge has no tone control? Or is it wired like the player strats, with first tone for neck/middle, and 2nd tone for bridge?
If my new loaded pickguard doesn’t have that wire that is supposed to be screwed to the body/shielding? Is any shielding completely useless? Can I add that wire in?
I feel like it has to be basic guitar custom to always let everyone HEAR what the guitar sounds like at the end 😂👏 because why the heck not. I know what a Stratocaster sounds like but I still wanna hear it when it’s been tampered with like this 😂👏
Thanks for this Mike. I have an 80s strat. There is a terminal under the input jack that goes to the screw attached to the body. The guitar doesn't have a backplate but I can see the wire which is fed thru and appears just above the ground screw. that's 5 connections and I only have 4 wires. Can you help? Thanks, Mike H.
What do you do when the pickguard holes don't line up with existing? I got a hss fender squier fat strat guard to put on my son's fender strat. He wanted a double humbucker basically so thought it looked online like it would match. Holes didn't line up but 3 lol. I'm new to this so kinda clueless. Figure drill new holes or did I get the wrong guard completely? It Works fine tho 🤷♂️
i think about changing the pickups from my 2002 MIM Strat with a pre-wired pickguard. Now i´ve seen there is an additional shield-cable with was screwed into the body. My strat body is not shielded, so do i need to shield the body first or can i ignore the cable an use the other 3 cable ? thanks for your support
looks easy as i own a fender strat elite and sadly elite scratch plates diffrent then standart as thrust rod on the end and scratch plates got a cut in the end ,ill habe to cut that part to make it fit otherwise wont ,shame they dont do ready made pickguarda for elite models as im not really happy with my noiless pickups and wanna change them to 50s fat or custom 69
Hello there. I have bought a Strat body without any cables and stuff and I ordered a prewired pickguard. Also I don’t have any cables for the jack entry or ground cable on the back. How can I istall the pickguard?
I have the 920D Custom Everything Axe with two extra switches. I think I know how the switches work but have found vids on UA-cam that say opposite things. My analysis: Switches down = OFF. Upper one is Humbucker (up to turn it on). Lower one is Neck pick up (up to turn it on). Could you verify this for me? I cannot find this simple info on the Seymour Duncan site or in the instructions they sent me.
Some strats do not have shielding inside the cavity. If there is no screw hole in your strat body, or no obvious signs of metal sheeting lining the cavity, you don't need to use that wire. Wrap up the wire and tuck it inside.
1:06 but what size of screwdriver? I hace been trying to get the pickguard out, but 2 screws just wont go out. I've read it has to be a Phillips #1. But in my country they dont sell them as that, is says Phillips 4/16" and such 😐 bringing the whole guitar to the store to buy a screwdriver seems unpractical
or step 1) snip and strip ground wire running to trem put inline mini chock block/crimp on step 2) snip and strip tip and ring wires running to jack ferrule put inline mini chock block/crimp on and you'll never need to use a soldering iron or take out the back plate or ferrule plate off to swap the pickups out again...
I have a 60’s reissue strat that does not have the “screw” to body wire. Instead there are two black wires going to plug in Jack. Where do I put the screw wire from the new pre wired pick up guard?
Would the length of the ground wire affect the hum? After installing my loaded pickguard, it makes a really loud hum when I plug it in. I grounded everything, but I did notice that the ground wires were significantly long. Would that be the cause of the loud hum?
Hey Mike, its Miami Evan here... Do you think the prewired strat pickguard will fit my 1990ish Squire 2 (made in India) it does have the 11 screw holes. Just wondering if the routing is deep enough to fit the larger strat pots and switch. Also the general shape of the pickguard, is the opening on both Squire II and strat the same? I have read tons of forums and found conflicting info.
What if my guitar isnt shielded from the inside and doesnt have a hole for the screw can i install the pickguard with cutting off the wire or taping it to the cavity?
Would these instructions work if I wanted to replace the pickguard/pickups in my Elite Stratocaster and replace them with an American Performer loaded pickguard?
