Solderless Pre-Wired Guitar wiring harness | 50s SG kit | Right Handed
Please use the tabs below to read through the information about this Solderless Pre-Wired harness kit. From a run down of what the kit does, to important fitting information and full specs.
Order times
I usually make harnesses to order, due to the variety of spec options that could be chosen across the whole range. The current turnaround time for a harness orders is around 5-7 working days depending on quantity of orders in at the time and your order will be updated accordingly when it is dispatched. This turnaround time doesn't include the transit time. Thanks for your patience whilst I get your harness made!
Model Description
SGs must have looked like such a unique design upon their launch, the thin body, pointed horns and incredible upper fret access. A big jump from the original Les Paul for which it was originally introduced as a replacement for. I've spent a lot of time refining the specs of this harness to ensure the best from the guitar and an easy install.
This is a further revision of my trusty SG harness with the addition of solderless connections, meaning you can install this harness into your SG without the need to touch a soldering iron. Which has a couple of benefits, perhaps if you're not particularly comfortable with soldering yet or maybe you plan on regularly swapping pickups, which this helps a great deal as it's a few screw connections and it's done.
What does 'Solderless' mean?
It's a fair question to ask/wonder. The kit is of course soldered, my aim with the series was for the specs/components all to match the Signature Series range, and also still be simple to maintain many years to come for any tech out there, not just by me. So you'll find all the same parts, pre-soldered in much the same way as I do with the traditional install Signature Series kits. Definitely do not worry about any loss in quality, any limitations in functionality or tone here, trust me, I am fussy and did a lot of A/B testing and found the Solderless range to sound and work the very same way as a Signature Series kit. So yes, the kits are all pre-soldered, but in terms of the actual installation into a guitar, it is fully solderless for you.
Your pickup wires and any ground wires simply connect into the easy quick connector blocks which I have mounted to the harness (usually secure ontop of pot casings) via a small screwdriver to secure each wire. Viola! This doesn't just benefit those that perhaps don't own soldering equipment or even those that simply hate soldering, it benefits accomplished DIY guitar modders too, as it is great for quick and mess-free pickup swaps too which can be great for experimenting.
How do I connect everything?
The Solderless series follows a simple colour code system to help guide you where to put each pickup & ground wires. On the solderless connector blocks you’ll see points where I have soldered coloured wire/heat shrink to certain connectors, and others than simply have soldered silver ground wires to them (IE no colour).
Those are as follows -
Off-White wire connector - For your neck pickup HOT wire
Orange wire connector - For the bridge pickup HOT wire
Bare silver wire connectors (no colour) - For any ground wire
Your guitar/pickup ground wires can be attached to any of the bare silver wire connector (no colour) solderless connector lugs. There is also an additional solderless connector attached on the tone pot on the Tele kit. This is extra in case your Tele has any additional ground wires from the cavity shielding or bridge for example. There is also a 'wiring diagram' so to speak for the kit, linked below or via the dedicated Solderless page HERE which can be great as a handy visual reference too.
What types of pickup wires will fit into the connector blocks?
The RS Pro connector blocks will fit ANY pickup wire type, so if you have traditional single coils with cloth covered push-back style individual hot/ground wires, simply push back the cloth covering to expose around 5/6mm of central core wire and insert it into the connector. Tighten up, and push the cloth covering back down.
If you have thinner, plastic insulated/coated wires, you will need some wire strippers so you can trim back the coating to expose around 5mm of central core wire. Very often these plastic coated wires are stranded wire, so if this is the same for yours, then simply twist the wire so it forms a nice tight portion, then insert that into the relevant connector block and tighten.
If your pickups are vintage/traditional style 2 conductor 'braided' wire, then these will also fit the connector blocks, you just need to prepare them to do so. First step is to push back some of the outer metal braiding. Then using some needle nose pliers or a small screwdriver, separate some of the braiding so you can twist and form a off-shoot of wire. This will be your ground, so with that twist of wire pop that into the connector block and tighten. Then your central core wire is the 'hot' signal wire and goes into the relevant connector block via the same methods as prior, exposing around 5mm of core to ensure a nice firm seat in the connector. For much more detailed information on all of this, please check out the guide HERE
As always, if you have ANY questions or concerns about whether your pickup wires will be suitable, please just drop me a message or call and I'll be happy to help guide. I have tested these connectors with all varieties of pickup wires and they worked great so happily will advise on how to correctly install with you :)
Product options
.01uF or .022uF neck position tone cap value?
