Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

[Bamkuro]

Hey everyone,

I'm stuck right now with a problem, for which I don't even have an exact name (hence the strange threadtitle). Let me just show you a few pics:

First look at these two:





Now look at these two:





See the difference?

My question is about that "plate" or however you call it, the place where the cables come out. Are they customizable/ easy to replace? E.g. can I take a Super Distortion S and give it a "baseplate" like the one the SD HotRails has?

Thanks in advance!!!

Dan.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

Sometimes... actually most of the time that piece is part of the bobbins themselves. SD's can be ordered without it but there is no way to swap it.

[Tune-O-Matic]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

On a normal strat single coil, that piece is called the bottom of the flatwork.


That little piece of the flatwork that sticks out is commonly called a flange. Take a look at the SSL-1(and most other Duncan true SC's) which has the flange compared to the SSL-5 or 6 which doesn't. I think that the Duncan Custom Shop can make any true strat single coil with or without the flange.

For a normal strat single coil, I think it would be pretty much difficult to impossible to do even with major surgery to the pickup. Given the way that true strat sc's are constructed, you can't just take the old bottom piece over and replace it with a new one. You would run the risk of killing the pickup because you would have to shave/cut off the flange, put new eyelet holes for soldering the leads to and solder the coil wire to the leads.

For strat sized lil' humbuckers and rails, I think this would be just about impossible. Most of the are constructed in a way that bottom piece is basically a circuit board like these below and are integral in the construction of those designs.

You are probably going to have to either just use the pickups that are flangeless or go the expensive Custom Shop route.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

Oh and as a side note and you attempt this completely at your own risk and in the spirit of full disclosure ive killed a pickup doing this but you can slit the flange and pull the wires through and tuck them underneath then you can cut the lip off. This is delicate surgery and the tiniest slip (which is what i did) and you can cut through the wires. Also not all pickups that have a flange this is possible on the one i was working on was an old style SD hot rails. So it is possible but I advise this with extreme caution. Its easier to rout the guitar or to even just dremel out a lip for the flange to sit in.

[darthphineas]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

That flange can be a huge pain, depending on the guitar.


Sent from my armored battle station using Tapatalk

[Bamkuro]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

Thanks for all the answers!

Yeah, it is a problem, cause my guitar won't take the ones with the bigger 'bottom of the flatwork'. Obviously a Hotrails or an SSL-5 works, but if I wanted to change to a S. Distortion S e.g., ****ed.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

Thanks for all the answers!

Yeah, it is a problem, cause my guitar won't take the ones with the bigger 'bottom of the flatwork'. Obviously a Hotrails or an SSL-5 works, but if I wanted to change to a S. Distortion S e.g., ****ed.

You can order dimarzios without it also.

[GilmourD]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

What guitar?

[Tune-O-Matic]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

I never knew Dimarzio made flangeless ones
Banjomikez on Ebay has exactly what your looking for, Super Distortion S without the flange:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DiMarzio-Super-Distortion-S-Single-Coil-Bridge-Pick-up-WITHOUT-FLANGE-DP-218-/140925768536?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item20cfd49358

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Pickup ... "Baseplate"?

Well, that's nice of Banjo.

However, where does the lead come from on those, because in my experience with pickup routes that can't take the flange (largely older Jackson USA and imports), when the leads come out of the bottom-middle - where you would normally find a flange - it's the same problem.