Background
A few years ago I wanted to change the stock pick-ups in my guitar. I had soldered before, so that was not a chore. However, the idea that I was going to be locked into a circuit was something that I wanted to address. I wanted the ability to tinker with my guitar's tone by changing any of its components, but the soldering and desoldering in order to test the tone that achieved with my changes was making it a chore.

Connectour is the device that was developed to enable the solder-less attachment of guitar pick-ups and other guitar circuit components. It is for the Do It Yourselfers and the guitar technicians who want to provide his/her guitar with a custom tone. Connnectour allows temporary connections to any portion of a guitar's circuitry (pots, caps, switches, pick-ups, etc).

I wanted to find my tone while actually playing my instrument, so that I could spend time testing it over an extended period, instead of only testing it on a workbench. When I found my tone, I would not need to make any changes to make my tone permanent. The 9-pin & 12-pin units were designed to fit under a single of double-coil pickup. My Charvel has had the 39-pin unit inside it since 1996. I like to say,

"When you find your tone, leave it alone."

The benefits are that the guitarist can: make changes to any portion of his/her guitar's circuit; test, and then change any part of that circuit; change the circuit over and over until the desired tone has been achieved (while the guitar is able to be used professionally); and after mastering his/her sound, the connections can be left in place as a permanent upgrade.

Connectour enables multiple-pole connection to any wire that has been attached to the "in-parallel poles" so that connection and disconnection of components are independent of each other.

Connectour reduces the time and effort necessary to find the tone that he/she has been looking to create though the use of a pencil instead of a soldering iron.

The units are compact and sturdy, being constructed of aluminum block. The poles are color-coded to help with the diagramming of your circuit

What is it?
This invention will allow electric stringed instrument's pickups, and the electronic components of the instrument's circuitry to be easily attached, modified, and removed. This invention makes it possible to connect pickups, switches, potentiometers, and other electronic components in a modular manner.

Why is it necessary?
The invention will allow the easy attachment, modification and removal of the electronic components of an electric stringed instrument. The ability to change pickups and other components of an electric stringed instrument will allow a musician to change the tonal qualities that are produced by the electronics of his/her electric stringed instrument.

This invention makes it possible to attach, modify, and replace pickups and sound/signal altering electronics. It also makes it possible to interchange or re-configure the wiring of: pickups; switches; potentiometers; and/or other electronic components. All modifications to the electronics of an electric stringed instrument can be performed by using a screwdriver when using this invention. As an example, a musician can now replace a distortion-producing pickup with one that has no such distortion-producing properties. All this can achieved in a very short amount of time, without soldering any of the electronic components.

Why is it good/better?
This invention is specifically designed to make it possible for musicians to modify the sound capabilities that the electronics of his/her electric stringed instrument provide. In the past, the pickups and electronic components had always been permanent. However, replacing the pickups and other electronic components is necessary to change the fundamentals of an electric stringed instrument's sound capabilities.

This invention can be used by all electric stringed instruments; all pickups; and all types of electronic components. The universality of this invention allows a musician to change his/her equipment easily and quickly. Therefore, different circuit configurations can be tested and installed. It also allows repairs to the electronic circuit of the instrument to be performed in minutes; with only the use of a screwdriver.

How does it work?
This system is based on the use of a spring-loaded socket/connector that allows access to a number of "poles". This socket/connector enables the wire leads of pickups, and other elements of the electronic circuit loop, to be immediately installed. This can be done simply by placing the wire into the desired pole of the socket/connector. The socket/connector is configured such that each pole has more than one "access point". This means that the desired pole can make contact with more than one element in the electronic circuit loop by having these elements connected to the multiple access points of the desired pole. This benefit eliminates the need to solder elements together. By eliminating soldering, elements can be added, changed, or removed whenever the user desires. This benefit also enables the user to easily change the configuration of the electronic circuit loop; thus changing the sound quality of the instrument. Now, a musician can exchange pickups in a few minutes; and in so doing, change the sound quality of his/her instrument. This device allows all components in the electronic circuit loop (potentiometers, switches, magnetic transducers) to be attached and re-configured at will.

All Connectour versions can be incorporated into any presently, or formerly manufactured electric stringed instrument.