Tell us about your handi-work

[The Dali]

Like most of you, I like to tinker with my gear. I've modded a ton of guitars that I've since sold, traded, or dismembered. With that said, I thought it would be cool to see and hear about what the rest of you have done related to pickup modifications. Don't bother posting that you changed your strap buttons - keep your posts focused on pickups and wiring. Also, let's just focus on the guitars you currently own.

I'll give it a start...


Gibson Explorer Pro - removed stock 500t/496r pups and replaced with zebra 4-conductor 500t/496r pups. Installed in triple-shot rings. I removed the existing cap and replaced with two Jensen PIO caps.

Carvin Singlecut Goldtop - removed the stock carvin pickups and installed DiMarzio 36th Anniversary pickups in reverse zebra. Removed the CRAPPY carvin electronics and installed two push-pull pots. Each pickup can be split independently. Also, installed a Sprague "Ultimate Cap" PIO cap.

Fender Stratocaster - removed the original USA single coils and replaced with Fender '69 Custom Shop pickups and a Jensen PIO cap.

Warmoth Tele - wired this sucker up with Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups and a 4-way switch and Sprague Orange Drop cap.

Jackson Dinky Pro - removed the 3-way switch and original pickups. Installed a Fender 5-way switch and DiMarzio (Fred and PAF Joe) pickups. I am thinking up updating the tone control with Mallory caps. I also think I may add a push-pull tone pot (replacing the existing) to work with the 5-way switch for more flexibility.

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

fender strat:- installed alnico 2 pro staggered middle and neck singles and a duncan distortion humbucker in the bridge, removed the second tone pot and just had a master vol and master tone, put a coil tap switch in the empty tone pot which i had for a while and didn't like, so now i've put in a killswitch (that i hardly ever use) lol

most recent is my epiphone sheraton:-
pickups - jazz n with raised screws, 59 b with lowered screws (screw heights suggested by super rad) took out all the electrics, took out the crappy caps and replaced with slighly better crappy caps (disks from my gibson) modded both tone pots to "no load" pots. the neck now sounds perfect to me ( more like a bassy bridge pickup), but the bridge is a little too bright, so i might put a normal tone pot back on the bridge or try a 250k pot

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

1992 MIJ Fender Stratocaster - Kahler Floyd, HSS

- I think a JB went into the bridge first
- Then replaced the whole thing with a set of black Lace Sensors (Red, Gold, Blue)
- Replaced those with a set of Texas Specials & bought a TubeScreamer
- Installed a Kramer bridge humbucker
- Parted out the guitar & sold it in 2004 or so

198x Kramer Focus 2000 - candy apple red... bought it in 1993 or so for $100.

- Summer 93 - Flipped the bridge pickup around - slugs to the Floyd - totally improved the chunk sound - was able to nail Rage Against the Machine
- At some point, burned some paint off the front of the guitar, tried to nail a quarter under the Floyd but discovered that I couldn't pound a nail through a quarter with a hammer
- Fall 93 - Installed a Duncan JB - played Sanitarium over and over, especially the opening harmonics
- Winter 94 - Bought a Jackson woodburn neck, ebony board, "fitted" it by carving off a chunk of the necks heel; had to shim the Floyd nut extensively; played great
- At some point, pulled the JB out and put it in my SG... not sure what I put into the Kramer... I think the Kramer got the JB when I put a 500T/496R set in the SG
- '97 - stripped the original finish and stained the body green, installed JB and Dimarsio PAF in the neck
- Shortly after - used a chisel to install a middle humbucker - created a "Dually" out of two seperate Lace Sensors
- 2003 or so - destroyed the neck & threw the body down the incinerator chute.

Gibson SG Special '92
- 93 or so Duncan JB in the bridge
- back to stock
- 96/97 or so Gibson 500T/496R set
- Couple years later - Duncan Screamin Demon, 59 Neck
- This year - EMG 81/85 neck, one volume - haven't played it since wiring it up...

Lots more... think I'll quit on this one...

 

[ex-250]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

in order of when i bought the guitars....

