How to install a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail into a Fender Standard Stratocaster

How to install a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail(SHR-1B) into a Fender Standard Stratocaster bridge position. I wanted to get more punch from the bridge postion on my strat so I decided to install the Seymour Duncan Hot Rail. In this video I explain how to do the install at 3:56 in the video. I also do a before and after where I play with the Fender Strat pickup and then the Hot Rail so you can hear the difference between the two pick ups.
To see just the installation fast forward to 3:56
To hear the Hot Rail forward to 16:56 in the video. Guitar Gear I use: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
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[@toottoot3493]

Larry, thanks for patiently doing this so folks can see how to do this close up. Appreciated

[@poppunkdave6823]

Went and got a hot rail after watching your video. Thanks man made it so easy to install. It really does bring a strat to life!

[@samusordicus]

Your the man! Now I feel confident changing my bridge pickup on my fender player strat! Thanks

[@p4easy7]

i swapped out my bridge pickup with a hot rail in an 05 american standard. i absolutely love it. i never used the bridge position much before i swapped it out

[@michaelkatselos4296]

Thanks so much. This is the first time I've attempted to replace a pick up. Your video made it a success.

[@77JSwanger]

Thank you for your help. Love my new pickup.

[@angusorvid8840]

I've always loved Hot Rails. Easily one of my favorite pickups ever. I remember trying one for the first time in 1986. I immediately went to my local shop with my strat and bought a Hot Rail and had it installed. I was thrilled with it. At the time I was thirteen and had just joined my first band. I wanted a bigger, heavier sound out of my strat. I loved the guitar but it wasn't powerful enough. The Hot Rail solved the problems. I played that guitar for years; wish I still had it. But I can buy another strat any time and load a Hot Rail in the bridge.

[@chusssMusic]

Thanks man, that was a useful video.

[@joshuafacer5000]

Awesome pickup, awesome tone, awesome playing 👍🏻

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thanks so much Joshua

[@chickensoup7903]

Thank you. Really helpful. You 're rock

[@lancemoss1466]

Perfect! Thank you!

[@ivanmaguina4974]

Very good. Thank you. Greetings from Perú.

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thanks !!

[@nintendomike8533]

Got me sold.. I just ordered one for my strat i got for xmas

[@flipmyflipper]

good job, thanks

[@danicsegura]

great video!! thank you

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thanks Dani Segura !!

[@shamsam69]

Useful video. Definitely made me realise I don't want a hotrail in mine

[@RossFace]

why, you don't wanna sound like you don't have a vagina for once? ha haaa

[@Antony8ify]

Buen vídeo, suena muy bien los seymour Duncan.

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thank You !!

[@pgmrjaf]

Nice!

[@renuvatio]

thx dude just did it to mine thx 2 u!

[@GearUpGuitar]

Very cool !! Great pickups.

[@CalebNathanaelNettles]

Excellent thank you!

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thanks !!

[@CalebNathanaelNettles]

Speak and play with more confidence man, you're really talented!

[@pngaia]

Just about to do the same, I noticed the middle pup + wire had the color of a bridge p/up so I might try the bridge in middle then install hotrails with push/pull switched pot. Hope it all works, my strat currently has noiseless p/ups and the pot. values are way different to std. strat. Well.. here goes. Thanks for the video Larry. If you here a scream from Australia you'll know it didn't quite workout. Cheers.

[@GearUpGuitar]

Good Luck !! Let me know how it turns out.

[@pngaia]

will do cheers Larry, a week or so.

[@arlo_court]

This is great

[@GearUpGuitar]

+Arlo Guitars thanks !!!!

[@demidarkhart2613]

Thank you

[@leventvah]

Dear Larry Riker, I just installed my newly bought SHR 1B on my cheap strat copy. I installed them just like you. It sounds great and heavy now but I have a terrible hum so decided to read the wiring and etc and just noticed this... On the manual it says: If two pickups sound thin and nasal when used together, chances are, they’re out of phase with each other. If you’re combining your Seymour Duncan pickup(s) with Fender® pickup(s) in the same guitar, you’ll need to reverse the black and green wires on the Seymour Duncan. In other words, solder the black wire to ground and the green wire to the selector switch. So shouldn't we solder the bare and green on the switch and the black on the volume pot?

[@GearUpGuitar]

The bare wire always goes to the ground no matter what.

[@GearUpGuitar]

Bare wire and black wire go to the volume pot and the green to the switch.

[@bernout63]

I prefer adding the existing bridge pickup to the tone control. They sound great when you can roll the highs.

[@Mike-rw2nh]

Thank you so much for this installation guide. Subbed. Do you know if Hotrails are suitable for a Fender Mustang too?

