2 pin connectors

[davidmold]

I recently bought a Sheraton II, and I'd like to swap out the pickups. All the electrics seem to be working just fine so I'd rather not remove all the pots and switches if I don't have to, and I'd also like to try several varieties of pickup in the guitar. I understand that a complete rewire is the recommended way to go, and I may do that in the future, but for now I just want to audition a few pickups.

 

I notice that the existing pickups are not soldered to the pots but are connected with a molex-style 2-pin connector. This seemed like it would be a great time saver, but when I went online to try to locate a matching connector, there seem to be so many varieties out there that I don't know how to identify it.

 

Does anyone know a part number for these connectors, or the best way to go about identifying it?

[RotcanX]

Remove one of the pickups and bring the assembly in to your local Radio Shack (or equivalent electronics supplier) and see if you can find something to match. Just about any connector with 0.1" spacing on the contacts should mate with these; those are industry-standard computer connectors.

[davidmold]

Thanks, RotcanX, I'll give that a try.

[carverman]

Remove one of the pickups and bring the assembly in to your local Radio Shack (or equivalent electronics supplier) and see if you can find something to match. Just about any connector with 0.1" spacing on the contacts should mate with these; those are industry-standard computer connectors.

 

this seems to crop up now and then. Epi are now advertising on some LP models that they are offering quick connectors to swap p_ups...but...they don't mention what asian style-molex style connectors they are, so

users have to hunt for a match. This is not very good, because the swapped out p_ups may not be

Epiphone supplied, so it makes it very difficult to find the matching connector.

 

On mine for the 4 wire p_ups ,I ended up getting a 4 pin molex (Mode Electronics - .062" 18-24 guage wire)

from my local electronics shop.

It comes as a package with the male-female and the pins which are molex style pins, not the computer circuit board pins, although those may work if you can match them up.

go to www.mode-elec.com and search for "connectors" and then "descrete wire". You should see 2 -3 -4 and

5 pin molex style.

 

I just bought a package of molex male-female pins for the shield connection.

[davidmold]

I tried going to Radio Shack, but they don't carry any connectors that are anything like these. These have a particular interlocking device on the top. Maybe someone can identify them from this pic. I would be very grateful if anyone knows where they can be found, or if they have a specific name.

 

[garyelcrrt1281733995]

Its not a benefit for us! Oh, no, no no! This is several fewer solder joints in the assembly process. That particular connector will have been specifically chosen to be as proprietary as possible. After all, couldn't have, say UNAPPROVED modification is still a warranty issue - and an easily replaceable connector type could easily be used to forward an argument that Epi's use of such easily found connectors was proof that they not only expected such modifications to take place, but were actively abetting those modifications through the type of connector that was used, and use that to argue against warranty limitations, perhaps.

 

Nah, really no idea -- but it certainly sounds like something corporations and attorneys could come up with.

[carverman]

That particular connector will have been specifically chosen to be as proprietary as possible. After all' date=' couldn't have, say UNAPPROVED modification is still a warranty issue - and an easily replaceable connector type could easily be used to forward an argument that Epi's use of such easily found connectors was proof that they not only expected such modifications to take place, but were actively abetting those modifications through the type of connector that was used, and use that to argue against warranty limitations, perhaps. [/quote']

 

The big problem, Gary, is that most of the nylon or plastic connectors are now made in China and there are literally

thousands and thousands of them. Its a connection minefield. Molex/Amp and Berg are mostly made in Asia these

days and imported into NA, so getting any identification off the shell of the connector is going to be difficult, never

mind trying to find a aftermarket match. Proprietary connectors are just that. Even though it looks like a two pin

molex computer connector for front panel or fan, it's not going to be that easy to find one, unless Epiphone start

to sell them as accessories...and that is probably not going to happen in the near future.

 

A possible solution (to swapping pickups) is to replace these connectors with a known type and brand.

[davidmold]

A possible solution (to swapping pickups) is to replace these connectors with a known type and brand.

 

It's true. But one time, just one time, I wanted not to have to do the workaround.

[Dave]

Find a business in your town that does car audio. They will have connector and pin/jack sets and just might crimp them on for a price. You will need an appropriate crimping tool to properly install the pins on the wires if they won't do it for you. My 2005 Epi LP Flametop had soldered connections. Had it had plugs, I would have cut them off and soldered the connections. Solder is heat and forget if done right. Connectors will eventually develop minute amounts of resistance, which is murder on low voltage circuits. The two parts that cause aggravation on a guitar are the output jack and the toggle switch. I wouldn't install a third source of concern in the signal flow.

[garyelcrrt1281733995]

Really Dave? Sorry, conversational idiocy, not doubting you -- but I had nearly 180 out reaction to the idea. I thought, wow, if only I could get as reliable a connection in a guitar as I get in a computer where 100% accuracy is more normal than otherwise. Amazing, how far apart the reactions from the same thought (in itself a sign of genius, don't you think?). But then, I've recently discovered my eyes have gone a bit in the armslength range, and I am no longer the man I once was with a soldering iron.

[davidmold]

Find a business in your town that does car audio. They will have connector and pin/jack sets and just might crimp them on for a price. You will need an appropriate crimping tool to properly install the pins on the wires if they won't do it for you. My 2005 Epi LP Flametop had soldered connections. Had it had plugs' date=' I would have cut them off and soldered the connections. Solder is heat and forget if done right. Connectors will eventually develop minute amounts of resistance, which is murder on low voltage circuits. The two parts that cause aggravation on a guitar are the output jack and the toggle switch. I wouldn't install a third source of concern in the signal flow.[/quote']

 

If this was an LP, I would do exactly the same as you. But it's a Sheraton, so we're talking an entire day messing about with fishing line and f-holes, cardboard templates, and accidentally dropping tiny screws into inaccessible locations, just to try out a pickup I will probably hate. It's an awful lot easier to just pull out a connector and replace it should it happen to end up causing concern.