Will I be able to swap a Fender Texas Special into a 1974 American Strat? I noticed the new pickguard has 4 wires and the 1974 only has 3 wires to solder. There is no place to screw in the ground wire unless I drill a hole.
Thanks for this video! How many watt soldering iron did you use? I had a hard time melting the solder on the tremolo claw. I guess my soldering iron doesn't get hot enough.
There is a tiny hole for the wires into the cavity for the jack from the cavity for the pickguard. If it were prewired, you couldn't get the jack through those tiny wire holes.
i have a hss shawbucker w the noiseless, i’m putting it in a mim player series. My problem is that the pickguard doesn’t sit flush and i have to press down w pressure to fit it in. When i tested it there was a constant buzz when not even touching it, it works when i tap it but it’s just the buzz it’s annoying. Can i get any help with what it could be?
Bought a Texas Special pre wired pick guard. Using this video, I successfully installed it in my 40th Anniversary American Strat in less than an hour. This was also my first time soldering, so this video was fantastic help!
Miami Mike has become my favorite Fender spokesmen now
😎🙌
Mike: I've watched about 10 of these, yours is by far the best. I don't know why everyone else makes it such an ordeal. Great video.
Thanks Ed Sheeran.
Elton John.
fat ginger Steve jobs
😂😂
Lmfao
Looks neither like Elton or Ed
I love that guy.
Luke Calfee judging by how he was talking he probably loves you too
5:58 yeah...i love this reaction tho
I could listen to this dude talk all day. Knowledge, funny, skilled, plus that shirt.
Why am I watching this at 5.30 a.m.?
I can't even afford a second hand Squier.
5:15 am here it just broke out my old Squier.
Can you afford a Harley Benton ? They are better value for the price
Hi Mike, You are an asset to Fender for sure. Beautifully done. I'm just gonna do the pre-wired Texas Specials thing. Life's too short. Thanks !
If you are going to solder on top of your expensive stratocaster at least put down a piece of newspaper or old towel. Solder can sputter and a small bead of hot solder will leave a lovely pin sized burn mark on your paint. This is very evident with a white guitar.
‘Fender offers pre loaded pick guards’
Dies in left handed
oof.
Theirs plenty of custom places that’ll help don’t worry. Or try 920 d custom!
statelessmars thank you! I’m definitely going to try 920d out
Your username explains me
dies in bass
Good idea ! Would you make a movie about how set up pickups, what high is proper for each of them, like single coil and humbucker. Tele and strat. That could be as well interesting form many.
I’ve always disliked the white pickguard on my sunburst strat and there was no way I was going to even attempt pulling the pickups out to install a new one. But the pre-wired ones are a good option and this guy makes it look pretty easy.
Wat if u don’t have a soder gun
@@insomeriac5748 Buy one.
This is way harder than just changing the pickguard man, you just have to unscrew them and screw them in the new one. May seem scary but it’s a lot easier than you’d think.
@@telemeisterdumbass you can just use a lighter 🤣
@@Lxk3ezno you can’t 💀💀💀☠️☠️☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
I put two Wide Range humbuckers - same pickups as a Telecaster Deluxe - in my one Strat recently and it came out great. I did need the Strat routed for the pickups, but that only set me back about $40. I've dubbed the guitar the "Stratocaster Deluxe."
The Stratocaster - is a Harsh Mistress - the entertaining factor is unbeliefebale your screwing is very good and the construction is iconic be shure if you do something wrong - the Instrument gives you Feedback so thank you Fender as always
6:13 damn that beat slaps
Excellent I can't wait to see a pre-wired Black pickguard David Gilmore model on original Fender list :-)
Great video. Very helpful. I've just replaced a pre-wired pick guard with fat 50s on my strat after watching this. Thank you.
Hey "Miami" Mike. Great video. Fender makes it so easy to swap out pickups. I'm about to put the Tex-Mex assembly into my Strat.
