I'm desperate...

S

stigmata_97

New member
I need some important information. What's the process of installing new pickups? I haven't had time to see if a thread like this was posted earlier. I bought a SHR-1 as a middle pickup, and the only guitar dude around charges $85 to change a humbucker. I'm not about to pay that! I bought the soldering kit and stuff, I just don't want to mess up and brake my guitar! Please help! Thanks!
 
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I appreciate this! Which one should I watch that would be remotely close to an Ibanez S470DXQM, a guitar that doesn't have a pickguard?
 
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Normally, the Les Paul installation.

However IIRC it is the Strat installation video that shows things in more detail.

Just watch both.
 
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Alright, thank you dude. Also, I need to know how to take off the solder that's already been placed where the pickup wires are attached. I haven't seen a video or anything on how to do so. I appreciate any information!
 
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1. Do not pay that shmuck 85 to solder. It is not art.

2. Move away from the equipment.

3. Honestly, it's best if someone capable shows you how to do it. Nothing better than hands on experience. You can read all about how to ride a bike, and may still fail on the street.
 
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That's the thing, no one around me here either:

*Doesn't know how to install pickups, let alone know what soldering is.

*Is kind enough to show anyone how to do that. Obviously, from lack of business that would occur.

I borrowed a pretty crappy Fender Squire-type guitar to practice this. I found a stock bridge pickup that I want to practice on. If there were any other way to do this, trust me, I would!
 
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I use copper braid to remove solder.

if you don't have any, apply heat to the joint to remove existing wires and as much solder as possible. reflow new solder onto the joint with the new wires
 
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let me tell you what: you'll do fine just heat up the component and then melt the solderon the component. don't just heat up the solder and throw it on there...not a good joint..


oh and remember, not a whole lot will teach you to not remove wires with your teeth than a good old soldering iron burn on your lip the night before your playing test in band!!
 
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Curly: Thank you for the information! I'm just wondering how copper braid would work. Won't it melt if it gets too close to the solder?

cream123: Again, thank you. That really happened?... Haha!
 
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Relax. It's not hard. No previous electrical or soldering experience needed (like me). No one showed me how to do anything, & I hadn't found this great forum yet. My first re-wire used 2 push-pulls in a 335 and I was a little confused at first with all the wires ("spaghetti"), but then I realized that every electrical part has to have a hot and a ground wire, and that all the ground wires are interconnected into one big loop. Then it started making sense. It wasn't completely random..the wires went to those places for a reason!

My second wiring was putting the 4 push-pull Jimmy Page system into a Les Paul, and I got it right the first time. After that, I've rewired every guitar I've owned, and looked forward to it. I learned how to take control of my tone. Good feeling.

A few tips:

- Do not disconenct everything. I've bought a few guitars that someone tried to rewire, and they disconnected every wire, to the toggle, the jack, everything. And of course, they couldn't figure out how it all went back together. Rewire one step at a time. Unsolder one PU, put in the new one; unsolder one pot, solder a new pot. Keep it simple.

- Until you get some experience and confidence, draw a color diagram of what you have now, before you change anything. If you get confused, it will get you on track.

- Dedicate an old towel to cover the guitar with, and set the pots and PU's on that. You'll avoid scratching the finish. I also set another towel on a table, and put the guitar on that ("operating room").

- Have a good overhead light so you can see everything clearly. I use a fan to keep the solder smoke out of my face and lungs.

- All your solders have to be firm and shiny. If not, you'll get occaisional shorts.

- Test your rewiring thru an amp before you put the knobs back on the pots. If you need to correct something, it's easier to take the pots out again.

On 335's and hollowbodies (which is more than half of the wirings I've done), you want to leave extra slack in the wires between everything (so nothing gets pulled tight going thru the F hole). Also, because re-entry is harder, you want to test while everything is still outside, and again when it's back in, but before you've put the knobs on the pots. Even experienced guys goof things up.

Good luck, and ask lots of questions. You'll be done before you know it.
 
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A quick question or two.

First, did you buy the neck/middle version or the bridge version of the SHR-1? The bridge model might be a little much in the mid position.