LTD ex-351 (august 2002)
-replaced the stock EMG-HZ H1b with an invader, september 2003
-replaced the invader with a duncan distortion, halloween 2003
-replaced the stock EMG-HZ H1n with a '59, x-mas 2003
-replaced the duncan distortion with a full shred, april/may 2009

BC Rich Gunslinger (april 2003)
-replaced the dimarzio parker fly pickup (bridge) the previous owner put in with an invader, halloween 2003
-replaced the invader with an EMG-HZ H-4, summer 2008
-replaced the H4 with a duncan distortion, october 2009

Peavey Triple XXX 212 Combo (august 2003)
-replaced stock 6L6s with JJ EL34s, august 2005

LTD viper-300 (june 2004)
-replaced the EMG-HZ H-1b with an anderson H3, july 2004
-replaced the H3 with a PATB-1, feb 2008

SX P-bass (x-mas 2004)
-replaced the stock SX pickup with a quarter pound, april 2009
-replaced the quarter pound with stock SX pickup, summer 2009

Gibson Explorer (january 2005)
-replaced the 500T with a JB, june 2005
-replaced the 496R with a pearly gates, october 2008

Spector Legend 4 (november 2005)
-replaced stock EMG P-bass pickup with quarter pound, aug/sept 2009

LTD alexi-600 (february 2007)
-replaced the EMG-HZ H4 (bridge) with blackout neck model, summer 2007

Edwards FV-140M (september 2008)
-replaced EMG 81 (bridge) with EMG 85, february 2009
-18v mod, spring 2009
-85 from bridge to the neck, 81 from neck to the bridge, spring/summer 2009
-81 from bridge to neck, 85 from neck to bridge, summer 2009

Squier Affinity Strat (not really mine, my sisters, but she hasnt touched it in years and its at my apt)
-replaced stock squier neck single with vintage rails, sept/oct 2009
-replaced stock squier white SSS v/t/t pickguard with black HSS v/v/v loaded with an anderson H3 (b), ibanez S1 (m), vintage rails , october 2009


i love cataloging stuff like this chronologically. my memory for guitar mods is scary.

and my first guitar (LTD m-10) and acoustic (ovation balladeer 12) remain bone-stock. other than strings, obviously.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

1990 Black Jackson Soloist Pro: Swapped crappy black hardware (trem and strap buttons) for gold :lol:



Replaced the original pickups for a Hot Rails (N) in the middle and a Distortion in the bridge and put a Sustainiac in the neck. Swapped them out for EMG 85/SA/SA, then parted it out.

Too many other pickup/wiring changes to list :lol:
Push/Pulls
Jackson Special 5-way switches with various non-standard setups
Crammed 5 Jr-style Duncans into an H-S-H setup
Replaced 3 Armstrong Rails in a 1990 Jackson USA Warrior with 3 Custom Shop Duncan Jrs - CustomJr, DistortionJr, JazzJr
Put a Jackson JE2000 bass circuit in a 2-H guitar with a Special 5-way switch - nice Funk tones on that one
A few TripleShots
Turned 2 Jackson J-100 singles into a humbucker and mounted them on a cheapo import 'bucker baseplate and tied to a TripleShot
Replaced the single Volume of a coupla SoCals with dual-concentric V/T - one wired as 500V/250T the other wired as 500V/250V selectable via mini toggle
Swapped a dual 81 setup in a Custom Shop Jackson SLS for an 85/89 set
Put an Invader and Distortion in a WRMG
Cooked up Special 5-way wiring schemes that have so many jumpers that the switch won't fit in the guitar :lol:
the list goes on

 

[Invader09]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

Gibson SG Standard - Replaced stock pots with 500K CTS,
- replaced caps with Jensen PIO,
- replaced the 490R/498T set with a Burstbucker 1 & 2 set. Hated it
- replaced burstbucker #2 with a Duncan Custom. Hated it still.
- replaced both pickups with a Duncan Invader neck + bridge set. Finally found my perfect pickup set !!


Gibson Les Paul Studio - Replaced pots with 500K, except bridge vol. 300K Gibsons.
- replaced bridge cap with a Jensen 0.47uf
- replaced 490R/498T set with a 59/JB set. Hated it !
- replaced 59/JB set with Dimarzio Super Distortion (in neck) & Duncan Full Shred (bridge) It was very good but I wanted even better !
- replaced the SD/Full Shred set with a Duncan SH-9 Silverbird in the neck + Duncan Dimebucker in the bridge. I'm totally happy with it now, and wouldn't change a thing !

