The EASIEST guitar upgrade to make your strat sound awesome! (obsidian wire)

[@Betterworth7]

Used your videos to remove my guitar finish, then used your videos to stain my guitar, then used your videos to apply a satin-finish to my guitar, and needless to say my obsidian wire wiring harness will actually be delivered this afternoon. Lol. I am seriously grateful people like you exist. Thanks for all the help Bad!

[@BradAngove]

I’m glad to hear you found the videos useful Pete!

[@jorgegvb]

Nice upgrade Brad. I used the Obsidian Wire kit in my Custom Vibe Tele and was pleased with it. Your guitar would benefit even more with a set of Fender Texas Special pickups. However, you probably have something like that planned for another video. Keep ‘em coming!

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, the pickups will be somewhat different by the end of this project haha.

[@Jackson1959.]

Hey what are the steps to obtain a red glossy factory finish on a basswood. Please help. Primer first then red spray and then gloss coats?

[@BradAngove]

Yes. That’s the gist of it.

[@milankotevski1663]

Can this be used on left-handed guitars?

[@fenders9911]

hello i watch a lot of your videos i just got an loaded pick guard and its got red black and white wire witch one gose to the jack switch

[@BradAngove]

Depends on the wiring scheme. Usually white and black.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Is this simply a clean way to organize and install the same wires that is normally used, or is there differences in the components that are on this unit? Say for example is the pots and caps better or will they help to get a way huge Jimi-SRV type tones? That is what I am looking for, stuff to help me get those monster hugest Jimi-SRV types of tones in single coils. So does this thing actually help with tones or help get way huge tones? what exactly does it do?

[@BradAngove]

Pots and caps can impact tone. Caps in particular. It’s also high quality components which helps with better control of volume and tone. If you don’t think better components sound better then you may not find this worthwhile.

[@richsackett3423]

You’ve come a long way, Brad.

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Rich

[@timcotter8178]

I just discovered this dude recently. He seems to be well experienced with guitar mods.

[@BradAngove]

I’ve done a few haha

[@bradhh1234]

Really glad I subbed a long time ago. Your vids are getting even better.

[@BradAngove]

Thank you sir.

[@jessealverson4986]

I finished my solo stratocaster. the pick up selector switch had spots that cut out the sound completely. needs changed

[@BradAngove]

Have you checked it for shorts? Those switches are cheap. Probably worth switching out in any event.

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

Brad I agree with Ano below. Pickups create the sound not the wiring conduits getting it to the amp. Granted the the new conduit is nicer but that's all.

[@BradAngove]

I guess we disagree on this one, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Thank you Mike.

[@peterrozniowski562]

I am thinking of ordering the Solo Stratocaster kit like in your video , will a Warmoth Stratocaster neck fit in the Solo Stratocaster body if I decided upgrade and swap them out ?

[@BradAngove]

Probably, but it might be a bit off depending on the batch.

[@Wildman9]

Big difference.Notes more clearer,but you got a couple of gooched frets at the twelfth.👍🎸✌

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, it gets some neck work in one of my later videos for sure.

[@Terry3Gs]

It sounds cleaner then it was ... great job as always brad !! :)

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Terry.

[@Terry3Gs]

@@BradAngove np brad !! :)

[@HighlineGuitars]

With kit guitars growing popularity, this would be a nice way to upgrade right off the bat.

[@BradAngove]

I agree. And it really keeps things simple for the newer diy folk.

[@ano1nymus1]

Nice video as always, but I have to disagree with you on this one. I couldn't hear much of a sound difference between the two and I don't see much of a point in getting $90 wiring for my 80€ "strat".

[@BradAngove]

These are intended for upgrading actual strats I presume haha, although I don’t mind spending my money on upgrade parts for inexpensive guitars rather than buying more expensive guitar. That’s just me though. On the other aspect here, if you’re saying the electronics don’t matter outside of the pickups I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The pickups register the sound and create the signal, but the path that the signal travels can have a significant effect.