[@BACzero]

Dude... 20+ years as an Electronics Technician... you need to clean that soldering iron tip, pronto! That black stuff covering the tip is an oxide, and is likely the cause of your heat issues. You should be cleaning and tinning that tip every time you use it. If that tip isn't always a bright, shiny silver, you're doing it wrong. You're also running the risk of burning up the element due to overheating internally. Replacing the soldering iron isn't going to help if you let your new one get as black as that. Use a wet sponge and some fine steel wool. Get the tip hot and wipe it across the sponge, then rub in the steel wool. If that doesn't clean it, let it cool and hit it (gently) with some 220 grit sand paper. If that still doesn't work, you'll probably need to replace the tip (a lot cheaper than buying a whole new soldering iron). Keep it clean and tinned and your iron and the tip should last you for years. ;)

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thanks !! I'm going to use your tips. I've improved a little since making this video. I use the wet sponge now and I tin the tip. I like the steel wool tip, I will put that to use for sure.

[@tubefluid]

@@GearUpGuitar And get a solder sucker. After you get the solder molten, you put the sucker on there and it sucks it up. Makes things more tidy.

[@macknickelson4866]

That white spot on the pick guard is where the sticker specs used to be before removing it... Mine might have that too lol

[@denboe2894]

A hotrail is a bright [as in single coil] sounding "Humbucking" dual coil so you can get all the boing, pop, of a single that is quite low noise thick sounding. Right?

[@stonecold8365]

Hey brother I bought one of these hot rails amd I tried to get it in but it didn’t work it wouldn’t pick up the strings but if I tapped it with a. Screwdriver it would work then I rewired back the original pickup and it worked fine I’m not sure what I did wrong can you help please?

[@BigEvilLadia23]

I love Seymour Duncan pickups there nice pickups company fender there don't have single size Humbucker

[@j.p.953]

Dear Larry Riker, I have a question. I have a Fender Mexico with the same shoulder as you claim. I need advice how high the strings should be set HOT RAILS still try, but I'm not it. Thanks very much Jiki

[@GearUpGuitar]

Hi Jiki, Im not quite sure what the question is but Ill try to answer. I think you are asking about string height, I did not have to change my string height at all. Hope that answers your question. If not give me some more detail and Ill try to answer better.

[@j.p.953]

Yes, of height

[@leftyfusion88]

The other 2 wires that you soldered together are they for splitting the hot rail so you can have that single coil tone in the second position of the switch?

[@GearUpGuitar]

+leftyfusion88 not sure which two wires but I didn’t solder anything to do anything different. Position 2 is the bridge and the middle picks so it’s the hot rail and a fender single coil. Just gives that tone naturally. Hope that helps .

[@Xxmeca421xX]

the red and white wires can be used to coil tap and out of phase options... Also dont twist the wires together when soldering to the ground.. It's just more work when you have to disconnect one pup.

[@ghillesnthemist2959]

I followed this video exactly and now my middle pickup is dead and hums when I touch it. Any thoughts on where I went wrong?

[@TheHarold231]

if ur using the hotrail with stock strat pickups in other positions, bare and black go to volume pot and green goes to the switch not black.

[@Rogata_Dusza76]

Hi. I'm in the process of converting my Fender Player HSS Stratocaster (alder body, maple neck and ebony fingerboard) into something like a Superstrat for playing heavy riffs. I bought a Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker for the bridge, but I have a dilemma about the other two - whether to buy 2 Hot Rials or is it better to have one Hot Rials and one Cool Rials? And in which position will both of these pickups perform better? Greetings from Poland... 🤘

[@GearUpGuitar]

I am not familiar with cool rails, just make sure you choose the neck middle option when you buy it as it has lower output than the one they make for the bridge.

[@careyclark79]

Cool vid but i believe seymour winds there coils in a diff direction than fenders...u didnt get any out of phase issues??.thanks ..

[@R9599BRAN]

What is the name of the song that you are playing at 22:11? It sounds really good, thank you for the great video.

[@GearUpGuitar]

Crazy train by ozzy Osborne, thanks much !

[@MR-lt2oj]

Larry Riker a

[@leventvah]

How does it sound like when the switch is on the 4th position?

[@GearUpGuitar]

Thanks for the question, it sounds really good but I don't use it to often because it isn't that different from the bridge alone. Because the Hot Rail is a humbucker that 4th position magic that you would normally have on a strat is lost but for me having the hum bucker makes the bridge pick up usable and I still get that strat magic with the 2 position.

[@leventvah]

Thanks for the answer.. I have a very cheap strat copy and in the end I noticed that I am not using it at all. Just decided to put SHR-1B on bridge position to play more heavier and distorted music... Thanks for the video....

[@narvin_loves_guitar]

20:09 you are getting a lill bit of hum.. is it normal ?? cuz im getting the same kind of hum after i installed the pickup..

[@GearUpGuitar]

I was picking up some interference in the room I believe. Something electrical to close to each other if I remember correctly was the issue.