Troubled by a dark sounding neck pickup? Well it's not totally un-common with Gibson type guitars or humbuckers in general so don't worry, you have some ways in which it can be improved. Although the standard spec harness will I'm sure help the pickup breathe and is ultimately the most popular spec choice, I now also with the choice of a .01uF value cap in the neck position instead to help clear up a darker sounding neck pickup.
This is very much personal choice and/or how you are finding the balance between the neck and bridge pickup currently. The main thing to consider is whether you feel your neck pickup is too dark/muddy compared to the bridge pickup. If it is and you want to try and help brighten it up a little, then a .01uF value cap in that position may be useful to you. If you like how your neck pickup sounds, then stick with a .022uF! It's the most popular choice and the 'go-to' cap value for most P90s and Humbuckers generally.
Wiring Style?
I offer this kit with a choice of two main wiring styles, depending on your personal preference or perhaps which will best suit the era of SG you are recreating/restoring.
Gibson's 50s style wiring was used as standard from the introduction of the SG Les Paul, up until what I believe to be around '63/'64 where they changed to what is commonly called 'modern' style wiring which has pretty much exclusively remained the standard way for Gibson to wire their guitars with exception of vintage correct reissues perhaps. So you have an early 60s SG, be it original or reissue, then for originality sake will perhaps want to stick with 50s style wiring for your loom for example.
The key difference between 50s and 'modern' style wiring is how the tone cap is connected between the volume and tone pots, and how the tone pots are ground. This alteration subtly affects how the volume and tone pots interact with one another.
With 50s style wiring the tone cap behaves like a subtle/natural sounding treble bleed when using the volume pot, so it helps retain a little top end as you roll down the volume. Whereas modern wiring style doesn't do this, as a result may get a little warmer as you roll down the volume pot naturally. Which is best all comes down to personal preference and how you use your controls.
With 50s style wiring, when rolling down the tone pots, you will loose a little bit of overall volume, this is a natural byproduct of the wiring method. Whereas with 'modern' style wiring you won't hear any volume loss when rolling down the tone pot(s). Again, which you prefer will all come down to personal preference, but I will say that overall 50s style wiring loom kits do generally outsell the modern style wired kits, whether that's because it's better, or simply because of that golden era allure, I can't say for sure! But I want to offer both specs so it better reflects the two main wiring styles of production SG's.
Fitting information
The Solderless system makes life an awful lot easier if you're perhaps not comfortable using a soldering iron or worried about damaging components etc. So the install in terms of attaching wires is certainly more straight forward and negates the need to solder any connections, but care is still needed to to ensure it all works as it should and stands the test of time. As well of course the physical mounting of the components is the same/similar process as a regular kit install. I have written some handy install guides for the solderless harness kits, and that can be found HERE as well as the 'wiring' diagram' so to speak which can be found HERE. In this section you'll find some important fitting notes that will hopefully help you assess whether the kit is suitable for your exact SG or what is required to allow it to fit correctly.
Will the pots/jack/switch fit my SG body?
The components I use in my Signature Series wiring kits are for the most part, USA imperial specification. If you're fitting this harness to a far east built guitar such as a Epiphone or similar brand, then you may have to widen the holes in the body to accommodate for these imperial measurement pots. The CTS pots and Pure Tone jack have a mounting thread shaft diameter of 0.369" / 9.38mm so I recommend for ease of install a body mouting hole with 0.394" / 10mm diameter. You can widen the holes in the body and I recommend doing this safely with a step cutter drill bit. I also offer this as a service so if you would like me to widen your SG body for you, do please get in touch and we can organise this additionally if you are local of course.
The Switchcraft toggle switch with extended thread mount nut has a mounting thread diameter of 0.500" / 12.72mm so ideally needs a 0.512" / 13mm hole to comfortably mount.