My Ibanez is currently fully gutted. Trying to figure out what to do with it.

 

[C-Martin]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

Sunday - Fender Custom Player Strat - 2000:
- Duncan 59 SH-1 Installed on 2000
- Duncan Custom SH-5 Installed on 2000 (One of my fav Duncans in a strat)
- Dimarzio HS-2 in the middle position Installed 2001
- Dimarzio HS-3 in the neck position Installed on 2001
- SH-5 replaced by Pearly Gates +
- Pearly Gates switched back to SH-5
- Duncan SH-5 replaced by a SH-6 Distortion on 2002
- SH-6 replaced by a Gibson Toni Iommi (Iommi sounds awesome in a strat!) 2002
- Complete overhaul to S/S/S with fender hot noiseless in the bridge, new electronics 2003
- Wilkinson tremolo and complete look overhaul, single coil covers, HSS pickguard, machined brass strap locks, Iommi in the bridge, electronics, etc on 2004
- Wilkinson removed (hated the sound), back to stock bridge
- Iommi removed, complete overall to S/S/S again
- Switched the HS-3 and the noiseless around 2005
- Got rid of the crappy noiseless and installed a Fender Texas Special in the neck 2006
- LSR nut removed and replaced by a temporary brass nut 2007
- Duncan Custom shop 78 "Neck" installed, HS-2 and Texas Special singles
- Duncan Custom shop 78 replaces the 78 "neck" version (both where suprisingly very similar but i just wanted a black one instead of double cream)
- Experimentation with hybrids (Custom/59, 78/59, Custom/78, 78/JB, all with both A2 and A5.. didnt like any of them)
- Overhaul, new brass nut, custom taper scalloping of the neck, 2 SD antiquity surfers, stock 78 (it became unpotted due to trying hybrids with it) new pots, electronics, new pickguard/knobs/covers etc 2008
- 78 replaced by a JB (needed more power for band) 2009
- JB replaced back to 78 (78 is just too good on this guitar)

Upcoming upgrades: 80s Original Floyd Rose in almost mint condition i just bought on ebay. Got tired of the hassles of a regular trem.. After nearly 10 years of owning this guitar i managed to set it up a way that it doesnt fall out of tune when using the bar but its too much of a hassle and came to the conclusion that i'm a heavy bar user and i need a floyd. Pending installation.. should be for 2010


Thats all i can remember right now... but heres the funny part...

Tuesday - Gibson Les Paul RI60 - 2006:
- New 500k CTS pots - 2006
- Seymour Duncan "seymourized" Custom SH-5 from the 80's, bridge - 2006
- SD Antiquity in the neck
- Antiquity replaced by a lucky find on ebay, Gibson 60s PAF - 2006

Wednesday - Charvel San Dimas - 2008:
- Chrome Dome knob replaces the crappy black knob - 2008
- Stock black JB/59 replaced by Zebra JBJ/59NJ - 2008
- Black Floyd Rose replaced by chrome Original Floyd Rose - 2008


Seems my strat is the doomed experimental guinea pig lol tho i guess probably because over the years ive learned much and i now i know what i want in a guitar... or perhaps ive grown tired of butchering guitars lol

 

[The Dali]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

Good stuff here!

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

there's way too many things i've done for me to list them all, so i'm just going to list what i've got currently:

gibson SG faded:
stripped the paint and shaved the neck to medium C profile, graphite nut, replaced tuners with full sized grovers, cut bottom of pickguard off, a5 magnets and 4 conductor wires added to stock 490 pickup set, replaced all pots with alpha 500k push pulls for artie page wiring, with orange drop .033 tone caps.

dot studio:
graphite nut(need to replace), fret file(need to re-crown), a5/a4 phat cat bridge pickup in neck, stock pearly gates in bridge, drilled extra hole for dual volume/master tone. cts 500k volume pots, alpha 500k push pull tone pot with orange drop .015 tone cap.

mockingbird special x:
a2 jazzN in neck, a4 seth(converted to 4 conductor) in bridge. cts 500k volume and tone for bridge, alpha 500k push pulls for neck volume/tone. push pulls activate coil cuts(both pickups for one push pull) and coil swap. orange drop .015 tone caps

dean ML bass:
replaced stock humbucker with jazz quarter pounder for bridge, with 500k pots and .047 ceramic cap.

dean playmate(HH) bass:
rewired from dual volume/master tone to blend/volume/tone with 500k pots and .047 tone cap.

