Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

S

SJ318

New member
A number of years ago, I had pretty crappy wire cutters, couldn't get to the hardware store and borrowed some bolt cutters to cut my pickup screws, as my wire cutters could not do it.
I have since bought an expensive wire cutter, and a very strong fret cutter from a Stew-Mac. I tried to cut the screws this time with the "best" wire cutters I could buy, but they just kind of dented them, and I don't want to use my fret cutters as I want them for frets only. Do others just have better right hand strength? Or do you guys use a hacksaw and a vice grip?
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

I run a nut onto the screw to where I want to make my cut, and I use a dremel with a cut off wheel held flush against the nut for a nice square cut.
When Im done, I remove the nut, and in the process it cleans and recuts the threads on the screw which makes it so much easier to rethread into the baseplate, plus it doesnt chew them up, which we all know can be rather fragile.
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

I've always just used standard wire cutters and just powered through it. If you want to be cutting screws a lot though, I'd second Clint's bike cutter ideas.
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

i just use a set of diagonal cutting pliers, then file the gnarled threads so as not to bugger anything up
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

I usually use a stripper/screw cutter, and usually to accommodate all of those most common threadings for guitar/pickup hardware you have to keep a few around. In my experience as long as you match the threading to the screw they do the job well and you get a threaded cut

 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

Just for info-sake. The height-screws that Stew-Mac sells are just a little shorter (maybe by 1/16th") than the standards that come with most pickups.
I ordered some blacks from them and they're short enough to work with my Carvins shallower bodies without needing cut,,,,just barely.

Another thread on the subject.
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?284153-Pickup-height-screws-too-long
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

Is the OP even talking about height-adjustment screws?
After reading back I'm not sure now.
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

Yes - height adjustment screw.
Wow - everyone, thanks for all of your answers. Discharged/Peters' MOJO screws seems the path of least residence. But all ideas are great. Clint 55-Bike cable cutters, didn't know there was such a thing. Arwin, the screw cutter you showed looks good, but the screw you cut was not as big as a hum bucker screw. Would that work for that particular screw? Just making sure we agree on the size. Dave74-thanks for the link.
I am pretty well set to clean up a cut screw, but if MOJO's are short enough I should just do that. Good to know I am not as big a pussy as I thought!
Thank you Gentleman. Really! gonna desktop this one.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

Make your life easier, not harder. Dremel and a cutoff wheel. Zip-zap, you're done.
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

Well the mojotone link is for pole-screws not height screws.

I have some cheap stanley long-cut straight snips that whack right through them easily, but they will leave a slight burr.

The Stew Mac screws are listed at 1.25",,,,,,,but they must count the head when they measure because they are indeed a bit shorter.
The ones that come stock in EMG and Dimarzio are 1.25" of threaded screw-length, and a little longer if you measure the whole thing.
Sounds like a Porky's joke or something. lol

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and...MI6Omsv5Op1gIVRB6GCh3YRwiQEAQYASABEgKRW_D_BwE
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

dave74-
My fault, I meant in the bobbin screw opposite the slugs. Not the ring screws that adjust the whole p'up height. I can see where what I said can easily be misunderstood. Please forgive me, honestly, I feel like a fool. Is "filister" screw what I am trying to say? Again, forgive me.
Aceman and ICTGoober - YES! I need a Dremel, why I never order one is a testament to my very bad memory. Thanks for reminding me again.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

SJ318 said:
dave74-
My fault, I meant in the bobbin screw opposite the slugs. Not the ring screws that adjust the whole p'up height. I can see where what I said can easily be misunderstood. Please forgive me, honestly, I feel like a fool. Is "filister" screw what I am trying to say? Again, forgive me.
Aceman and ICTGoober - YES! I need a Dremel, why I never order one is a testament to my very bad memory. Thanks for reminding me again.
Steve Buffington
Click to expand...

Ah OK,,,,,,are you cutting them to tighten the low-end response, so that they don't extend down below the base.
Or are you cutting them to fit into a pickup that is solid on bottom and don't have holes for the screws to go through?
Now I'm curious what screws are going into what pickup! lol
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

What's the matter with the good old-fashioned way of just shooting the things with a gun ?
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

I've always used vise + Dremel. I am not a Dremel expert like a lot of people here, but cutting screws is fast and painless.
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

dave74,
Thanks for accepting my apology. I would use it on my Seth Lover, PAF winds with equal bobbins, the WLH (if that is a PAF wind), and low wind PAF's-Jazz n & b. '59 too when I get one.
WARNING (Buffington Alert): Because I am the only one I know in the world that does this; with my Hybrid - because the very strong slug bobbin is further from the bridge, I turn it 180, un-covered, so slugs are closest to bridge, and I RADIUS the SLUGS with thin match stick cardboard so they will stay in place, it takes time, but is easy, gotta take the p'up bottom brass screws out, I separate the thin layers of matchstick thicker for the D&G, then equal but thinner for the low E&A, + top E&B (the 2 brass screws go back in between the three separate cardboard areas), then screw the slug bottom back in.
Now I simply lower the bottom E,A screws a lot, the D a little, G,B a little more, and top screw flush with slug for some extra
fullness on my top E. My strings are custom and very heavy bottom, light odd top.
So I get wonderfully bright bridge sounds BECAUSE----on an HSS the bridge humbucker is farther away from the saddles than a Gibson guitar. This makes up for it. But still, I would use short bobbin screws on my hybrid too, they are close enough to have a "say" in the matter.
I hope you guys read this but more importantly understood it, even if you think I'm weird or odd, I don't begrudge you one bit, I do many things odd, they work wonders for me, and I am damn proud of them.
Steve Buffington ..... Yes on the Dremel.
 
Re: Cutting pickup screws - wire cutter, hack saw, bolt cutters?

crusty philtrum said:
What's the matter with the good old-fashioned way of just shooting the things with a gun ?
Click to expand...

I tried this method using my .308....

On the plus side, it works really well & it can be done very fast!!! On the other hand, you're going probably going to need some slightly larger screws afterwards, or a smaller gun, whichever is more easily obtained???
 
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