If you’re buying this kit for a USA made SG then should be a direct, no modifications install process for you.
What control knobs will fit?
The kit uses CTS Split shaft pots which have a adjustable split shaft diameter of 5.95mm w/ 24 splines. You will need control knobs that suit these measurements.
Do not attempt to force fit smaller, metric/import spec control knobs onto the imperial USA spec pots, doing this can damage the pot.
If you do require a US spec control knobs, I do carry a selection of popular options in stock and they can be viewed in the Control Knob category on the store.
Which switch tip will fit?
Much like with the control knobs, the Switchcraft switch used in this kit is USA spec, with imperial thread sizes. Therefore you need a switch tip which will fit a Switchcraft switch, with an imperial thread pattern.
If you do require a US spec switch tip, I do carry a selection of popular options in stock and they can be viewed in the Switch Tips category on the store.
Specs/Parts included
- 4x CTS 450 Series audio taper short shaft pots - 500k split shaft
- 2x .022uF 'Yellow Mustard' type tone capacitor, or
- if the .01uF value cap option chosen, you will receive x1 .01uF 'Yellow Mustard' type tone cap and x1022uF 'Yellow Mustard' type tone capacitor
- 20AWG Tinned copper ground
- Switchcraft right angle 3 way toggle switch (Nickel) w/extended mount nut
- Pure Tone multi contact jack socket (Nickel)
- Soldered using R-Tech Premium Lead-Free (Sn95.5Ag3.9Cu0.6) 22swg Solder wire
RoHS Compliant
- RSPro solderless connectors
Please note - wiring kit does not include new control knobs/switch tip but does include the pot/jack mounting nuts and washers and switch mounting nut.
Why these spec parts over others available?
Simply put, component choice has been one of the most important parts of my product development. I have worked on guitars for many years, and built these kits professionally since 2015, and as a result have been able to see and experience working on the majority of components available on the market. In my findings, A/B testing and more, I have found the components I decided on for my Signature Series to be the most reliable, best tolerance and great functioning parts to use to help customers get the most out of their instruments. I use CTS '450' series premium spec pots as they have a tight tolerance, and will consistently provide me with accurate value, as well as very solid build quality. I use trusty 'Mustard' style polyester film 'tone' capacitors as in my opinion they simply can't be beat for great value, solid construction, solid lead-outs, super tight tolerances and reliable tone/function. I would personally much rather use a trusty Mustard for example over something like a paper in oil, as from experience that are so much more reliable to use. This is from carrying out a lot of A/B testing, both tonally, as well as armed with the multi-meter for testing values and actual tolerances, as well as handling them to test construction quality for long lasting reliability in use. I use the brilliant 'Pure Tone' Multi Contact Jack sockets as they are incredibly reliable, due to their additional contact points for both tip and sleeve. I use CRL, Oak and Switchcraft brand switches across the range as these are built very well, with care will last for many years to come and have long since provided me with reliable use professionally. All kits are wired up with quality USA made Gavitt wire, it's great to work with, super consistent gauge and provides me with a very reliable quality item for my kits. I totally understand that with anything guitar, it is subjective, but I have, with an open mind, thoroughly tested a broad variety of components over the years and these have all become the items I trust to use every day.
Harness FAQ's
I've been proudly making, developing and installing my pre-wired guitar harnesses since the beginning of the Home of Tone back in 2015 (time flies when you're having fun right!). Although I feel I do my best in covering as much information as possible across the various product listings, fitting guides, wiring diagrams and more, I thought it might be helpful to put together an FAQ's page that covers some of the general additional questions I get asked. You can view these Harness FAQ's HERE
Do you make custom harnesses?
I'm afraid I do not offer a custom harness service. Only kits developed, tested and listed on my website are the available kits. So no custom schematics etc. If you happen to be local to my office, then I do carry out custom work in house, but in regards to shipped out pre-wired harnesses I do not offer custom kits. I am however happy to use different pot values or cap values within reason if you have a specific requirement that differs to the specs listed above. If this is relevant to yourself then please get in touch to discuss further to ensure the request is possible.
