Coil Tapped Epiphone Pickup change help?

[andygifted]

I think this something I already know the answer to but wanted confirmation.

I've just this morning bought a new Epiphone Les Paul Plustop Pro with the coil tapped pickups. I want to install a Duncan Distortion like I have in my other Les Pauls. I went for this guitar because I liked the idea of having a coil tapped guitar and knew I could do this with the Duncan Distortion and here I had an instrument all ready setup for it. I've just opened it up to find the connections are nothing like what I expected and are mounted in clips, here's a picture.



Now I think I'll still be okay, what I just want to have confirmed is which is the earth in this picture? As it would normally be bare in my experience. Am I right in thinking it's the chunkier black one on the left.

Also wondering how best to attach the new pickup as I've never attempted to remove wiring from a clip like this before. I found another post where someone who has done the same with this model of guitar had said he simply cut the existing wiring leaving a length of each of the five wires. He then soldered the new pickup wiring to the stubs of original wire. I was thinking this would be the easiest way for me to do it but wondered if this was inadvisable?

Thanks,
Andy.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Coil Tapped Epiphone Pickup change help?

I would tend to agree with your guess. The best way to confirm is use a cheap multi-meter to test continuity to ground with those wires to figure out which is which.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Coil Tapped Epiphone Pickup change help?

A multitester/multimeter is your friend.

Just cut the wires at least an inch (preferably 2") from the clip and splice the new pup wires into those clipped wires. Then you can just plug-in the original clip.