Rich_S
HomeGrownToneBrewologist
I recently bought a TB59 that was drilled out for direct-mounting. (I blame you, Mr. Van Halen.) This isn't the first time I've done this. Cheap bastard that I am, I'm willing to save a few bucks on a pickup with no threads in its mounting holes. This time around, I remembered to take pictures. So, here for your education and/or entertainment, is my method for restoring drilled-out humbucker mounting tabs.
Here's what you need: a couple of brass hex nuts, an extra-long machine screw, and a normal pickup-mounting spring. I used 4-40 nuts and screw, which are one size larger than normal pickup hardware. It's not original-spec, but it works and that's okay with me. 4-40 hardware is good because it's available at your local ACE Hardware or big-box home center. "Normal" 3-48 hardware is a bit harder to come by. The nuts are brass because it's easy to solder. The machine screw is stainless, because solder won't stick to it.
The first step is to clean off the pickup mounting tabs and the nuts. I used a small jeweler's file to rough up the surfaces and clean off any oxidation. Next, put the screw through the pickup's drilled-out hole. The long screw makes it easy to thread the nut on without shooting the spring across the room or dropping the nut (it will invariably roll all the way under the workbench).
Tighten the screw down so that the spring tension clamps the nut to the mounting tab, holding it firmly in place. Then heat the tab and nut up with a soldering iron, and run a bead of solder around all six sides of the nut. I use a 25-watt Weller iron with a wide chisel tip to give plenty of heat transfer.
When the solder cools, clean the joint with a wire brush and then remove the screw. The solder doesn't stick to the stainless, so it will screw right out. Note that the solder joint isn't subjected to the tension of holding the pickup in its mounting ring, since the nut is on the bottom of the tab. The solder's job is simply to keep the nut from falling off, and to keep it from rotating while the mounting screw is adjusted.
All finished, and ready to mount in the bridge my goldtop Schecter PT partscaster. Special thanks to IndySG for the bargain-priced TB59.
Here's what you need: a couple of brass hex nuts, an extra-long machine screw, and a normal pickup-mounting spring. I used 4-40 nuts and screw, which are one size larger than normal pickup hardware. It's not original-spec, but it works and that's okay with me. 4-40 hardware is good because it's available at your local ACE Hardware or big-box home center. "Normal" 3-48 hardware is a bit harder to come by. The nuts are brass because it's easy to solder. The machine screw is stainless, because solder won't stick to it.
The first step is to clean off the pickup mounting tabs and the nuts. I used a small jeweler's file to rough up the surfaces and clean off any oxidation. Next, put the screw through the pickup's drilled-out hole. The long screw makes it easy to thread the nut on without shooting the spring across the room or dropping the nut (it will invariably roll all the way under the workbench).
Tighten the screw down so that the spring tension clamps the nut to the mounting tab, holding it firmly in place. Then heat the tab and nut up with a soldering iron, and run a bead of solder around all six sides of the nut. I use a 25-watt Weller iron with a wide chisel tip to give plenty of heat transfer.
When the solder cools, clean the joint with a wire brush and then remove the screw. The solder doesn't stick to the stainless, so it will screw right out. Note that the solder joint isn't subjected to the tension of holding the pickup in its mounting ring, since the nut is on the bottom of the tab. The solder's job is simply to keep the nut from falling off, and to keep it from rotating while the mounting screw is adjusted.
All finished, and ready to mount in the bridge my goldtop Schecter PT partscaster. Special thanks to IndySG for the bargain-priced TB59.
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