[@carter9449]

Yeah, the benefits of a wiring harness are not tonal. Solderless installation make it a convenience for people who don't know how to solder and the higher quality components are much more durable for if you want them to stand up to a bunch of wear and tear on a heavily used instrument.

[@bakstabbath]

Higher end pots have a tighter tolerance, so you'll get closer to a true 250k and the sweeps in volume and tone are generally larger allowing for better vol and tone control. The tolerance and capacitor value have the biggest impact on tone, wiring doesn't do much because there's not much wattage running through them like you'd find in a car stereo system for example.

[@kjemradio]

Quality headphones will make a million times difference in what you hear during his demos. Studio grade headphones will give you better results. I've done this already with my KRK 6800s and my Sony earbuds. You CAN hear the difference with the upgrade using higher quality headphones. Close your eyes and listen carefully as well.

[@bwbxbwxbjx723]

@@bakstabbath c

[@guitartube5822]

I would love to see more of these kits (or similar) for other popular guitar lines, say like for Ibanez RG’s or similar. A harness like that would cover so many instruments, as so many share that layout.

[@BradAngove]

More kits are definitely coming haha.

[@Dave6SS]

Can't wait to see what ur gonna do Brad

[@willpoon9363]

Is he gonna setup the action and intonation

[@BradAngove]

Who are you asking?

[@danmar007]

I upgraded two guitars with Obsidian modules. great stuff. And shipping is free from New Zealand! :)

[@BradAngove]

Awesome!

[@Aliestwill]

Hi Brad..... thinking of ordering an Obsidian kit for a tele build. Have you been happy with the results you have had?

[@BradAngove]

Yes, I’m fond of them. As long as you’re using a standard hole pattern and you don’t intend to modify it, they’re great.

[@Aliestwill]

Thanks......Cheers

[@heathpass3708]

Just wondering if you got that Obsidian wire HSS kit yet. I’ve got one on the way and I am super hyped about putting in my stew mac strat kit I built and have been upgrading.

[@BradAngove]

I have it, but I haven’t used it in anything yet haha. I should probably get on that.

[@Lucas55987]

Did you have to enlarge the switch line-hole too, or only the pots holes?

[@BradAngove]

Just the pots.

[@Lucas55987]

@@BradAngove thanks. Just bought an obsidian kit for my Squier

[@grantharris3518]

no ground to claw needed? thanks

[@BradAngove]

I did ground it to the claw.

[@DMKahn]

You use the SM57? 👍

[@BradAngove]

Yessir

[@ericdenton6664]

As much research and work you put into the guitar I think you should do the research and build your own wiring harnesses. You can purchase tip shelf components for a fraction of the cost of these pre soldered harnesses. You make the appearance of the guitars works of art. The electronics can also be a work if art as well. I appreciate your videos and have learned a lot.

[@BradAngove]

Thank you Eric. I’m hoping to find time to learn that stuff one day.

[@m.a.c.8366]

great video here, hopefully I've not missed these in your archive but: tuners in tele kit, can you recommend upgrade to improve sustained tuning? thanks VM

[@BradAngove]

There are lots of good options for that. I’m a big fan of a decent set of locking tuners personally. There are some really nice ones available through the solomusicgear link in the description and some cheaper ones through the amazon link if you’re interested.

[@m.a.c.8366]

@@BradAngove thanks for guidance on inquiry, not so interested here in low cost just quality product to bolt on and no worries later. I'll survey selections at solomusicgear. Thx for replying so promptly. Regards

[@BradAngove]

The hipshots and the gotohs are probably my favorites at the moment.

[@tammycoates7816]

That didn't take long nice job,Sounds awesome Brad..

[@shekainahmaria1647]

What is the wire brand that you used bro?

[@BradAngove]

Wire brand? Do you mean the entire assembly? It’s Obsidianwire

[@daniejw]

Sounds great! Just need to take care of that fret buzz up around the 12th fret.

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, this fretboard needs a leveling job.

