# RG7620 of Doom: Project Picstory



## Leon (Feb 19, 2007)

hello, and welcome to another Leon Picstory.

today, i'll be rewiring Chris>Ken>Leon's RG7620 with an Evo7 and Blaze Neck pickups, with a pair of 
push/pull pots, with a Telecaster style 3-way blade switch. joy!







first, let's make sure we have everything we need.






well lit workspace, soldering iron, tools, and other shit i'll probably need.






handy stripper/cutting tool from RadioShack, push/pull pots, 3-way switch, new pickups, 
new knobs, and a multitool.






dig it!






boo New7's!!






a dual-wattage soldering iron (switchable between 20w and 40w, 20w is sufficient, and 
good for beginners), with cleaning sponge. the sponge is key to getting quick heat to your
contacts. a dirty tip can't quickly conduct heat, so rather, it will slowly heat everything, 
instead of quickly heating your contact for soldering. also, a thin rosin core solder is nice, 
and makes clean connections. de-soldering braid is very nice for cleaning up contacts 
that you plan on using again.






the Colonel watches over us all.






...and now, the patient. ready to rock? ha!






what's this? an electronics cavity without clutter? we'll fix that!






call me crazy, call me weird, call me OCD, but i like to keep each screw separated, so 
that i know exactly which screw went in which hole.






removing the strings, tremolo, and knobs is fairly easy.






i'll use the de-soldering braid to remove the old contacts. i won't be using these old parts, 
unless i get a fun project in the future, but anyways, it's just good practice. the way to 
use this stuff is to put a length of clean braid on the connection you want to clean, then put your cleaned soldering iron tip ontop of the braid. once the heat transfers through the 
braid and into the solder on the connection, the solder will melt, and will be drawn right 
into the braid (this process is actually called "whetting").






bye bye New7's!






bye bye boring regular stuff!






now, time to consult the plans. i drew these up for the rewiring of my RG7621, and since 
i'm using all the same parts and same plan, i'm reusing this.






here's the new electronics.






one pushed, one pulled.






when pushed, the bottom left two (fuzzy) contacts are connected, as are the bottom right 
two. when pulled, it's the top pair that are connected. that's the essence of this switch.

...and, spooky enough, it seems my plan for the switches is clear as day in the 
background. you can see the connection that connects the bottom two pins. this is a 
jumper, and it connects the bottom pairs of contacts.






and here's the switch.






and the push/pull (getting camera happy about this time, i think).






this thing just...






...plain...






...rocks.






they look good! and, they look EXACTLY the same. i almost put them in backwards, if it
were not for rechecking the labels on the bottoms 






Mr RadioShack Tool makes short work of these guys.






ok, back to the plans...






contemplate on the last time you did this. ask yourself, "do i really NEED to go through this again?"

say, "yes," and continue.






cut some connection wire. i did a LOT of this.






...and, one pain-in-the-ass switch is done! note the rubber-banded multitool, holding the 
switch. it's handy to have something heavier than that which you are soldering to help 
hold things still.






ha! got them both hooked up. now, on to the switch... but wait?






i look at it, and check out the contacts... it's different than the one from my RG7621!






a closer inspection of the diagram, looking at what worked last time, reveals that it is 
indeed different. just backwards, i can handle that, and did 






i kept the original jack, and just put in some new wire. the original braided wire is cool, 
but the wire i'm using here is a bit thicker, which means less resistance.






wiring up the top part of the push/pull for Tone control.






...and, hooking them up together. and, time to put them through the holes, and on to the switch....






but wait... these don't fit through the holes. recontemplate why you're doing this. agree 
to continue. decide course of action.






yep. the new push/pull's have a slightly larger diameter than the old pots.






FUCK. 






come on, Henry, let's go.






to Meijer!






they should have a fresh circular file for widening the holes.






what's this? hammers for hippies?






FUCK. all too big.






but wait! score!






alright motherfucker. time to fit. now.






...and with some minimal removal of wood, they fit. 






dig it!






they go in, as does the switch. now, to connect the switch to the pots, connect the pots 
to the output, then connect ALL THE DAMN GROUNDS. that part is never my favorite.






hooked up... plugged into 15w practice amp... about to tap screw driver onto poles to 
make sure it works....






[action=Leon]grinds his teeth.[/action]






[action=Leon]creates suspense.[/action]






[action=Leon]hears a pop.[/action]






[action=Leon]rejoices.[/action]






time to oil/clean the fretboard, then go to bed.






the next morning, today, i decided to give my camera a break from the guitar to take an 
almost direct-into-the-sun picture of some ice hanging from our roof, just outside the 
kitchen window.






now, on to cleaning/lubing the trem.






i used a sponge to remove some of the dirt and whatnot collected on the knife edges.






Ultra Slick with PTFE FTW.






when restringing, i like to use an old pack of strings to hold up the trem.













for sake of completeness, here's how i string up my axes. string it through the hole, then 
on the first pass, push the excess UNDER the string.






on the second passing, make sure the incoming string goes under that first bend.






that x7, plus re-attaching the retainer bar.






and, i'm string-stretching and a set-up away from rocking out.






