How To Clean The Electrics On A Fender Style Guitar - Guitar Maintenance Lesson

How To Clean The Electrics On A Fender Style Guitar - Guitar Maintenance Lesson
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One of the most common problems to encounter with an electric guitar is crackling pots. This simply means that when you are turning your volume or tone knobs you hear a crackle. This is almost certainly dirt getting into the pots (the knobs). The good news is this is a very easy fix and is precisely the reason we want to regularly clean the electrics of our guitar.
There are two main tools you will need to clean up the electrics in your guitar, and both are easy to come by and very cheap.
1. Precision screwdriver
Almost any small phillips screwdriver will do, but a precision screwdriver will just help ensure that the screws don't slip and you accidentally hit the scratch plate of the guitar.
2. Switch Cleaner
Switch cleaner is very cheap and can be obtained from most electrical stores. One can of switch cleaner will last you a very long time, even with liberal use.
Ok, so as we now go through the process, remember that the wires are connected to the guitar body, so don't rush it and rip off the scratch plate as you may pull out the wires. Here is the full walkthrough:
1. Use your screwdriver to remove the screws around the edge of the scratch plate
2. Gently lift up the scratch plate and rest it on its side
3. Identify the pots (where the tone and volume knobs are)
4. Take your switch cleaner, insert it into the pot, and spray. One or two sprays should be fine
5. Twist the knobs as you do it to work in the cleaner and make sure it removes all the dust
6. If your pickup selector is a bit crackly, you can also spray that whilst flicking it back and fourth
7. Carefully return the scratch plate and put the screws back in.
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[@Jhost90]

Thanks! Surprisingly still one of the few clear videos around!

[@BornToBlues]

Absolutely. Fair enough, fair enough, absolutely. Fair enough...

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Jim Dunlop makes a superior Strat pot . Better quality than the original . ✨🎸✨🇺🇸☮️

[@cola3889]

Crackly Pots sounds like a nice cereal. Fair enough.

[@nuggers23]

Cleaning the jack contact points is also a good idea ;)

[@andreferreira-lq2yd]

Fair Enough

[@LeeKobe1]

Great video! My strat's tone treble pot is very noisy and needs cleaned. Doesn't look like it's too tough, to access the pots. Thanks!

[@davids9192]

Ok, sure, ok.

[@OliviD22]

David S yeah, correct

[@stevenrisi1240]

fair enough, okay, okay.

[@jltrem]

@@stevenrisi1240 fantastic.

[@williamb2845]

Ok. Ok. Yeah.

[@johnnygearjammer]

Thanks for the awesome content! Normally I take my guitars to a tech I trust, but lately I’ve been learning to do it myself and your videos are absolutely awesome! Again, THANK YOU!!

[@theweddingsingerworldwide]

Ok. Fair enough. Perfect 👍🏻

[@harold4277]

OK? OK. OK? OK. OK? OK. Fair enough.

[@D2uned]

Excellent! Got to get tuner wash!

[@WarrenAndrews-w5x]

Thanks for saving me money!😎

[@W1LLi4m_]

This felt like watching a Monty Python episode. Awkward, informative & hilarious all at once.

[@hypersonicmonkeybrains3418]

is contact cleaner the same thing?

[@andreferreira-lq2yd]

Yes it is

[@neon_one]

I think some or possible most fender have a thick ground wire soldered to the tremolo plate where it screws into the body. There's a hole for the wire between the pickup and tremolo cavity. On mine it appears to amplify the vibration traveling through the spring, but that could be an illusion caused by the resonance of the springs.Edit: btw it's wrapped around a sorted bundle of wires that inconveniently holds the front plate close to the body. I can understand why someone would move it

[@richfamousstyle6945]

People who say ‘ok’ every time after they explain something, suck.

[@elreyabeja4539]

ok

[@rascalnicough7376]

I get that you're likely trying to speak on the Strat more broadly, but it threw me off hearing those Noiseless pickups referred to as "single coil."

[@Shmingleshmangle]

Interesting content, but the way you two communicate is genuinely frying my brain. Okay, yeah, perfect, fair enough, yep, fantastic, brilliant. Non stop. Thanks i guess!

[@tintin69rr]

Sound info will try that stuff can you tell me what you think to a SG which after half hour the bridge pickup just seams to loose volume the neck pickup is still fine do pickups like burn out or would it be something else causing this issue ???

[@missingremote4388]

Mine does the same thing. Neck position cuts off after 1 hour; next day is fine. 1994 USA stratocaster/ never been cleaned. i ordered a replacement pick up single/neck $100 US

[@BreakfastIsImportant]

when we open up our dirty old strat and notice it's not covered in copper, is that something worth doing on any old guitar sing coil just as good practice if nothing else?

[@pattvernon]

Haha I hear you. I’m going to leave her open over night, go into town tomorrow, and if the copper calls then the copper calls. I have been on the fence about this for a while

[@dbreardon]

Is that spray similar to WD-40 that we use here in America? Or is this a specialty guitar product?

[@babinm]

Don’t use wd 40 in this context don’t want to dissolve rust or unstick moving parts

[@wayne6777]

CAIG DeoxIT is the way to go. WD-40 leaves residue that attracts dirt and makes the problem worse over time.

[@guillermomartino4345]

Oka fair enough

[@PCAMY]

In ‘merica we call that a pick guard, I'm not gonna take any of that “scratch plate” nonsense. Yeehaw

[@jeffsmith1354]

Okay, fair enough.

[@jixxxxer17]

is that a Vintage White finish ?

[@ryangunwitch-black]

Crackypotts

[@jonathanbarton271]

Wtf is a “plection” or “pleption” ?? @2:30

[@MCMACHINE]

plectrum*

[@Balystube]

It’s the pick

[@BornToBlues]

The plectrum is the formal word for the pick. Absolutely, fair enough.