Please use the tabs below to read through the information about this Solderless Pre-Wired harness kit. From a run down of what the kit does, to important fitting information and full specs.
Order times
I usually make harnesses to order, due to the variety of spec options that could be chosen across the whole range. The current turnaround time for a harness orders is around 5-7 working days depending on quantity of orders in at the time and your order will be updated accordingly when it is dispatched. This turnaround time doesn't include the transit time. Thanks for your patience whilst I get your harness made!
Model Description
SGs must have looked like such a unique design upon their launch, the thin body, pointed horns and incredible upper fret access. A big jump from the original Les Paul for which it was originally introduced as a replacement for. I've spent a lot of time refining the specs of this harness to ensure the best from the guitar and an easy install.
This is a further revision of my trusty SG harness with the addition of solderless connections, meaning you can install this harness into your SG without the need to touch a soldering iron. Which has a couple of benefits, perhaps if you're not particularly comfortable with soldering yet or maybe you plan on regularly swapping pickups, which this helps a great deal as it's a few screw connections and it's done.
What does 'Solderless' mean?
It's a fair question to ask/wonder. The kit is of course soldered, my aim with the series was for the specs/components all to match the Signature Series range, and also still be simple to maintain many years to come for any tech out there, not just by me. So you'll find all the same parts, pre-soldered in much the same way as I do with the traditional install Signature Series kits. Definitely do not worry about any loss in quality, any limitations in functionality or tone here, trust me, I am fussy and did a lot of A/B testing and found the Solderless range to sound and work the very same way as a Signature Series kit. So yes, the kits are all pre-soldered, but in terms of the actual installation into a guitar, it is fully solderless for you.
Your pickup wires and any ground wires simply connect into the easy quick connector blocks which I have mounted to the harness (usually secure ontop of pot casings) via a small screwdriver to secure each wire. Viola! This doesn't just benefit those that perhaps don't own soldering equipment or even those that simply hate soldering, it benefits accomplished DIY guitar modders too, as it is great for quick and mess-free pickup swaps too which can be great for experimenting.
How do I connect everything?
The Solderless series follows a simple colour code system to help guide you where to put each pickup & ground wires. On the solderless connector blocks you’ll see points where I have soldered coloured wire/heat shrink to certain connectors, and others than simply have soldered silver ground wires to them (IE no colour).
Those are as follows -
Off-White wire connector - For your neck pickup HOT wire
Orange wire connector - For the bridge pickup HOT wire
Bare silver wire connectors (no colour) - For any ground wire
Your guitar/pickup ground wires can be attached to any of the bare silver wire connector (no colour) solderless connector lugs. There is also an additional solderless connector attached on the tone pot on the Tele kit. This is extra in case your Tele has any additional ground wires from the cavity shielding or bridge for example. There is also a 'wiring diagram' so to speak for the kit, linked below or via the dedicated Solderless page HERE which can be great as a handy visual reference too.
What types of pickup wires will fit into the connector blocks?
The RS Pro connector blocks will fit ANY pickup wire type, so if you have traditional single coils with cloth covered push-back style individual hot/ground wires, simply push back the cloth covering to expose around 5/6mm of central core wire and insert it into the connector. Tighten up, and push the cloth covering back down.
If you have thinner, plastic insulated/coated wires, you will need some wire strippers so you can trim back the coating to expose around 5mm of central core wire. Very often these plastic coated wires are stranded wire, so if this is the same for yours, then simply twist the wire so it forms a nice tight portion, then insert that into the relevant connector block and tighten.
If your pickups are vintage/traditional style 2 conductor 'braided' wire, then these will also fit the connector blocks, you just need to prepare them to do so. First step is to push back some of the outer metal braiding. Then using some needle nose pliers or a small screwdriver, separate some of the braiding so you can twist and form a off-shoot of wire. This will be your ground, so with that twist of wire pop that into the connector block and tighten. Then your central core wire is the 'hot' signal wire and goes into the relevant connector block via the same methods as prior, exposing around 5mm of core to ensure a nice firm seat in the connector. For much more detailed information on all of this, please check out the guide HERE
As always, if you have ANY questions or concerns about whether your pickup wires will be suitable, please just drop me a message or call and I'll be happy to help guide. I have tested these connectors with all varieties of pickup wires and they worked great so happily will advise on how to correctly install with you :)
Product options
.01uF or .022uF neck position tone cap value?