Secondly, the IB 470 has a single coil in the mid position and the bridge and neck humbuckers split in the notched positions. If you do not address the splits issue you are going to have quite a bit of noise in the #2 and #4 positions. The question is have you considered how you want to address the wiring issues involved with installing a humbucker where a single coil used to be?

Just curious..........
 
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stigmata_97 said:
Bluesman, you're my hero! Hahaha! Thanks for the abundent amount of information! I really appreciate it!
Click to expand...

There are a lot of guys here that help each other out. Just about anything you can think, someone has tried, and can give insight on. This is a great forum. It's one big international think tank.
 
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Just wanted to add, for your own confidence, two things:

1) Charging $85 for a pickup swap is legal thievery.

2) I don't know squat about electronics, yet I've installed pots, pickups, etc. It's easy!

So go ahead confidently!
 
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Start by first practicing soldering and de-soldering things. Just solder paperclips together, and simple things like that. Then de-solder them using your iron and a copper de-soldering braid. You should just practice a bit until you're confident about your soldering skills.

After this, examine a wiring diagram for your guitar, and do your best to understand what is going on, in it. Look at where the hot and the ground wires are going for your middle pickup. This is the wiring diagram for your guitar: http://ibanez.com/support/wiring/2007/W070011.gif

Then look at your own pickup and find out which wires are for what, and how they would replace the old pickup. The wires for the Hot Rails are the same as for any humbucker, so black = hot, red and white = between coils, green and bare = ground.

Finally, post on the forum with any questions you have before actually doing it. The people here may save you time and effort by catching mistakes before you make them. The whole process of changing out a pickup is really pretty simple, but can seem difficult for someone who has never soldered before. Do a little research beforehand, and practice your soldering, and you'll do fine.
 
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Robert S.: I had to special order the middle pickup at my local music store. Sadly, with their good prices, they don't do stuff like pickup switching, etc...

Yeah, I thought about it. I wanted a pickup that packs a punch, with high output, and most importantly, kills hum! I've had friends recommend the pickup to me, too. Very smart about guitars and stuff, so I could trust them.



Bluesman: Yeah, this is definetly a helpful site. I'm very lucky to have found it. My knowledge on all this stuff boosted up significantly in 24 hours! Haha!

Chilean Guy: 1) Hell yeah it is. I heard the dude's an asshole, too. He fixes things that you don't want being tampered with your guitar, then charges you more for doing so. Sadly, he's the only guy around here that does this kind of stuff.

2) I'm hoping to do so when I get my pickup, thanks for the support!

hanumanlangur: I totally appreciate the info, especially the wiring schematics to my guitar! I'll for sure be doing my homework, getting to know my guitar like the back of my hand and do this stuff as fast as anyone that can do this kind of stuff. And I definetly will post any questions and all that stuff before I do this.

If I pull this off, I'll be every guitar player in my area's messiah! Haha!
 
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Just so you know you'll have to disconnect the coil split wires from the 5 way for the bridge and neck humbuckers. I have a 1991 RG 550 with a JB/JB jr/59n installed and I disconnected the splits so that the guitar would be hum cancelling in all 5 positions.

The Hot Rails bridge model is definately hot and punchy in the bridge position. If you install a Hot Rails bridge model in the mid position you may find that it is actually louder than your bridge pickup. As you move a pickup away from the bridge slot and closer to the neck slot, pickups get louder and darker sounding because of the increased string excursion. Many people have tried the Hot Rails bridge pickup (because thats the model many retailers carry and the buyer didn't know there was a difference) and found the Hot Rails bridge model in the neck position can be a muddy mess. This is the reason that I asked which model you bought. You may get mixed results with a SHR-1b in the mid position.
 
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No, the coil split wires (red) where they connect to the right side of the 5 way on the diagram. If he leaves those wires attached the humbuckers will split in the 2 and 4 positions. Unless he also finds a way to split the Hot Rails to the south coil in the 2 and 4 positions and split the humbuckers to the north coils (stock) at the same time he wont be hum cancelling.

It might be possible to do with the stock parts but it's a lot of wiring for someone who is just learning to solder. It is easier to just remove the splits and have a 3 humbucker guitar.
 
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