Big pics:

http://www.wildealien.com/ssorg_media/IM002854.JPG

http://www.wildealien.com/ssorg_media/IM002855.JPG


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## The Dark Wolf (Feb 19, 2007)

Awesome, dude. Those white pickups and white knobs look tasty.

I like the white lead wires for connecting everything. Tidy.


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## Stitch (Feb 19, 2007)

Awesome. 

 Dude, that was excellent!


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## Seedawakener (Feb 19, 2007)

You socketed the RG7620 of Doom and put runes in it! It is now more ultimatzorz than ever! if that is even possible. 




Nerd...


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## djpharoah (Feb 19, 2007)

Positively awesome


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## OzzyC (Feb 19, 2007)

That was awesome


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## Hexer (Feb 19, 2007)

looking great!!! 

and really cool picstory!!!


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## metalfiend666 (Feb 19, 2007)

Awesome picstory Leon!


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## Regor (Feb 19, 2007)

Great picstory Leon! Shoulda dyed the fretboard while you were at it 

My only ? is what do the push/pull pots do? Coil tapping?


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Feb 19, 2007)

YES, DO EXPLAIN THE CONTROL LAYOUT & FUNCTION OF EACH SETTING.
THANK YOU PLEASE


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## ohio_eric (Feb 19, 2007)

Leon has the best pic stories. 

Of course when the lead singers for his band are in them they are truly epic. 

I too would enjoy knowing what all the push pull pots of doom do as well.


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## Pauly (Feb 19, 2007)

Needs some faux white binding for t3h w1NNar! But other uber hot looking now.


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## Chris (Feb 19, 2007)

Fuck yeah! She looks so happy! 

Now, at once, forge some metal!


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## ibzrg1570 (Feb 19, 2007)

amazing


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## the.godfather (Feb 19, 2007)

Great picstory. Really good read.

And the guitar looks great too!


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## Mark. A (Feb 19, 2007)

Dude that guitar looks sick! Can I grab the new7 neck pup off you for some $$$?


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## AVH (Feb 19, 2007)

Leon that was awesome, man!  I really dig the way you add the little comedic touches to your pic stories.


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## Leon (Feb 19, 2007)

thanks guys! 

about the push/pulls... i did this to my RG7621 a while back, and i really dig it. the tone pot switches the bridge between series and parallel, just as the volume pot switches the neck between series and parallel. the 3-way switch is wired up pretty standard, giving bridge, bridge + neck, and neck. here are my tonal options:


switch on bridge, tone pot pushed - bridge in series
switch on bridge, tone pot pulled - bridge in parallel
switch in middle, tone pushed / volume pushed - bridge in series + neck in series
switch in middle, tone pushed / volume pulled - bridge in series + neck in parallel
switch in middle, tone pulled / volume pulled - bridge in parallel + neck in parallel
switch in middle, tone pulled / volume pushed - bridge in parallel + neck in series
switch in neck, volume pushed - neck in series
switch in neck, volume pulled - neck in parallel

Mark, sure! i've actually got two neck New7's, if you want both. and while you're at it, do you want the bridges as well? 

Dendroaspis, i was also wanting to paint the tuning peg washers white, as you did on your RG7321, but i forgot to pick it up while i was at Meijer. of course, even had i remembered, i wouldn't have known what kind of paint to get . what kind did you use?


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## ohio_eric (Feb 19, 2007)

Humbuckers in parallel is a sound that isn't used enough. That sounds like a very cool wiring.


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## D-EJ915 (Feb 19, 2007)

lol nice wiring, man. I hate wiring shit...it's so freaking impossible, lol.


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## Ken (Feb 19, 2007)

[action=Ken Burtch]wonders why Leon didn't refinish it as well, instead of having to pull all the shit off again and reinstall it. [/action]

All that aside, very nice work.


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## Kevan (Feb 19, 2007)

I agree: UltraSlick from Permatex > unstable trem. 
BUT: Solder sucker > desoldering braid. LOL

Next time you're at the store, get a new toothbrush.
Then use your old one for cleaning small parts and assemblies, like the trem.

Also, since you're working with molten metal, some masking tape on the guitar body will protect the finish, just in case.


I wonder where you first saw those sweet wire strippers/cutter...hmmm....


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## skinhead (Feb 19, 2007)

Exellent Leon!

BTW, Sovtek MIG100 =


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## Shawn (Feb 20, 2007)

Nicely done, Leon! Nice choice of pickups too. White pickups rule. Cool picstory!


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## Leon (Feb 20, 2007)

Ken, i thought about it, but i think i'm going to wait until i can get a nice tobacco burst done to it.

Kev, i remembered the toothbrush thing, and almost grabbed my roommates. he doesn't use his that often... 

thanks Frank! it indeed rules.

white pickups kick ass on a black guitar! but, they will also kick ass on a tobacco burst guitar


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## Popsyche (Feb 20, 2007)

Very nice!


