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I've got a dead pickup in a Strat and need to change it for a new one. Can anyone who has done this sort of thing before tell me what soldering iron and wire they use and where they got them from.

For soldering the odd connection in old-tech gear like guitar circuitry, the choice of iron isn't all that critical. I've been using the same one for fifty years and it was only cheap to begin with.

This one looks perfectly adequate... iron with temperature control, a stand, choice of bits, a supply of the requisite multicore solder, even a pair of heat-resistant tweezers - and all for £12 delivered within a couple of days (tomorrow if you're an Amazon prime member)..

https://tinyurl.com/tjbz7vbm

And before you actually change the pickup, reflow i.e. resolder the existing joints on the pickup and the (normally) white wire that goes to the pickup selector switch as it may just be a dodgy solder joint.


Pete

The pickup is a goner. Luckily, it's the middle one which no one ever uses.
Thanks for the info Jim, I'll have a look at that one. I actually have an older solder iron but I think it has packed in as well.

I use this one but shop around for best prices!

https://www.antex.co.uk/store/p/m12-w9wdk

Most importantly, make sure that all parts to be soldered are cleaned by roughing up with an abrasive to expose "clean" metal and use flux or fluxed solder. Plenty of good tutorials on Youtube.

If you have access to North London, Cricklewood Electronics on Cricklewood Broadway will have soldering irons.

leddo wrote:The pickup is a goner. Luckily, it's the middle one which no one ever uses.
Thanks for the info Jim, I'll have a look at that one. I actually have an older solder iron but I think it has packed in as well.

No one ever uses the middle pickup? Except me and Hank....

Anyone else?

David Martin wrote:

leddo wrote:The pickup is a goner. Luckily, it's the middle one which no one ever uses.
Thanks for the info Jim, I'll have a look at that one. I actually have an older solder iron but I think it has packed in as well.

No one ever uses the middle pickup? Except me and Hank....

Anyone else?

Actually, I've never found much use for the Strat or Marvin centre pickup. I even have a Gibson ES-5 ("Switchmaster") with three '57 Classics and tend to have the middle pickup set to zero on its volume control.

Think about the best guitars in the world (other than the Strat-type). Invariably, they have two pickups (and sometimes only one).

Oh dear... I wish my L5-CES had another pickup in the middle position... said nobody at all, ever.

David Martin wrote:

leddo wrote:The pickup is a goner. Luckily, it's the middle one which no one ever uses.
Thanks for the info Jim, I'll have a look at that one. I actually have an older solder iron but I think it has packed in as well.

No one ever uses the middle pickup? Except me and Hank....

Anyone else?

It took me ages to realise it wasn"t working