Help! Replacement screws for Dunc. Desg. SC-101?

S

StormJH1

New member
I have a simple problem for which I haven't been able to find a simple solution - perhaps the knowledgeable people here can help:

sc101b.jpg

(1) I purchased a H-S-S set of Duncan Designed pickups used for about $30. The DD's are controversial with some, but I view the humbucker (HB-102) alone as worth that amount. Unfortunately, the two single coils that came with it, which are SC-101's, did not come with the proper screws. I didn't anticipate this would be a problem, but when I acquired a "project" guitar to put them into, it turned out that the screw holes for the SC-101's are noticeably wider than the traditional SC and HB screws I had on hand.

Does anybody have any idea what size these screws are? I could buy some at Home Depot and I even have a Dremel to cut off the excess, but my first attempt to replace them has the pickup slipping into the body cavity. If not, any other solutions how to fix this? (Use a nut/washer combo on the back of the pickup?)

(2) My other question relates to the neck vs. middle pickups. The SD website claims the following: "The three single coil models are each specially calibrated to either bridge, middle or neck positions, with the middle pickup reverse wound, reverse polarity." However, the set I have (which was apparently pulled from one guitar has both of the single coils labeled SC-101M. Shouldn't one of those be SC-101N, for "neck"? Is there actually a voicing difference between neck and mid, or is just the winding/output that would be different. (My multimeter tested them very similarly, about 6.3k for one and 6.4k for the other. The bridge humbucker is HOT!)

I got it wired up but the screw problem makes them impossible to evaluate because the treble (right) side of the pickup was basically flush with the pickguard.

Thanks!
 
Re: Help! Replacement screws for Dunc. Desg. SC-101?

The only difference that would expect between M and N position budget single coils is that the M unit might be Reverse Wound / Reverse Polarity so as to cancel hum when both pickups are selected together.

If the SC-101 screw holes seem oversized or unthreaded, it is possible that the pickups were originally installed directly into the wood of the guitar body, like a vintage Tele neck pickup.
 
Re: Help! Replacement screws for Dunc. Desg. SC-101?

Funkfingers said:
The only difference that would expect between M and N position budget single coils is that the M unit might be Reverse Wound / Reverse Polarity so as to cancel hum when both pickups are selected together.

If the SC-101 screw holes seem oversized or unthreaded, it is possible that the pickups were originally installed directly into the wood of the guitar body, like a vintage Tele neck pickup.
Click to expand...

Interesting. That is very possible, given what I know about where it came from. I think I found a new screw that might hold it - we'll see.

They are definitely intended to be reverse wound. I did notice that they didn't seem to cancel hum, which would make sense if they're both middles. Maybe I'll keep the DD middle, and throw a different neck pickup in there.
 
Re: Help! Replacement screws for Dunc. Desg. SC-101?

The HR-101n, perhaps?
 
Re: Help! Replacement screws for Dunc. Desg. SC-101?

Well, I actually did get the mounting issue resolved, and wired it back up with a SC-101M in the middle and a Squier ceramic in the neck. I hate to say it, but the Duncan Designed single coil did not impress me. Compared to the cheap ceramic neck pickup from the Squier, the ceramic actually had a more dynamic sound. The DD in the middle position was flat and uninspired, and not particularly "Stratty". Even worse, because of the winding, it was left out-of-phase with the neck pickup, so the "2" position wasn't even an option.

I will be removing the whole pickguard and trying out a replacement set from GFS (Overwound Alnicos). Before anyone shoots me, I do not view my experience as anything negative to do with SD or even Duncan Designed. The HB-102 and HB-103 are both under-appreciated values. It could be that in this thinner profile Strat, it was just a poor match. The SC-101 is sort of a vintage pickup, so my hope is that an overwound model will add depth to compensate for the poor wood quality/thin body. Again, this is just a project, not meant to be a high end guitar.

I will probably sell the SC-101M's separately to someone who can put them to better use.

Thanks for the input.
 
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