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## Leon (Feb 20, 2007)

man, i'm loving this Evo7. it really reminds me of the TZ in my RG570. and the Blaze Neck is pretty pimp too! it's scooped, but it's very smooth and clean sounding. both sound great cranked! i think i found my new main player


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## HighGain510 (Feb 20, 2007)

Wow that was a killer picstory Leon, thanks for sharing bro!  That 7620 is looking mighty fine sir!


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## Kevan (Feb 20, 2007)

QUESTION:
Why is the entire picstory at the top of each page in the thread?


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## Mastodon (Feb 20, 2007)

Kevan said:


> QUESTION:
> Why is the entire picstory at the top of each page in the thread?



Because it's been stickied.


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## Chris (Feb 20, 2007)

Kevan said:


> QUESTION:
> Why is the entire picstory at the top of each page in the thread?



Workbench is setup that way.


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## Drew (Feb 20, 2007)

I vastly prefer the Satriani-approved humbucker/split push/pull, but either way it's a pretty cool setup, and the way you have it done with an independent switch for each pickup is pretty cool.


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## Leon (Feb 20, 2007)

splitting the coils is cool, and i dig it on my XV500 (the middle position splits the neck humbucker), but going parallel kinda gives you a similar tone, without the single-coil-woes.

plus, which coil do you draw from? it would drive me up a tree trying to figure out how to access each coil, being able to go back to series humbucking mode, so, going parallel/series is also for my state of sanity


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## jtm45 (Feb 20, 2007)

Most excellent pic-story dude 

Where did you score the white Dimarzios from by the way ?
I think i'm gonna' be looking for some of those for my project RG/UV thingie pretty soon.
That guy on ebay ('BanjoMikez') does a good selection of colored Dimarzio 7's but he won't ship Internationally (Dimarzio don't allow it!!! ).

If it comes to it maybe i can get them sent to you and send you some cash to post them on to me or something, if you'd be up for that ?

It'll be a good few weeks at least yet anyway,as i'm a bit skint at the mo.


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## Kevan (Feb 20, 2007)

Chris said:


> Workbench is setup that way.


Thank you.


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## AVH (Feb 20, 2007)

Hey Leon,
The paint for those washers just 2 coats of any good quality, preferably flat, classic white auto paint, followed up with 2-3 coats of clear semi-gloss to seal it in. Make sure to rough sand the plating first to make the paint stick well.


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## darren (Feb 21, 2007)

Great picstory! But... no Tremol-No?


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## Leon (Feb 21, 2007)

darren said:


> Great picstory! But... no Tremol-No?



it was a click away on the AllParts page, but i'm waiting until i get a new second job, as my first second job isn't give me many hours lately. then, it will be the RG7620 Of Doometh. that's biblical doom! 

[action=Leon]goes and listens to some Hammerfall.[/action]


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## InTheRavensName (Feb 21, 2007)

The Dark Wolf said:


> white knobs look tasty.



OH MY GOD...

A GAY

 


















*InTheRavensName is just shitting about


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## Greazygeo (Feb 23, 2007)

Looks great Leon! Hows the neck pickup working out? I have the parts coming for my homebrew piezo double edge project finally. Well at least the piezo inserts and preamp. The saddles should be coming along soon I hope! 

Thanks for coming out last weekend, hope the roads were not too bad on the way home. Let me know when you are heading my way again and we'll crank up some cabs. 

George


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## Leon (Feb 23, 2007)

excellent! take lots of pictures putting it all together 

the Blaze Neck is really cool. very scooped out! i didn't think it was going to be such a pronounced scoop, but it's definitely cool. very easy on the ears when cranked.

i've still got your card, i'll give you a buzz next time i'm around


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## Psychoface (Sep 11, 2007)

Woah..... That was so epic!!!!!!!!! 
lol, Great Job Man!!!!


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## playstopause (Sep 11, 2007)

You just bumped a 7-months old thread, you've noticed?


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## backyardburial (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi, I had a Blaze put into my old 7620 (too scared to try myself) and the guy that did it had to rout out the pickup cavity, just wondering why you didnt need to, are there different size Blaze p/ups? Mine was too deep compared to stock pickups, cheers


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## Shredz (Dec 6, 2008)

That guitar standing next to your "pimped out" guitar looks pretty sweet too!


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## PirateMetalTroy (Dec 25, 2008)

Seedawakener said:


> You socketed the RG7620 of Doom and put runes in it! It is now more ultimatzorz than ever! if that is even possible.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



At least he's not wasting his points in frenzy by not having 2 axes...


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## robert_higgins (Jul 12, 2009)

i started laughing when i saw the rotary tool kit. thats awesome. i bought push/pull knobs for my ibanez 7421 when i got some bkp but they didn't fit so i didn't use them. i might go back and re wire them to coil tap but i think i know the feeling you had when the pots didn't fit.haha


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