Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

[theroan]

Hey all,

I recently picked up a humbucker where the mounting ears (is that the right term?) have been clipped, presumably for an active mount. Is there a way to repair it back to an standard mount?

Thanks!

 

[theroan]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

Link to photos
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/172118282433?_mwBanner=1

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

In my opinion, you need a new baseplate.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

The absolute easiest and cheapest way to fix that is as Funk said...just replace the baseplate.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

I guess people really do stupid things like cutting the legs off a pickup. I can only imagine what they used to secure it in the guitar.

 

[NotCardio]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

I guess people really do stupid things like cutting the legs off a pickup. I can only imagine what they used to secure it in the guitar.

I'll do you one better:

I bought a guitar in the '70s, a Musicmaster II (pretty much a non-trem Mustang) that someone had put a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the neck position. They not only cut off the ears, but they routed the space for it by gouging it out with a wood chisel. And they obviously didn't know how to use a chisel, either.

I was told by Dimarzio that I'd have to replace the baseplate, which I didn't want to do because I was afraid that a rebuild would affect the sound, and they pretty much agreed that that was a distinct possibility. So now, it's still wedged in there. They had also stripped the finish (Sonic Blue), put stickers on the pickguard (which they must have cut out the hole for the HB with a box cutter or similar) and then put a thick, sloppy coat of varnish over the the guitar including the pickguard.

 

[Gibson 1964]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

I have seen one like that held in with toilet paper stuffed into the cavity. Quite possibly the worst guitar related idea I have encountered.

 

[devastone]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

What everyone else said, call SD and get a new baseplate, only costs a few $.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

I'll do you one better:

I bought a guitar in the '70s, a Musicmaster II (pretty much a non-trem Mustang) that someone had put a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the neck position. They not only cut off the ears, but they routed the space for it by gouging it out with a wood chisel. And they obviously didn't know how to use a chisel, either.

I was told by Dimarzio that I'd have to replace the baseplate, which I didn't want to do because I was afraid that a rebuild would affect the sound, and they pretty much agreed that that was a distinct possibility. So now, it's still wedged in there. They had also stripped the finish (Sonic Blue), put stickers on the pickguard (which they must have cut out the hole for the HB with a box cutter or similar) and then put a thick, sloppy coat of varnish over the the guitar including the pickguard.

Up until the "cut off the ears" and "coat of varnish", it sounded a lot like something I've done once or twice. If a chisel is all you have, that's what you have. Likewise if you've got a box cutter that can cut through a pickguard, that's what you've got. I've enlarged pickguard holes with a soldering iron, wire cutters, a drill, and a small hand saw.
However, I'm not dumb enough to remove the ears of a pickup on purpose. By accident once, trying to straighten them out so it would mount on a ring (how they got bent out I'll never know).

I have seen one like that held in with toilet paper stuffed into the cavity. Quite possibly the worst guitar related idea I have encountered.

Unused, I hope.

 

[Gibson 1964]

Re: Repair Clipped Active Mount Pickup

Unused, I hope.

I hope that crustiness was just from being jammed in there since the 80s...

In actuality I wore gloves and sanitized my pliers afterwards. I suspect it was clean, but I ain't playing games with those who think TP is a better mounting solution than screws.