Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

[Nightburst]

Hi,
Is there any ready available after market solution to mount Seymour Duncans into the guitarwood directly? Needs to be able to still adjust the pickup height.

I have a guitar that has the pickups direct mounted into the guitar body.
Of course I put in Seymour Duncans but this seems to be more complicated than it should be.
The original pickup mounting screws that go into the body are to bigger (wider) than the threaded holes of the base plate of the pickups. I do not want to ruin or modify my pickups for obvious reasons.

So I tried direct mount using modified regular pickup screws but the threads won't grip the wood enough to sit the pickup snugly. They came loose after a week. Also the way it mounts like that makes the pickup rock back and forth despite having foam and springs underneath.
I need a more professional and permanent solution for this. Anybody got any ideas?

Please do not turn this into a debate about rings or no rings sounding better, I couldn't care less. All I know is that this guitar has no rings and I want to keep the stock look intact while having Seymour Duncans installed in it.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

in the usa we have a company called fasenal that can basically get you any screw you want. id get a small coarse thread wood screw that fit through the hole or at least didnt bugger up the threads. thats what i did for mounting the single coils on a guitar that are direct mounted. on my tele the neck firebird pup is direct mounted but i used small nails. it worked fine but i wouldnt really suggest it as a good method for mounting

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

Just buy a replacement baseplate from Mojotone and drill it out for direct mounting. Keep the original if you want to sell the pickup later.

 

[devastone]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

Something like this: http://www.fu-tone.com/catalog/inde...ducts_id=261&zenid=6283657fsgcnhg1d384eo1npl4

I got one from Mike a few years ago when they first came out, it works pretty well. Other than than, I 2nd getting small wood screws that fit through the threaded holes and using foam on the back of the pickups for height adjustment, that's how Ibanez does it.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

Yeah, I was gonna say...the FU Tone stuff is really nice.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

Can you use the other holes?
Or make other holes?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

If they work, humbucker ring screws for the tall Gibson bridge pickup type should be fine. They're wood threads and quite narrow.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

So the original holes are too big for the new screws? I'd try sealing the hole with tooth picks to make 'em tighter.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

So the original holes are too big for the new screws? I'd try sealing the hole with tooth picks to make 'em tighter.

?

 

[ChAoZ]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

If they work, humbucker ring screws for the tall Gibson bridge pickup type should be fine. They're wood threads and quite narrow.

That's exactly what I used

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

?

He's talking about the holes in the wood, not the threaded ones in the pickup baseplate. I think filling those holes in the guitar and using thin wood screws as suggested should do fine.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

Yeah, I've filled in holes and used wood screws (and foam cut to the right height). The foam part is tricky, as you have to sort of keep working with it to get the height right.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

Something like this: http://www.fu-tone.com/catalog/inde...ducts_id=261&zenid=6283657fsgcnhg1d384eo1npl4

I got one from Mike a few years ago when they first came out, it works pretty well. Other than than, I 2nd getting small wood screws that fit through the threaded holes and using foam on the back of the pickups for height adjustment, that's how Ibanez does it.

People actually pay $50 for a brass strip with a few holes in it? wow. It is a good idea though, looks like something I can make myself too. Maybe with an old baseplate screwed to the cavity. hmm thanks for the idea!

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

If they work, humbucker ring screws for the tall Gibson bridge pickup type should be fine. They're wood threads and quite narrow.

Thanks ill check them out.

The bolts i'm using now are just threaded bolts that don't grip wood very well once screwed into it. They came loose after a week. Wood needs screws but screws need to be narrow enough to fit through the threaded holes of the humbucker baseplate without messing them up.

 

[devastone]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

People actually pay $50 for a brass strip with a few holes in it? wow. It is a good idea though, looks like something I can make myself too. Maybe with an old baseplate screwed to the cavity. hmm thanks for the idea!

Yeah, after having used one, you'll spend way more than $50 worth of time figuring it all out, then if you want it nicely machined, a shop will charge you at least $100 to make one piece. FWIW, I am a mechanical designer and work with a lot of machine shops. If you have tools and lots of free time, go for it.

 

[dave74]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

You also can install machine-screw inserts and then use foam as your spacer.
This way you don't work the wood-screws loose going up and down looking for the pickup's sweet-spot.

I've used the little wood screws for my own pair of direct-mount Ibbys, but I already knew my preferred distance from strings which made matching the foam piece size much easier.

 

[devastone]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

To do that you have to drill out the holes in the pickup plate, that's what he's trying to avoid doing.

 

[dave74]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

To do that you have to drill out the holes in the pickup plate, that's what he's trying to avoid doing.

Only if they weren't small enough to drop through the mounting tabs, just like with the tiny wood screw solution.
I'm really not sure what sizes are available with inserts and their matching machine screws.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

I noticed the screws that came with the Phat Cat pickup were also far too small for the mounting holes. I just used the screws from the original pickup and those worked fine, but is there a reason the screws are so small?

 

[d1dsj]

Re: Direct mounting aftermarket pickups without ruining the base plate threads?

I’d just go to a wood shop and get a few pieces of hard ash cut at various thicknesses ( I would of course work out approx what height the pick up needs to be) and use thin wood screws as already suggested through the existing holes in the baseplate. At least that way they would be direct mounted with no foam or springs of any kind. I guess one potential problem with this could be if the legs on the base plate aren’t parallel to the top or are twisted as just food for thought.