Thank you, and Fender. 🤘🏽
So helpful; concise, no fat. Pre-wired Tex-Mex pickups going into a '91 MIM tomorrow.
off topic but this is the greatest shirt I've seen for years.
Stranger: hello stratocaster player!
Me: did you assume my fender?!
thats COMEDY right there
The right wing has one joke.
Jared dines dad jokes😂😂
Or guitar jokes
@Équinoxe none of those are jokes. A more concise list including restatements of the same joke:
1) I identify as an attack helicopter
1b) did you just assume my identity
1c) we have as many jokes are we have genders
Etc. It's all one joke really, said different ways.
Bob Ross and Mike Adams are the two most instantly likeable humans to ever walk the planet.
Great videos from Fender. Thanks Miami Mike for taking time from partying to show this.👍🏻
never watched a tutorial this easy
my strat doesnt have a ground wire screwed to body , no shielding paint , what do i do with extra wire
Any ideas?
Just beware that some Fender Strats have a truss rod adjustment where the neck meets the body and that adjustment wheel requires a NOTCH that won't exist on a standard replacement pickguard kit. I just replaced the pickups on my 2017 Fender Elite strat which has this notch. My solution, rather than buy a specific pickguard for the Elite/compatible notched layout, was to buy a pull loaded pickguard (cheaper vs. individual components of same quality/spec) and then cut my own notch. I used a dremel. I used the old guard to make a paper template for the notch and marked the back of the new pickguard and used a cutting wheel on the dremel to (relatively) slowly cut the notched shape and a dremel low abrasion grinding tip to smooth it out. With the notch added, the pickguard fit into place perfectly. Just be mindful of your own guitar and if the loaded pickguard's common shape matches what you need and, if not, have a plan to deal with it. Full confession, I did NOT account for this but thankfully I had a dremel and quickly figured out a way to fashion a fix for it.
Can you have Telecaster and Esquire pre-wired pickguards?
Pickguard will not slide out in if your body has SSS cut and 22 frets , cause neck pickup is on the way !!! On the video they have HSH cut and this exstra space from H in the neck ,allows to slide it in so easy-peasy. But, if you have SSS cut , be prepared to play with the neck pickup(fully unscrew it to take pickguard of and figure out how to screw it back , when pickguard is already attached ).
I love the repair videos but I wish you would have put the strings on and let us hear the sound of it before and after
The video wasn't demoing the loaded pick guard though. He did everything needed for the video
This guy should make a channel where he plays a bunch of jazzmasters.
Also more videos like this 🙏
I really like these, pretty straightforward, though I have soldiered anything in donkey years , I have guitar that came with P90's somedays you love them and other days its like fighting a grizzly bear, but for the money its a great upgrade, I am considering , great video very clear, what I would suggest also before unsolidering is taken a photo of where wires go , just in case, the instructions are there but sometimes just having a visual also helps, what colour scratch plate with flamed red Alder Body would be best I like black ,
what's the wiring setup for these pickguards? Is traditional like first tone for neck, 2nd tone for middle, and bridge has no tone control? Or is it wired like the player strats, with first tone for neck/middle, and 2nd tone for bridge?
Where is the cloth protecting the guitar body when soldering the output jack?
This guy needs to be a voice actor
If my new loaded pickguard doesn’t have that wire that is supposed to be screwed to the body/shielding? Is any shielding completely useless? Can I add that wire in?
I feel like it has to be basic guitar custom to always let everyone HEAR what the guitar sounds like at the end 😂👏 because why the heck not. I know what a Stratocaster sounds like but I still wanna hear it when it’s been tampered with like this 😂👏
Hey its the king of offsets
Thanks for this Mike. I have an 80s strat. There is a terminal under the input jack that goes to the screw attached to the body. The guitar doesn't have a backplate but I can see the wire which is fed thru and appears just above the ground screw. that's 5 connections and I only have 4 wires. Can you help? Thanks, Mike H.
What a lovely guy!