[@narvin_loves_guitar]

@@GearUpGuitar oh.. thanks for the reply.. i think i dont need to worry then..

[@japes789]

wait, how many wires do we need to desolder from the volume pot?

[@TheForce_Productions]

Only the black wire that comes from the pickup you want to uninstall. He had to desolder the three because they was twisted underneath it's solder to separate them and after resolded the other two back to volume pot.

[@patrickmacnab9785]

Does it give off a lot of 60 cycle hum?

[@GearUpGuitar]

No it's quiet. It's a humbucker in a single coil format.

[@ronnieparfait]

If you’d tighten the tip on your soldering iron and hit it with a wire brush that solder would melt like butter in a couple seconds, no matter the wattage, I see the tip move every time to put it to the pot, and the cleaner it is the better. 🤔

[@GearUpGuitar]

Old video. My soldering has since improved. This is a good tip though and Ill use it next time this happens, thanks.

[@pathinners6023]

Great video. I just installed a hot rail in my bridge and it is weak. The neck single coil is actually hotter..??? I connected green and bare to the back of the pot, connected the black wire to the pickup selector and isolated the red and white with solder and tape. Did I do something wrong? Please help!!

[@GearUpGuitar]

How you did it should be correct. Did you put the black wire to the correct spot on the pickup selector ?

[@pathinners6023]

Larry Riker I took it apart and soldered the green and bare to a cleaner location of the pot. And Boom!! We have liftoff! That pickup is a beast that cannot be tamed. I love it! Again, thanks for the reply and your videos are down to earth and top notch! Keep up the great work!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@GearUpGuitar]

Im glad its working now !!

[@josevincentmahinay2074]

Should you solder the green and bare wires together with the other wires to a one spot on the volume pot? Or can I solder the green and bare wires separately from other wires on the volume pot? maybe i can get more power from my hotrails if correctly solder to the volume pot.

[@jeffreybuckingham3782]

I have 3 in my Strat. I highly recommend swapping out all 3, as it is Hum-cancelling in all 5 positions. While You're in there add a 7 way Blender. You'll thank Me later.

[@Aloly0490]

Hey bro, I'm trying to install 2 of them in the middle and neck positions (with a regular humbucker in the bridge) and was wondering if you have a tutorial image or video that I can follow for those :)

[@EvaSlash]

Is this a good pickup to try in getting a les paul humbucker sound?

[@GearUpGuitar]

I thought this was a great question to make into a video. So I did the comparison and published the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ2cpn2HbteepcU

[@jeffreybuckingham3782]

You will get a little more 'Balls and Chunk' it will be noise cancelling, but the magnetic field is still single coil sized. It won't give You that big warm Les Paul sound, but it's closer.

[@danielfox6908]

man I would fuck this up bad I'm taking mine to guitar center anybody know if I can put a hot rail in the middle and neck position on my mim fender standard srat

[@GearUpGuitar]

You can put them in the middle and neck. For the neck there is a specific model SHR-1N. You can buy the full set also which probably is a little cheaper than buying the three pickups separately. Maybe buying a pre wire pickgaurd is an option for you, I did that when I put custom shop 69's in my strat because I wanted to change the pickgaurd color so I just ordered it completely soldered. I just had to solder the two input jack wire to it. Just a thought.

[@ethanguns]

4:03 - 16:55

[@SamuraiBud]

Fender has ceramic magnet

[@adrianoundead]

What is the use of the three holes on the body 's guitar?

[@ATthemusician]

adrianoundead its to indicate that its a made in mexico strat. American strats will only have the middle hole. They dont actually have any function though.

[@MarkAllentheProducer]

adrianoundead you can fit toggle switches for pickups or kill switches etc

[@erinedwards5818]

For the machines in the factory’s making the guitars to line up parts properly in the production of them.

[@Mojoman57]

Fuck. Yes.

[@Xxmeca421xX]

i hate those rubber boots, when i opened my 09 mim strat they crumbled. Those pyramid springs should come with everything.

[@XALTEREGO1]

Dude why are you working on the floor ?

[@GearUpGuitar]

Alter Ego comfort, more space, unable to hang camera over desk at that time.

[@xdoctorblindx]

This is WRONG. If you're using the existing pickups in the neck and middle, the black goes to GROUND and the green goes to the switch. Otherwise, position 4 will be out of phase.

[@eldesgraciado6690]

Thank you for the video, buddy, but trash that iron and go to Harbor FRIGHT!

[@wedrivebynight]

Tin your iron dude

[@GearUpGuitar]

i do now, old video.

[@dietwater9772]

too much work (buys hss strat)

[@vincebellisano1347]

That's mexican strat.

[@LinusKnight]

BORE me with this?! I FN came here to watch someone remove old solder/pickup (single coil on strat) and freshly install/solder new hot coil SD since i don't wanna pay guitar center 55 PER PICKUP (i'm only going bridge) so basically this is pointless