Anyone have experience with GFS Kwikplug?

[LunarSlingShot]

I recently bought a GFS Mean 90 from GuitarFetish. By recently I mean I bought it about 2 weeks ago but I just got around to installing it into my guitar yesterday. I believe all of their pickups have converted to the Kwikplug system. Essentially the leads are connected to what look like a headphone jack male end, which plugs into a small box on the back of the pickup. If you're not familiar, I included a photo below.

Yesterday I installed it into the neck position of my Tele Deluxe partscaster. I am wiring the Mean 90 and a SD JB to a standard tele 3-way switch. Once the soldering was done I tested the guitar and I was only getting the bridge pickup. No sound out of the neck at all. I re-soldered ALL of the connections in the guitar (pots, switch, jack, pickups) TWICE, to make sure I hadn't made a mistake. STILL nothing out of the neck. So I decided to try a humbucker I had on hand and it worked. Obviously the problem is the Mean 90.

Bad news: I believe that my wife may have recycled the box the pickup came in, so more than likely a return is out of the question...

I'm interested to know if anyone has ever removed the kwikplug system from one of these pickups in order to solder it the traditional way. I just keep thinking that the problem must be in the kwikplug. I don't have a meter to test it, so I'm just going to have to go in blind.

Thanks for any info.

 

[blowtorch]

No direct personal experience with them myself, but I can tell you my tech Reece loves them.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

It may very well be worth your while and time/money to pick up a small meter to have on-hand not just for this issue, but for future trouble shooting. (not just for guitar work, but even for general household purposes.

I like the Kwikplug setup and didn't have any issues. Try swapping the pickup positions temporarily with a screwdriver tap test to see if the issue is at the pickup or in the lead that plugs into it. If it's definitely the pickup, then check the solder joints on the mounted Kwikplug setup...I believe the cover can be pried off. If they are fine, suspect the pickup itself.

 

[440mhz]

I just recently ( 2 Months ago) bought two matching Dream 90's from them, but I chose the option without the kwiki plug. I love the sound from both. I'm not sure if you can return it, if you cant, I see by you pic that there are 3 or more wires going into the kwiki, i'd use those wires and bypass the plug and just solder longer leads to those wires.

 

[schmee]

Should be easy to solder up. , but pull the plug off and make sure one of the little tangs isn't just bent over. I buy quik plug like things off ebay to use and that happened one of those. (when I slid it together the tang didnt go in the hole and bent over)

 

[bender66]

I just asked GFS the same question yesterday & got this response this am.

"Some of our pickups only come with the Kwikplug option. Luckily, you can ignore the Kwikplug add-on and traditionally solder the lead if you’d prefer, just don’t remove the Kwikplug attachment itself as it’s vital to the pickups function."

 

[urbandefault]

I'm leery of quick connect stuff for guitars. It works for home electronics and cars and stuff, but for my guitars I want a solid solder connection. (Not talking about the output jack, funny guys )

Nothing worse than playing a gig and your axe goes dark.

 

[zeedoctour]

I just asked GFS the same question yesterday & got this response this am.

"Some of our pickups only come with the Kwikplug option. Luckily, you can ignore the Kwikplug add-on and traditionally solder the lead if you’d prefer, just don’t remove the Kwikplug attachment itself as it’s vital to the pickups function."

I find this response suspicious. If you take the leads going into the "Kwikplug" terminal plug and convert them into regular length wires (cut them and then solder splice into longer wires) what purpose can the now non functional plastic Kwikplug terminal possibly be serving ? If it's no longer connected how can it's physically still being there make any difference at all, let alone be "vital to the pickups function" ???

Nope, do not trust this response. I'd want a logical explanation.

 

[TimTam]

Connect the ends of the GFS lead direct to your jack or guitar cable via alligator test leads. That will tell you if the pickup is OK. If so, the problem is elsewhere.

BTW did you reconcile the GFS wire color scheme with the SD one ?

 

[Spinaltap1]

I did a GFS build last yr. I bought a LP neck/body from them as well as hardware and quick connect pickups and a wiring harness. The guitar came out really nice, the gfs 59 buckers sound amazing, and give me a coil tap option. There were some frustrating problems, but thats another thread.

Do you have a plug with wires to solder your pickup ft the gfs quick connect or did you cut the plug off. this looks like what you need.

 

[Octorfunk]

I've done 5-6 Kwikplug installations with zero problems.

I have found their volume/tone pots to be disappointing though. Hardly any taper, basically on/off switches.

 

[Mr_Q]

I've used the vintage 59 HB and like the sound.

The connector just be securely seated. Really push that sucker in.
If it's not seated, you gots no tone, bro

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[Skarocker]

I recently bought a GFS Mean 90 from GuitarFetish. By recently I mean I bought it about 2 weeks ago but I just got around to installing it into my guitar yesterday. I believe all of their pickups have converted to the Kwikplug system. Essentially the leads are connected to what look like a headphone jack male end, which plugs into a small box on the back of the pickup. If you're not familiar, I included a photo below.

Yesterday I installed it into the neck position of my Tele Deluxe partscaster. I am wiring the Mean 90 and a SD JB to a standard tele 3-way switch. Once the soldering was done I tested the guitar and I was only getting the bridge pickup. No sound out of the neck at all. I re-soldered ALL of the connections in the guitar (pots, switch, jack, pickups) TWICE, to make sure I hadn't made a mistake. STILL nothing out of the neck. So I decided to try a humbucker I had on hand and it worked. Obviously the problem is the Mean 90.

Bad news: I believe that my wife may have recycled the box the pickup came in, so more than likely a return is out of the question...

I'm interested to know if anyone has ever removed the kwikplug system from one of these pickups in order to solder it the traditional way. I just keep thinking that the problem must be in the kwikplug. I don't have a meter to test it, so I'm just going to have to go in blind.

Thanks for any info.

View attachment 634611

I like to wire my humbucker with series/parallel split. The kwikplug does not allow for this...Only coil splitting so is of absolutely no use whatsover.....Off with it!!!