 

[CTN]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

Fender strat:

replaced pickups numerous times, finally got sick of having three pickups none of which did what I wanted them to, so gutted the thing, and now i have just a DiMarzio Fast Track 2 in the middle position (bridge position was too thin sounding), a 250k volume, and jack.


The Blue Bastard:

my homemade axe, it plays nicer than most guitars i've ever played.
Alder body, made from scratch
bolt on, tung oiled maple neck/maple fretboard
schaller tuners
Wilkinson VS100 trem
Wired it for 500k volume and tone, 3 way pickup selector, DiMarzio Super Distortion and PAF Pro. Then about 6 months after building it, I decided to make a P-90. Got some help from Kent Armstrong, got some parts, and handwound the sucker in Physics class. I ended up using the pickup to demonstrate whatever law of physics it was that explains the electrical induction. When I eventually put it in the axe, I also wired an on/off for the P-90 and a killswitch for the whole circuit.


Ibanez SAS32:

Hated the stock pickups. Hate is too light a word. More like developed an unrelenting searing passionate loathing for those things. Ripped 'em out, have since gutted them too, and scavenged their magnets haha! Replaced them with a C5 and a JazzN, no fancy coil tapping mumbo jumbo or anything, just straight up series wiring->3 way selector->volume->tone->jack.


Also modded my Boss DS-1 with a monte allums mod with a bunch of new caps, LEDs and diodes and a mini toggle to switch distortion modes.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

custom built chambered alder body/maple cap oversized tele - seth lover flipped so screw poles are towards bridge and low E string screw pole cut short, double screw 9.6k a2 brobucker, 3 way, volume, volume, tone w/ pp for bridge coil split, tone w/ pp for bridge phase switch all 500k, .022 orange drops

hamer daytona - trio of strabro90's, 5 way, master volume, tone on neck and bridge pups, dpdt mini switch to tap neck and bridge pup, tone is pp and taps middle pup 250k pots, .022 orange drop

fender tele - custom 5.5k strat neck pup, custom 7.4k tele bridge pup, 4 way, master volume, master tone, 250k pots, .1 mallory 150

custom esquire - reverse slant 11k/6.6k tapped a2 tele pup, 3 way 1) .01 treble roll off tapped output 2) .022 tone control tapped output 3) no tone full output, volume, tone which is pp to add a .0015 treble roll off on the #3 switch position

fender strat - surfer neck and middle, custom shop 9.6k/6.6k tapped a2 '53 jb esquire for strat bridge, 5 way master 250k volume, 250k neck tone, 500k middle/bridge tone w/ pp to tap bridge pup, .022 orange drops

fender strat - trio of classic stack +, 5 way, master volume, master rewired tbx tone, clapton midboost/preamp circuit, .015 orange drop

les paul special - pearly gates neck and bridge, 3 way, 500k pots, .022 orange drops

custom built chambered swamp ash body/sycamore top tele - antiquity II jaguar neck pup, custom a2 8.1k humbucker (located where a neck bucker would be on a 24 fret guitar), reverse slant custom shop 9.6k/6.6k tapped a2 '53 jb esquire for strat bridge. 5 way blade switch for singles 1) tapped bridge 2) tapped bridge + neck 3) neck 4) full bridge + neck 5) full bridge, 250k volume for single coils, 500k volume for humbucker, 3 way switch 1)single coils 2) single coils + humbucker 3) humbucker, 500k master tone .022 orange drop

thats at least some of them

 

[uOpt]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

I recently took a router to a neck pocket's bottom to correct the neck angle (so that it lines up where the trem saddles expect it) without any shims. To see whether it improves sound over using shims.

The math had to be done triple so that I don't screw up but it worked (except I should have used a better plate to maneuver the router on).