[carverman]

 

If this was an LP' date=' I would do exactly the same as you. But it's a Sheraton, so we're talking an entire day messing about with fishing line and f-holes, cardboard templates, and accidentally dropping tiny screws into inaccessible locations, just to try out a pickup I will probably hate. It's an awful lot easier to just pull out a connector and replace it should it happen to end up causing concern.[/quote']

 

The female connector going to the pots should be long enough that you can work

at it by pulling it out of the pickup holes, which you would have to remove to get

at the connector. Put a towel over the guitar and solder/crimp the new pins an

insert them into the new connector. The p_up ends can be changed away from the

guitar. You shouldn't need fishin line or templates for that....unless you are

changing to 4 wire conductors + the shield..then that requires removing everything.

[Dave]

Really Dave? Sorry' date=' conversational idiocy, not doubting you -- but I had nearly 180 out reaction to the idea. I thought, wow, if only I could get as reliable a connection in a guitar as I get in a computer where 100% accuracy is more normal than otherwise. Amazing, how far apart the reactions from the same thought (in itself a sign of genius, don't you think?). But then, I've recently discovered my eyes have gone a bit in the armslength range, and I am no longer the man I once was with a soldering iron.

 

[/quote']

 

I'm a customer service engineer (big name for a technician) for a multi-national company. I can't count the times that I have spent too much time tracing down an intermittent connection (usually in 5vdc and 24vdc circuits) only to find the intermittent in a connector designed to make a harness section or component replaceable. Granted, these are usually current carrying circuits and sometimes the connector pins are tinned instead of gold plated, but the principle is the same. I carry a bottle of De-Oxit in my toolbag for such times. We have had numerous low voltage intermittents in 5vdc sensor lines that were gold plated and caused logic errors due to minute resistances. Don't even think about tinned pins mating with gold ones. The dissimilar metals can cause tiny amounts of electrical corrosion and create resistance that will drive you crazy. It's the kind of thing where the customer calls about fault codes and when you get there, you can't reproduce the problem. So, you go through the entire sub-system with a bottle of De-Oxit and and treate the connectors. Problem solved.

 

The toggle switch and the output jack are both easily accessible from the outside. So you can work the toggle switch a few times or push the plug in and out of the output jack and fix the problem between songs. If the connector under the pickup is intermittent, you have to take it out on a break and work the plug in and out to fix it. Hopefully you have it under an access plate so you can get to it easily.

 

It's not that often that you change pickups and it only takes a few minutes with a soldering iron to do the job. My preference is to solder and not insert another pin/pressure connection that can fail. Just my own quirk (grin).

[carverman]

 

I'm a customer service engineer . I can't count the times that I have spent too much time tracing down an intermittent connection (usually in 5vdc and 24vdc circuits) only to find the intermittent in a connector designed to make a harness section or component replaceable. and sometimes the connector pins are tinned instead of gold plated' date=' but the principle is the same. Don't even think about tinned pins mating with gold ones. The dissimilar metals can cause tiny amounts of electrical corrosion and create resistance that will drive you crazy. It's the kind of thing where the customer calls about fault codes and when you get there, you can't reproduce the problem.

 

My preference is to solder and not insert another pin/pressure connection that can fail. Just my own quirk (grin).[/quote']

 

EDIT: Gold is non reactive/corrosive, so mating a gold pin with a tin pin would only

cause the tin pin to oxidize from the air pollutants.

 

Dave...Dave..I'm predicting a failure in one of my outboard circuits..Dave. Could you don your space suit and

check it out? I believe it's one of the molex plugs on that outboard pickup sensor on the Epiphone we are

using for an antenna.....

...don't worry Dave , I'll take care of things in here while you are out looking for it......."HAL"

 

[garyelcrrt1281733995]

Oooooo, Carverman! That's freaky! Ran a shudder up my spine to hear that voice in my head again after all these years.

[davidmold]

The female connector going to the pots should be long enough that you can work

at it by pulling it out of the pickup holes' date=' which you would have to remove to get

at the connector. Put a towel over the guitar and solder/crimp the new pins an

insert them into the new connector. The p_up ends can be changed away from the

guitar. You shouldn't need fishin line or templates for that....unless you are

changing to 4 wire conductors + the shield..then that requires removing everything.[/quote']

 

That sounds like a plan. I'm going to try it - thanks carverman.

[carverman]

That's freaky! Ran a shudder up my spine to hear that voice in my head again after all these years.

Also Sprach Zarathustra to you, Gary ..that's the theme song.

BTW, did you know that the EPi "monolith" guitar they were looking for was forgotten on Jupiter by G'n'R's last

known engagement. I think it was the Steel Wheel-(chairs) Tour or something.

[Dave]

LOL carverman. I never trusted HAL in the first place. If I had been that DAVE, I would have soldered that sucker to the Epi antenna in the first place. And, I probably would have disabled certain of HAL's circuits so he wouldn't be so dang smart unless I wanted him to. A simple push pull CPU speed mod would have dumbed him down a bit. Hit the push pull button and tap his coils and he would forget about the dang antenna failure prediction.

 

Dave... Dave... I seem to be sensing a failure in my AI circuits. Dave... I can't see you. Dave... Dave...!!!