I love gaining Access! 🤠
Do these pickguards come with 5 way selector or the 3 way pickup selector?
@Andrew Anthony Too bad they don't give the option of selecting either a 5 way or 3 way for stratocaster.
is there any demo on how to custom paint a Tele? maybe just a suggestion what kind of paint to use?
What do you do when the pickguard holes don't line up with existing? I got a hss fender squier fat strat guard to put on my son's fender strat. He wanted a double humbucker basically so thought it looked online like it would match. Holes didn't line up but 3 lol. I'm new to this so kinda clueless. Figure drill new holes or did I get the wrong guard completely? It Works fine tho 🤷♂️
Where do you attach the ground wire If it’s a hardtail strat?
Dam right, tap tap test on the pups before you string it up. Thank you Leo for making my favorite guitar 🎸 You've given me a severe case of Stratitus
i think about changing the pickups from my 2002 MIM Strat with a pre-wired pickguard. Now i´ve seen there is an additional shield-cable with was screwed into the body. My strat body is not shielded, so do i need to shield the body first or can i ignore the cable an use the other 3 cable ? thanks for your support
"Gonna set that aside RIGHT THERE" ur funny
What is the color of covers of the new pickups and knobs. They look cool.
Hi!Does this loaded pickguard fits on an Ibanez grx40?
looks easy as i own a fender strat elite and sadly elite scratch plates diffrent then standart as thrust rod on the end and scratch plates got a cut in the end ,ill habe to cut that part to make it fit otherwise wont ,shame they dont do ready made pickguarda for elite models as im not really happy with my noiless pickups and wanna change them to 50s fat or custom 69
So if you don't have shielding paint would that make your guitar buzz and hum?
Hello there. I have bought a Strat body without any cables and stuff and I ordered a prewired pickguard. Also I don’t have any cables for the jack entry or ground cable on the back. How can I istall the pickguard?
Do you need solder stuff - or do you just put the gun next to the wires and it solders? thks
Miami Mike! ❤️ 🏝
What to do with the extra ground wire if the body doesn’t have the shielding pane place ?
Awesome delivery and informative.. can’t wait to get in that site!
I hope you mentioned the correct solder name/number you use for fender components!!!
I have the 920D Custom Everything Axe with two extra switches. I think I know how the switches work but have found vids on UA-cam that say opposite things. My analysis: Switches down = OFF. Upper one is Humbucker (up to turn it on). Lower one is Neck pick up (up to turn it on). Could you verify this for me? I cannot find this simple info on the Seymour Duncan site or in the instructions they sent me.
Can I use that on my squier affinity stratocaster?
I have a crappy 80 bux guitar, doesn’t sound bad, but sometimes it gets pretty crappy, planning to get one of these
What if my strat does not have a screw installed? The screw that is touching the body. How will U be able to us the pickups? 3:22
Some strats do not have shielding inside the cavity. If there is no screw hole in your strat body, or no obvious signs of metal sheeting lining the cavity, you don't need to use that wire. Wrap up the wire and tuck it inside.
@@trentrune1056 thank you. I would've drilled it in and probably done something wrong. Thanks.
@@trentrune1056 so the wire just floats around under the pickguard?
Great demonstration. Thanks.
Is it feasible to use electrical terminal clamps when connecting to output jack and only solder the ground to tremolo claw?
1:06 but what size of screwdriver?
I hace been trying to get the pickguard out, but 2 screws just wont go out. I've read it has to be a Phillips #1. But in my country they dont sell them as that, is says Phillips 4/16" and such 😐 bringing the whole guitar to the store to buy a screwdriver seems unpractical
my old pal mike
or step 1) snip and strip ground wire running to trem put inline mini chock block/crimp on step 2) snip and strip tip and ring wires running to jack ferrule put inline mini chock block/crimp on and you'll never need to use a soldering iron or take out the back plate or ferrule plate off to swap the pickups out again...
Recommendation on where to buy these chock block/crimps? A link would be helpful - thanks!