Troubled by a dark sounding neck pickup? Well it's not totally un-common with Gibson type guitars or humbuckers in general so don't worry, you have some ways in which it can be improved. Although the standard spec harness will I'm sure help the pickup breathe and is ultimately the most popular spec choice, I now also with the choice of a .01uF value cap in the neck position instead to help clear up a darker sounding neck pickup.
This is very much personal choice and/or how you are finding the balance between the neck and bridge pickup currently. The main thing to consider is whether you feel your neck pickup is too dark/muddy compared to the bridge pickup. If it is and you want to try and help brighten it up a little, then a .01uF value cap in that position may be useful to you. If you like how your neck pickup sounds, then stick with a .022uF! It's the most popular choice and the 'go-to' cap value for most P90s and Humbuckers generally.
Wiring Style?
I offer this kit with a choice of two main wiring styles, depending on your personal preference or perhaps which will best suit the era of SG you are recreating/restoring.
Gibson's 50s style wiring was used as standard from the introduction of the SG Les Paul, up until what I believe to be around '63/'64 where they changed to what is commonly called 'modern' style wiring which has pretty much exclusively remained the standard way for Gibson to wire their guitars with exception of vintage correct reissues perhaps. So you have an early 60s SG, be it original or reissue, then for originality sake will perhaps want to stick with 50s style wiring for your loom for example.
The key difference between 50s and 'modern' style wiring is how the tone cap is connected between the volume and tone pots, and how the tone pots are ground. This alteration subtly affects how the volume and tone pots interact with one another.
With 50s style wiring the tone cap behaves like a subtle/natural sounding treble bleed when using the volume pot, so it helps retain a little top end as you roll down the volume. Whereas modern wiring style doesn't do this, as a result may get a little warmer as you roll down the volume pot naturally. Which is best all comes down to personal preference and how you use your controls.
With 50s style wiring, when rolling down the tone pots, you will loose a little bit of overall volume, this is a natural byproduct of the wiring method. Whereas with 'modern' style wiring you won't hear any volume loss when rolling down the tone pot(s). Again, which you prefer will all come down to personal preference, but I will say that overall 50s style wiring loom kits do generally outsell the modern style wired kits, whether that's because it's better, or simply because of that golden era allure, I can't say for sure! But I want to offer both specs so it better reflects the two main wiring styles of production SG's.
Fitting information
The Solderless system makes life an awful lot easier if you're perhaps not comfortable using a soldering iron or worried about damaging components etc. So the install in terms of attaching wires is certainly more straight forward and negates the need to solder any connections, but care is still needed to to ensure it all works as it should and stands the test of time. As well of course the physical mounting of the components is the same/similar process as a regular kit install. I have written some handy install guides for the solderless harness kits, and that can be found HERE as well as the 'wiring' diagram' so to speak which can be found HERE. In this section you'll find some important fitting notes that will hopefully help you assess whether the kit is suitable for your exact SG or what is required to allow it to fit correctly.
Will the pots/jack/switch fit my SG body?
The components I use in my Signature Series wiring kits are for the most part, USA imperial specification. If you're fitting this harness to a far east built guitar such as a Epiphone or similar brand, then you may have to widen the holes in the body to accommodate for these imperial measurement pots. The CTS pots and Pure Tone jack have a mounting thread shaft diameter of 0.369" / 9.38mm so I recommend for ease of install a body mouting hole with 0.394" / 10mm diameter. You can widen the holes in the body and I recommend doing this safely with a step cutter drill bit. I also offer this as a service so if you would like me to widen your SG body for you, do please get in touch and we can organise this additionally if you are local of course.
The Switchcraft toggle switch with extended thread mount nut has a mounting thread diameter of 0.500" / 12.72mm so ideally needs a 0.512" / 13mm hole to comfortably mount.