[@AirBorden26]

Yeah, the 14th fret for the D and G strings were giving you trouble. Been there with a Chinese Les Paul-style guitar. Love watching your videos. Turned a couple of relatives on to the channel, too.

[@tanakadingdong9170]

Could be truss rod, check visually how the neck is aligned with the strings then change action (height of the string) on the bridge

[@failureiscoolrepeatyourmistake]

the intonation and fret buzz on this guitar is terrible. probably should've started there.

[@BradAngove]

It’s on the list.

[@failureiscoolrepeatyourmistake]

@@BradAngove pls do a vid about it

[@BradAngove]

Yes. It’s on the list.

[@drummer4hire12]

@@BradAngove If you are like me, I have a list for my lists.....lololol Great vid!!!!

[@BradAngove]

The number of lists I have is quite ridiculous.

[@hartshut]

That D string is buzzing real bad up around the 12th and 14th frets.

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, as per the usual this one needed some leveling.

[@stu-j]

The clean sound is much better than the stock kit ( be the bigger capacitors) and with a bit of crunch it's not as muddy. Does the kit have a treble bleed mod fitted to it? I find it satisfying to upgrade cheaper guitars than buying high end. Even some half decent pickups would make that kit strat sound better than a Mexican fender... Well done Brad

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Stu. It’s their “blender” mod. Not sure if it’s a treble bleed.

[@CrazyVladitch]

Hey Brad - Looks a great bit of kit but buddy, you got some terrible fret buzz on your 3rd,4th and 5th strings arround the 12th fret. Think it needs a little tweek of the truss rod.

[@BradAngove]

It’s going to be getting a fret leveling shortly haha.

[@peteredie9108]

Hey Brad, Im sorry im sure you get bothered all the time with dumb questions like this, but whats a good lacquer(or just anything thats glossy and durable) to put over the headstock? I will be finishing the neck with tru oil, and the water slide decal can be applied on top of tru oil but needs something on top to seal and protect it, do you have any good and easy recommendations? I have a ton of scrap wood to practice on so im open to suggestion, im just looking for a place to start? Thanks again for your help and keep up the great videos!

[@BradAngove]

I’m a big fan of behlen’s stringed instrument lacquer. It’s the best spray can lacquer I’ve used. It’s available through the amazon link in the description. That being said, watco lacquer should also work fine, and you should be able to get it at Home Depot quite easily.

[@peteredie9108]

@@BradAngove awesome thanks! Just curious will it have problems sticking on top of the Tru oil finish?

[@BradAngove]

If you let the tru oil dry properly first it shouldn’t. Just sand lightly before spraying.

[@ijahtom]

Little buzz 12th fret going? Do the level file and polish and at 12th fret going more flat. Check nut. Check neck then do bridge adjustment sattle hight. Done. No more buzz. Add original American Strat standard pickups and you more then golden bro. Grtx AnkuTom

[@8triagrammer]

I wound up going to with a Mad Hatter Guitar harness instead because the pots are a bit taller, and I have a rear routed body with no pick guard. Mad Hatter stuff also has some neat options that others don't have, and they let me send in my own jack (a Puretone) which they installed in the harness for free. They basically did a custom harness for me for no extra charge, I got treble bleed and blender knob. Anyways, I recommend checking them out!

[@BradAngove]

I’ll have to have a look.

[@IPushHard]

I'm kind of surprised... I knew that there would be difference but I was expecting less. The wiring mod restored a lot of dynamics to your tone that were absent before. The highs have more shimmer now and the low end is more defined...tighter. Honestly Im shocked. Ive heard wiring upgrades before that didnt produce the dramatic results that this did. Pretty amazing! ....Snap Snap.. I'll have one of whatever he's having. Thanks : )

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, I’m very pleased with it. Keep in mind that this was an upgrade from very inexpensive electronics as opposed to simply going from high quality to higher quality.

[@nickdrew1859]

Why did it take so long for this to be made I must get one of these.

[@BradAngove]

Take so long for what to be made?

