Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

R

rawpowerocks

New member
I just recieved a set of custom shop Seymour Duncan pickups that I ordered. I have a slight problem with them.
I just tried to fit them.
The bridge pickup is fine.
The neck pickup on the other hand has come without the height adjustment screw holes being threaded.
So I cant install it.
Any ideas on how I can get the hole threaded?
I dont have many tools i.e just normal things like screw drivers etc
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

I'd double check ... sometimes the holes are threaded, but covered with potting wax that makes it harder to get the screw started

not doubting you as much as pointing something out from my experience with CS pickups
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

its def not waxing pot.
They did have some in them which I have cleared out.
They are def not threaded.
Like I say the bridge pickup was fine its just the neck one.
They must have forgot to do it.
Normaly I would just send em back to do it but I live in the UK so its a bit more of a hassel
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

Are the unthreaded holes currently too wide to hold the screws or too narrow to allow them through? In the latter instance, it should be possible to use the screws to cut their own threads. (Ideally, use a spare, old screw of the same thread pitch.)
 
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Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

funkfingers said:
are the unthreaded holes currently too wide to wide to hold the screws or too narrow to allow them through? In the latter instance, it should be possible to use the screws to cut their own threads. (ideally, use a spare, old screw of the same thread pitch.)
Click to expand...

this.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

What pickup is it? Are we talking about a metal baseplate or a forbon? Once I know that, I can help you better.

But even before knowing that, there is a trick that could work. If, as stated above, you can't fit the screws through the holes, I take a file or a dremel with a grinding wheel and cut a little groove in the bottom of the screw. That way it acts more like a tap on the way in, cutting it's own threads better.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

rawpowerocks said:
I just recieved a set of custom shop Seymour Duncan pickups that I ordered. I have a slight problem with them.
I just tried to fit them.
The bridge pickup is fine.
The neck pickup on the other hand has come without the height adjustment screw holes being threaded.
So I cant install it.
Any ideas on how I can get the hole threaded?
I dont have many tools i.e just normal things like screw drivers etc
Click to expand...

Are these Telecaster pickups?

How come you don't give this kind of information?

Real vintage tele neck pickups don't do the thread in the leg thing. They are screw-to-wood.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

sorry about delayed reply but these are custom made humbuckers with a long legged base plate. The bridge pickup was fine it was just the neck pickup that the height adjustment holes on the base plate are not threaded. I live in the UK. I went to my local hardware store and they said I need a certain tool to make the thread which they have but only in the UK threads not the USA threads. Surley their must be some fairly easy way to do this without me having to go to all the trouble of sending them back to the Seymour Duncan in the USA as doing that will cost me more money on postage and about 2 weeks in mailing times back and forth and is a lot of hassle for some thing that wasn't my fault. I have just emailed the custom shop as well to see what they suggest.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

At this point I want photos.

You don't even gives us the most basic info. Are these mini humbuckers (LP deluxe or firebird style) by a chance?
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

Yep, photos please. Macro. The baseplate and the screws. Like 3600x2400 reso :)
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

I dont have access to my camera at the moment so cant post a picture.
The pickup in question is just a normal sized humbucker open coil but with the long legged base plate like the new Slash set.
The only way these differ from a normal standard humbucker size etc is that they have the long legged base plate as seen in the link below.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/alnico_ii_pro_s_1/
MJ (from the custom shop) has just emailed me back saying that if I want to do it myself I need a hand tap size 348
I would sooner do it myself as cant be arsed with the hassle of sending them from the UK back to the USA etc.
The only problem now is trying to find the hand tap in the correct size in the UK.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

frankfalbo said:
What pickup is it? Are we talking about a metal baseplate or a forbon? Once I know that, I can help you better.

But even before knowing that, there is a trick that could work. If, as stated above, you can't fit the screws through the holes, I take a file or a dremel with a grinding wheel and cut a little groove in the bottom of the screw. That way it acts more like a tap on the way in, cutting it's own threads better.
Click to expand...

I'd follow Franks info.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

frankfalbo said:
What pickup is it? Are we talking about a metal baseplate or a forbon? Once I know that, I can help you better.

But even before knowing that, there is a trick that could work. If, as stated above, you can't fit the screws through the holes, I take a file or a dremel with a grinding wheel and cut a little groove in the bottom of the screw. That way it acts more like a tap on the way in, cutting it's own threads better.
Click to expand...

thats a pretty neat idea if you have a TAP the size should be 3-48 its pretty small i dont think i will be a any common tap set
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

Proper thread cutting in metal normally requires three tool bits to complete the job. In a piece of flat steel only 1/32nd of an inch thick, this is overkill.

frankfalbo's suggestion above effectively modifies the end of a HB height screw to resemble a second cut threading bit. Since the HB height screw ought to be harder than the baseplate material, it will cut.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

They make what's called "self tapping screws" which have such cuts in the bottom. Check out the ones labeled "25 and 23"
302c.gif

Essentially you'd be copying that with a file or dremel bit.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

Good diagram. :approve:

The taper at the end of the modified screw is to ease the beginning of the thread cutting process. The slot/groove is to help clear swarf. (On an open-ended hole, this is not an issue.)
 
Re: Seymour Duncan holes not threaded

I had the same thing happen on a Vintage 54' Tele neck pickup I just installed. In my case, there were no threads, but the screw hole was too big for the screw that came with the SD pickup. I tried everything: Super Glue in the hole several times (the glue just cracks when you put a screw through it), cut off a little piece of heavy pick and glued it underneath the base of the pickup (the threads work great, but the pick wouldn't stay put.

Finally, I ended up cutting off the tabs, with a bolt cutter, of an old Ibanez stock pickup. The threads are already there, so I just glued the tab piece to the bottom of the neck pickup. Worked like a charm. Since the threads are already in the tab, there's no stress on the tab when you turn the screw, so it doesn't twist like the piece of pick that I used.

I used Locktite Gel Super Glue. The gel works great, doesn't run and get all over everything, and it's much easier to apply. Just make sure you sand both surfaces pretty good to remove and wax that might be on the pickup base, and any oil/grease/dirt/rust buildup on the metal tabs. I let the glue sit for about 4 hours before I installed the pickup.

I've heard of people using JB Weld to fill the hole, and then tapping new threads, but I couldn't find a tap that small.

BTW, The Vintage 54' Tele pickups are AWESOME!!!! I knew I couldn't go wrong with SD.
 
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