@@DanielBobke just search chocblock or terminal block or order a terminal and spades and crimp kit.
@@123Andersonev Thanks. Instead of the spade connectors, what about butt splice connectors?
@@DanielBobke sure some crimp kits come with the full selection anyway just got to find the right on e
Hey can someone tell me if i have a HSS Stratocaster will the SSS pickguard work in it or do i need to get the HSS? Thanks!
I have a 60’s reissue strat that does not have the “screw” to body wire. Instead there are two black wires going to plug in Jack. Where do I put the screw wire from the new pre wired pick up guard?
You need to turn that drill down my guy!! That sh*t was f***ing with my nerves😂😂
what should you do if your guitar doesn’t have a place for the wire that’s supposed to connect to the shielding paint?
would this work on a Squire? Great way to upgrade a Squire
Would the length of the ground wire affect the hum? After installing my loaded pickguard, it makes a really loud hum when I plug it in. I grounded everything, but I did notice that the ground wires were significantly long. Would that be the cause of the loud hum?
Hey Mike, its Miami Evan here... Do you think the prewired strat pickguard will fit my 1990ish Squire 2 (made in India) it does have the 11 screw holes. Just wondering if the routing is deep enough to fit the larger strat pots and switch. Also the general shape of the pickguard, is the opening on both Squire II and strat the same? I have read tons of forums and found conflicting info.
tex mew drop in is at 150 2day on Amazon........ thanks for the video :)
why does de middle tone control works on the bridge pickup?
did the 70th anniversary player come routed for hsh ?
What if my guitar isnt shielded from the inside and doesnt have a hole for the screw can i install the pickguard with cutting off the wire or taping it to the cavity?
Would these instructions work if I wanted to replace the pickguard/pickups in my Elite Stratocaster and replace them with an American Performer loaded pickguard?
Will I be able to swap a Fender Texas Special into a 1974 American Strat? I noticed the new pickguard has 4 wires and the 1974 only has 3 wires to solder. There is no place to screw in the ground wire unless I drill a hole.
This is awesome. Thanks for posting this.
Do this pickguards come with the click on the bridge pup tone knob??
Thank you that was great and easy to follow.
What’s the difference between a pickguard with 11 screw wholes and one with 13 and will 11 screws fit if you had a 13 before ?
excellent video. bravo, Mike!
Is it compatible for squier bullet strat to build in?
Thanks for this video! How many watt soldering iron did you use? I had a hard time melting the solder on the tremolo claw. I guess my soldering iron doesn't get hot enough.
What kind of solder were you using? And what kind of soldering iron were you using?
Why was the jack not pre-wired as well? And how can I request that it is if order one?
There is a tiny hole for the wires into the cavity for the jack from the cavity for the pickguard. If it were prewired, you couldn't get the jack through those tiny wire holes.
Ordered one ..great video ..
Does this work in an squier?
You do a great demo 👍
Please allow Miami Mike time to shred on his newly installed pre-wired pickgaurd!
i'll buy these pre-wired kit and replace pots + output jack with emerson pre-wired kit
will this fit american ultra?
If your body doesn’t have shielding paint, what do you do with the ground that screws into the body?
Just leave it hanging there
I do have the same question right now, did you find a working solution?
Can I put a Humbucker in it? When I make space for it?
i have a hss shawbucker w the noiseless, i’m putting it in a mim player series. My problem is that the pickguard doesn’t sit flush and i have to press down w pressure to fit it in. When i tested it there was a constant buzz when not even touching it, it works when i tap it but it’s just the buzz it’s annoying. Can i get any help with what it could be?
I know it’s been two years but was the buzzing stopping after u touched the pickguard or the metal?
I've never soldered a thing in my life. Is it a bad idea to try and make installing one of these my first go at it?
the pre-loaded so the soldering is mostly done already. The amount of soldering is minimal
make sure not to touch the soldering iron. it's very hot.
Wish you explained soldering
40w soldering iron works fine??? What does Fender recommends?