Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

[Mspumperer]

Hi I'm new here and just ordered a new Live Wire Heavy Metal Humbucker yesterday so getting it soon.

Im buying it for my Limited Edition Jackson JSX 94 (with double locking tremolo). Set up as Hum-Sing-Sing (all currently stock pups as well) and also with more than enough space for two 9v batteries in it.

My local guitar store wants roughly $75 for putting in the pickup, pots and input jack but i'm a bit strapped for cash and was wandering if I could do this on my own. What exactly will come with the pickup...2 pots? 1 pot? wiring diagram? other stuff?

So to recap, its a hum-sing-sing guitar with a 5-way switch in it needing a new live wire metal humbucker/pots/input jack installed and wired. Also do I need to remove all the strings at once to install the pickup (hence resulting in lengthy set up)? Or can I do it with ones left in?

Thanks for any responses.

~Liam :laugh2:

 

[jeremy]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

welcome to the forum!!

you could do it on your own, but i wouldnt suggest it if youve never played around with a soldering iron. are you planning on replacing the other pups as well or keeping the stock ones for a while?

 

[Artie]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

Hey Liam; welcome to the forum. This is one of the reasons thats its a good idea to put your location in your personal info. There might be a forum bro very close to you that would be willing to help you out with this project.

As for the soldering, if you decide to take on the job yourself, practice first. Get a junk radio, or something, and practice making a few solder connections before you tear into your axe. Its not really difficult, but it does take practice.

Good luck.

 

[Docrock]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

Awesome! seems the live wires are making a splash lately, there like a distortion pedal right in your guitar. In your case, its not that hard...you dont have to change pots...just unsolder the current humbucker wires, should be 1 ground and one hot, reattach the white wire from the LW to where the hot came from and the "ground" which is the braid around the two wires...that goes to ground. When using your singles with the LW, you want to just keep the stock pots in there. Save your new pots for another time. Your singles wont work with the LW pots. The red wire on the LW goes to the battery clip red wire, the battery clips black wire goes to the other batt clips red wire and that black goes to your input jack. Yes you will have to replace your input jack, Just reattach the current wires from your guitar to the same lugs of the new jack, you will have one EXTRA lug on the jack, thats where your black wire from the batt clip goes. I agree with a little practice first on something. If you dont have a soldering gun or iron...get a cheap 15-30 watt "pencil" type, you can get them for 3-10 bucks at big lots or even wal mart and get yourself some real small diameter solder dont get the 1/8 inch roll of stuff, its too hard to work with on a guitar. Its all about heating the "part", not the solder....heat the part then let the solder melt into it. It only takes a few seconds to get hot enough, any longer and you can damage pots, resistors, caps etc. Do it once succesfully and youll never pay a tech again! Peace and good luck.

 

[Mspumperer]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

Yes, im planning on keeping the other two stock singles and just replacing the humbucker so thanks for the info on not installing the pots.

I don't own a soldering iron and am pretty surprised to find there is something so cheap to do it (would only ever be used for putting in pickups anyway) so i will try looking for one of those.

I am a complete "noob" when it comes to installing pickups, and have no knowledge/experience in any part of it. Even though its financialy based, i would still love to learn how to do this. My other 2 guitars have a Seymour Duncan little 59' in one bridge and an EMG 81 in the other....I paid to get both of these installed.

Also this guitar guy who is wanting $75 (£40) said he would need to make space for the extra wiring the batteries would require. My guitar is limited edition so im dead against this also after checking out the insides of my guitar there is PLENTY of space for wires. I.e this dude was trying to scam as much money out of me as possible.

Any guides on installing an active pickup would be nice. Any other help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

~Liam

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

He may have just assumed he'd need to make space. However, $75 to install a pickup is f*cking rediculous. You could have it shipped to a forum member and installed by them, and shipped back for less $

 

[Docrock]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

Its not the wires he has to make room for, its the 2 9 volt batteries, better make sure there is enough room there in the pot cavity, I suppose they would work with just one batt if you dont have the room, but Im only guessing. On the soldering, if you buy a high dollar gun or iron, it will most likely be too hot and cause you greif. If you are mechanically inclined it will be fairly simple, if not...uh, you better not do it. Oh and lay masking tape around all the parts your working on. Pickups and screw scratch guitars easily and irons like to burn them. Good luck

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

I don't think they'll work as 9v, but it's easier than you'd think to stuff batteries into control cavities

 

[Mspumperer]

Re: Live Wire Metal Help Needed!

No, he does not need to make space for the batteries. There is space in there for like 4 or 5 9v batteries so it's not an issue.

I'm not to bad at mechanical type stuff, and from some soldering guides I have read it does not seem to hard with some practise.

Anyone got any links to guides ect.?