[@nickdrew1859]

Well maybe not made but for me to learn about the wiring harness.

[@BradAngove]

Oh haha. I see what you mean now.

[@briangregory6303]

Happy Thanksgiving from the US dude.

[@BradAngove]

Cheers Brian.

[@TheSeanCreagh]

Great upgrade! Definitely more noticeable on the neck and mid/neck positions; makes those bad pickups sound good. That bridge pickup might be a lost cause though. Definitely going to try those guys on a partscaster I'm putting together! Thanks, man!

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Sean. I’m getting a bit of sound clipping on the bridge unfortunately because my recording skills are lacking. It wasn’t a very good demonstration of how that pickup sounds.

[@TheSeanCreagh]

Ah, that's fair enough then, man. Well, your recording skills are without a doubt definitely better than mine! I thought the video was a great demonstration on both installing the wiring harness and the before/after.

[@BradAngove]

Thank you sir. I’m slowly learning the recording side of this haha. At least a little bit of it.

[@eddys.3524]

One can also buy better pots, some a-brand isolated wire and achieve the same (or better) results for less money... requires only some DIY.

[@stripedpants1668]

Seriously!!!!

[@murpsman]

BTW, you kick Matt Flaherty's Colorado butt with your guitar playing.

[@BradAngove]

I find that highly unlikely haha. There aren’t many KZbinrs in this niche who play worse than I do.

[@Choudermouse]

That fret buzz tho

[@BradAngove]

Yeah, the frets will need to be leveled on this one. That video should be coming up soon.

[@bigsteve9291]

Pretty inconclusive on this one brad did not really hear any difference even had the head phone on in my opinion the guitar can only sound as good as the pick ups but that's just my opinion love the neck rest got the same me self still does the job I glued felt on mine of an old snooker table me son had 😆

[@BradAngove]

Gotta love those home made tools haha. Sometimes they work just as well as anything else.

[@robroooal4930]

TRUSS me that thing needs adjusted..

[@douglascompton6016]

CAN SOMEONE GET A GUITAR KIT WITH A FENDER BODY AND A GIBSON LESS PAUL NECK , ANY BODY HAVE AN IDEA ON THAT ? ROCK ON !!!

[@BradAngove]

Funny, I had an idea to do the exact opposite haha.

[@adammoran7849]

As have I Brad.

[@adammoran7849]

My dream build (if I can figure out how to make it structurally sound) is Strat horns, Tele bottom end, bixby bridge & humbucker pickups

[@BradAngove]

That sounds like a fun one.

[@adammoran7849]

@@BradAngove I might need help with it. A video from a pro would be nice.

[@snapascrew]

I had to click off the video once you kept playing that dead fret over and over again

[@DarrellSMoore]

Looks like someone's been doing their homework!

[@TomTobin67]

There's very little difference from old to new. I'm not sold.

[@BradAngove]

Fair enough; it’s certainly not for everyone.

[@joracer1]

New strings make a difference

[@BradAngove]

Indeed.

[@Frankinsteinguitar]

Neck desperately needs a fret dress and set up!

[@mrtravoiceburges]

cant even tell what your doing . your hands are in the way of the cammera

[@BradAngove]

Yeah; I’m not as good at filming things as I should be at this point.

[@kirkprell4493]

Best way to upgrade a strat is to trash it and buy a Les Paul.

[@BradAngove]

Not sure why you would need to upgrade a “stray”.

[@crisongs1]

Ur gonna need more then wiring for that thing. Buzzzzzz

[@BradAngove]

It got some feet leveling work afterward, like every kit haha.

[@crisongs1]

@@BradAngove I'd like to hear it afterwards

[@BradAngove]

This one is going to take a while because of all the crazy stuff I’m doing to it, but I will definitely be doing a demo of it afterward.

[@SxMx69Metal]

Nice bright tone that you've got there... not the muddy tone of these cheap strats from China... :)

[@BradAngove]

It actually turned out pretty good considering the kit is from China haha.