If you’re buying this kit for a USA made SG then should be a direct, no modifications install process for you.
What control knobs will fit?
The kit uses CTS Split shaft pots which have a adjustable split shaft diameter of 5.95mm w/ 24 splines. You will need control knobs that suit these measurements.
Do not attempt to force fit smaller, metric/import spec control knobs onto the imperial USA spec pots, doing this can damage the pot.
If you do require a US spec control knobs, I do carry a selection of popular options in stock and they can be viewed in the Control Knob category on the store.
Which switch tip will fit?
Much like with the control knobs, the Switchcraft switch used in this kit is USA spec, with imperial thread sizes. Therefore you need a switch tip which will fit a Switchcraft switch, with an imperial thread pattern.
If you do require a US spec switch tip, I do carry a selection of popular options in stock and they can be viewed in the Switch Tips category on the store.
Specs/Parts included
- 4x CTS 450 Series audio taper short shaft pots - 500k split shaft
- 2x .022uF 'Yellow Mustard' type tone capacitor, or
- if the .01uF value cap option chosen, you will receive x1 .01uF 'Yellow Mustard' type tone cap and x1022uF 'Yellow Mustard' type tone capacitor
- 20AWG Tinned copper ground
- Switchcraft right angle 3 way toggle switch (Nickel) w/extended mount nut
- Pure Tone multi contact jack socket (Nickel)
- Soldered using R-Tech Premium Lead-Free (Sn95.5Ag3.9Cu0.6) 22swg Solder wire
RoHS Compliant
- RSPro solderless connectors
Please note - wiring kit does not include new control knobs/switch tip but does include the pot/jack mounting nuts and washers and switch mounting nut.
Why these spec parts over others available?
Simply put, component choice has been one of the most important parts of my product development. I have worked on guitars for many years, and built these kits professionally since 2015, and as a result have been able to see and experience working on the majority of components available on the market. In my findings, A/B testing and more, I have found the components I decided on for my Signature Series to be the most reliable, best tolerance and great functioning parts to use to help customers get the most out of their instruments. I use CTS '450' series premium spec pots as they have a tight tolerance, and will consistently provide me with accurate value, as well as very solid build quality. I use trusty 'Mustard' style polyester film 'tone' capacitors as in my opinion they simply can't be beat for great value, solid construction, solid lead-outs, super tight tolerances and reliable tone/function. I would personally much rather use a trusty Mustard for example over something like a paper in oil, as from experience that are so much more reliable to use. This is from carrying out a lot of A/B testing, both tonally, as well as armed with the multi-meter for testing values and actual tolerances, as well as handling them to test construction quality for long lasting reliability in use. I use the brilliant 'Pure Tone' Multi Contact Jack sockets as they are incredibly reliable, due to their additional contact points for both tip and sleeve. I use CRL, Oak and Switchcraft brand switches across the range as these are built very well, with care will last for many years to come and have long since provided me with reliable use professionally. All kits are wired up with quality USA made Gavitt wire, it's great to work with, super consistent gauge and provides me with a very reliable quality item for my kits. I totally understand that with anything guitar, it is subjective, but I have, with an open mind, thoroughly tested a broad variety of components over the years and these have all become the items I trust to use every day.
Harness FAQ's
I've been proudly making, developing and installing my pre-wired guitar harnesses since the beginning of the Home of Tone back in 2015 (time flies when you're having fun right!). Although I feel I do my best in covering as much information as possible across the various product listings, fitting guides, wiring diagrams and more, I thought it might be helpful to put together an FAQ's page that covers some of the general additional questions I get asked. You can view these Harness FAQ's HERE
Do you make custom harnesses?
I'm afraid I do not offer a custom harness service. Only kits developed, tested and listed on my website are the available kits. So no custom schematics etc. If you happen to be local to my office, then I do carry out custom work in house, but in regards to shipped out pre-wired harnesses I do not offer custom kits. I am however happy to use different pot values or cap values within reason if you have a specific requirement that differs to the specs listed above. If this is relevant to yourself then please get in touch to discuss further to ensure the request is possible.