Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Ok, and the wiring is just simply a mesh outer coating, when stripped reveals a black wire, when stripped reveals just a bare wire end.

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

All the wires on the current humbuckers are clipped on through that pigtail thing though, i wouldnt be able to copy that unless u mean copy it as in solder onto the side of the pots? where that red one is

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Honestly I would get two long shaft CTS pots for this project. Those coil split pots don't even have a good surface to solder your ground to.

If I were you I would order from StewMac if you're close to Ohio or Warmoth if you're out west. I live right by Ohio and my StewMac orders are here in like 2 days.

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Make sure you get "long shaft" pots.

Those LP bodies are thick and the regular pots won't go all the way through.

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Oh ok. I'm on the other side of the pond. For the sake of this thread though, the process would be simply to take out the pickups and solder the ground wire onto the back or side of the pots? and where does the hot wire go?

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

All the wires on the current humbuckers are clipped on through that pigtail thing though, i wouldnt be able to copy that unless u mean copy it as in solder onto the side of the pots? where that red one is

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Those pots are only meant for that specific wiring setup. Sorry, I know this is a bummer for ya.

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Oh ok. I'm on the other side of the pond. For the sake of this thread though, the process would be simply to take out the pickups and solder the ground wire onto the back or side of the pots? and where does the hot wire go?

The hot wire from your new pickup will most likely go where the red wire is on that pigtail. Don't quote me, I'm just taking a shot in the dark.

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Oh, so you don't think there is any way around this unless i buy new pots?

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

The hot wire from your new pickup will most likely go where the red wire is on that pigtail. Don't quote me, I'm just taking a shot in the dark.

Ok, afraid im quoting you right now xD.. and the ground wire would ideally go on the back of the pot? In my case, on the side? by the way, i took a look and there is a wire soldered onto one of the sides of the pots so it looks do-able.

 

[Grenade]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

This is what you will ultimately want with 4 CTS or Bourns pots to get the most out of your axe.

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Ok, afraid im quoting you right now xD.. and the ground wire would ideally go on the back of the pot? In my case, on the side? by the way, i took a look and there is a wire soldered onto one of the sides of the pots so it looks do-able.

Oh yeah, I'm sure it's doable. I mean a determined person could just solder the bare wire to the pot casing and then with the guitar plugged in and the new pickup installed start making connections with the only other wire from the new pickup until you get something. It's unorthodox but I'm sure it's been done before! Good Luck!

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

But will it make any different to the tone? And is it that simple? the green boards that would be still stuck on wouldn't affect any of this connection?

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

@Grenade
How much difference though?

 

[Grenade]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Read up on this. The way yours is wired now when your in the middle position whatever vol. is higher acts as a master vol., with 50's independent wiring you can raise or lower either vol. to get the blend you want to hear. High Quality pots make a difference. I put CTS in my Black Beauty with the stock pickups and it sounds better, more clear to me, and the taper when rolling the vol. or tone back is smoother, not abrupt. When I put Fuglybuckers in Brownie(in my avatar) I used an EVH low friction vol. and 2 CTS tones. Your changing Pickups because you want better tone and that's great, but offshore pots effect tone in a bad way. Don't get discouraged, be patient and do the work once. You will be very happy you did.

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Ok, appreciate the help guys.

 

[Grenade]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Search MLP and Marshall forums and you'll find lots of guys who have changed the controls.

 

[guitardude1]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Right, ok

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Ok, and the wiring is just simply a mesh outer coating, when stripped reveals a black wire, when stripped reveals just a bare wire end.

Single conductor wiring. The mesh is the ground wire. That gets soldered to the back of the pots. The black shielding can and should be stripped off but not too much. You don't want the wire itself to be mostly bare.

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

But will it make any different to the tone? And is it that simple? the green boards that would be still stuck on wouldn't affect any of this connection?

The green boards act as the six connections on a push/pull pot. If you successfully get the pickups working and pull up on one of the vol. knobs it will probably act as a killswitch and cut the signal off completely. Again, I'm just speculating, I've never really done anything quite like this. That would be the only advantage to doing it this way, I like having a killswitch.

Do you guys have any guitar parts suppliers over there like our StewMac or Warmoth where you could pick up some pots and a few other goodies to get the most out of your project?

 

[~Vintage~]

Re: Need help on changing my pickups (ASAP)

Those pots are probably disposable ones unless you leave the stock pickups/wiring all original.

I wouldn't even start modding that guitar until I had all new pots to do it right.

Those pics make me think of a "trial & error" nightmare.

You're going to get much more out of that guitar if you replace pots/pickups/all wiring at the same time. Both sound wise and quality wise.