 

[ACE 4080]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

took my first guitar, cheepo 2005 ibanez sa160ah, removed all wiring, put G&L legacy single coils in the neck and middle, a '59/custom 5 hybrid with a triple shot in the bridge, 5 way switch, 250k volume and tone, but the volume knob is a push pull that adds the bridge so that I have 7 pickup combinations, when you begin using the triple shot and the push pull then you get around 20 different sounds total without touching the amp/pedals/volume or tone knobs.

and I may soon add a 2 way mini-toggle kill switch, locking tuners, tremolo springs that are less noisy, and graphite saddles and nut,

 

[ACE 4080]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

took my first guitar, cheepo 2005 ibanez sa160ah, removed all wiring, put G&L legacy single coils in the neck and middle, a '59/custom 5 hybrid with a triple shot in the bridge, 5 way switch, 250k volume and tone, but the volume knob is a push pull that adds the bridge so that I have 7 pickup combinations, when you begin using the triple shot and the push pull then you get around 20 different sounds total without touching the amp/pedals/volume or tone knobs.

and I may soon add a 2 way mini-toggle kill switch, locking tuners, tremolo springs that are less noisy, and graphite saddles and nut,

the best part is the very fitting name, Fudd. It goes well with the tobacco burst and ugly scratches/dents that I kinda dig

 

[dynames]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

actually just finished up my first project- built my own P-Bass from parts- painted a coat of white, then baby blue, then kelly green and then distressed the crap out of it to make it a heavy relic, so there are parts where it's green, or worn down to the blue, or to the white, or all the way to the wood. put in some quarter pounders, distressed knobs and tuning pegs, too. just finished it yesterday and it plays like a dream

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

Gibson Explorer Gothic

Replaced 500T/496R with EMG 81/85
Put 500T/496R back in
Replaced volume pots to 500K.
Replaced 500T with 59*
Replaced 59 with burstbucker pro (sucked)
59 back in
Went to Bill Lawrence 500XL/R
had coil splits and phase/series switch.
Took out bill lawrence and put in Burstbucker 3 and 1 (sucked)
Back to 59 in bridge lol
Suhr Aldrich in bridge*
59 custom hybrid in bridge
suhr aldrich again
59 with A2*
Moved 59 with A2 to neck, slapped in a WCR Ironman in bridge
Now have 59 back with a5 and a high order a2 pickup in bridge.... Iron man MAY go back in... but honestly... through all these pickup swaps... tone doesn't change too much... just moves on a graph in my head... kinda like EQ changes.

All pickups were second hand and traded off... very little money involved... kinda just 'rent pickups'

 

[j9fd3s]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

most interesting; i made a blender pot for my 68ish partscaster.

best result was simply moving the tone pots from the outer lug to the center, on my EPI (or was it the other way round?) best thing ive done to a guitar ever.

i have a bunch of axes with duncans, too

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

I haven't done much fancy stuff with pots and switches and stuff...just basic vintage style circuits. No push-pull pots, super switches or anything like that. I keep it simple.

Pickups I have done a bit with...changed baseplates, made hybrids, extended leads, replaced leads, rewound buckers and single coils, built buckers and single coils, experimented with different gauges, wire insulations, tensions, scatters, alloys, etc.

 

[dominus]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

Instead of describing what you did in text, why not show pics of it? I think this is more along the lines of belonging in the guitar area anyway.

 

[jrferguson]

Re: Tell us about your handi-work

2000 MIM Strat white on black
1. replaced pick guard with black high gloss one trem cavity cover too
2. replaced tuners with 70s style schallers
3. replaced neck plate with f logo neck plate
4. replaced string trees with the new type
5. replaced thin graphite trem block with heavy steel one (sustain went trough the roof!)
6. replaced stock MIM PUPs with SD Hotrails -bridge SD vintage rails -middle SD Cool rails -neck
7. replaced all 250K stock pots with 500K push pulls
8. Volume push pull adds in the bridge PUP regardless of the 5 way switch position added treble bleed resistor
9. 1st Tone (neck) push pull (up) coil split neck PUP
10. 2nd Tone (wired to work with bridge and middle) push pull (up) coil split bridge PUP
11. installed bone nut
12. replaced volume and tone knobs with chrome tele style knobs (easier to grab for push -pull and looks nicer with the black on black look)

Amazing sound, extremely versatile, still can produce the strat quack but can rival a Les Paul in warm jazzy type tones as well, can produce some tele type sounds. BEst sounding Strat I have ever heard!!