Changing pick-ups on your own

I remember your project.

Can we see the pictures?

I'm not familiar with the layout of the axe, so a picture might help.

Thanks for responding Mike. Been away a little while, when my brother is in town he has a tendency to take over the net. My pictures are on my phone and I have not bought the adapter yet. So, I will need to get the adapter before I can post those pics. I might do that this weekend though. I hate the guitar just sitting there not being loved and cared for and played like it should be.

Any luck yet 97reb? I just bought some GFS "Dream 90" humbucker-sized P90 pups and plan to put them in my Ibanez Artcore. (I've already taken a look inside and I think it will be fairly straightforward.) Just wondering if you've run into any obstacles.

Good article here, with pictures, on pup replacement: http://www.gibson.com/magazines/amplifier/1997/11/tip.html

Man, I feel so lazy sometimes. I have not done anything yet. Thanks for that website slejhammer. It looks like it will be very useful when I get around to actually doing the job. When I'm not at work, I just don't feel like doing a whole lot. Unfortunately, that is probably why I'm not a whole lot better at guitar after 20+ years.

Here is another great site - Guitar Electonics

Hope you get that puppy up and running soon!

Mike

LOL, you are welcome. Let me give you some encouragement: it was easier than I expected! My soldering skills leave much to be desired (I actually melted the pickup selector switch and had to order a new one) but the overall process was fairly simple. Just take it slowly, walk through all the steps ahead of time (and again before each one) and you'll have no trouble. But if you don't have soldering experience, PRACTICE first! :D

Small piece of soldering advice that I have always found helpful. Use a roach clip. excuse me hemostat, to clip on to the posts on the switches, pots and pickup wires. Then when you solder the heat goes into the clip and not the switch or pot or whatever.

It is actually called a heat sink and you can buy them at any electronics store like Radio Shack. Real handy tool for holding wire together also.

Real handy tool for holding wire together also.

And apparently for holding other things as well (roach clip, LOL!) :P :lol:

I had no idea they function as a heat sink. But now that makes total sense, and would have prevented my switch meltdown. And burned fingertips many years ago ... Good tip Nils! 8)

The counter culture lives!!! 8)

All this talk about pots and roach clips and heat sinks. This is a music site right?

Do you have a cafeteria for the munchies? :lol:

psssst, Nils. We should hook up some time. I'll bring the solder. :wink: :wink:

psssst, Nils. We should hook up some time. I'll bring the solder. :wink: :wink:

OK, good idea. Now I have to go get something to eat.

psssst, Nils. We should hook up some time. I'll bring the solder. :wink: :wink:

OK, good idea. Now I have to go get something to eat.

Hmmmm, why is that funny all of a sudden? :D

Dudes!!! I want some Doritos... LOL

Thanks for those links.. very useful. :)

As I'm in the process of my own "Project" will post more later.

Well, I'm making progress. I put my tuners back on. Changed out the Bridge pick up for the Gibson P-94 bridge pick-up. Turned her over and strung her up. Tuned her up and find that I did not wire the pick-up right. I know what I did wrong, just don't feel like finishing it tonight (meaning re-soldering). I will definitely do it tomorrow morning. I'm on a roll. By the way, the P-94 sticks up a lot more than the pick-up that was in it. I raised the bridge a little, but that raised my action. I'll probably have to shim the neck a touch, or bust out the slide. I'll also wait and see how the neck reacts to having strings on it after being bare backed for 4 months or so.