these things are the devil

[Chistopher]

Re: these things are the devil

The majority of people do not go out to buy guitars with the thought of switching out the pickups for better units. Most people go out and buy the guitar that plays and sounds the best to them in the store and likely couldn't be bothered to replace the pickups even if it was just as simple as dropping $150 for a set with a tech installing them for free. That's not even considering how big of a hassle it is to decide upon a set of pickups if you don't know what you're looking for.

 

[donaldr]

Re: these things are the devil

Once you apply logic to the situation it becomes clear......
No benefit to guitar makers for OEM installation
Only about .01% of all guitar buyers would go so far as to swap pickups themselves
Of those, maybe less than 1% would be auditioning multiple sets in the one day.
Even fewer would possess the zero patience that would make the couple of seconds over and above the time spent mechanically doing the swap such a chore.
You often can't get the quick connect through the body wiring channels. So you'd have to remove and attach them for many guitars.

XLR........well better is a comparative word, without context it is utterly meaningless.
The word better is often used to describe the improvements of digital over analogue too.

I agree with you about swapping pickups, but maybe that number might increase if it wouldn't be such a pain, who knows ;-) But I understand that guitar manufacturers don't care, they sell a product and don't mind if it's a pain or not for buyers to maintain or upgrade parts, there are techs for that.
Regarding XLR, it's a better contact with locking mechanism and shallower jack. Wouldn't it be easier if we'd use same cables for guitar and audio?

 

[freddrich]

Re: these things are the devil

Stew Mac actually sells a tool to hold those, but I'm sure it's not cheap.

I sometimes grind a shallow point on the end of the pickup screws, so they stay mcdvoice centered in the hole while I'm fumbling around, holding the pickup/screw/spring with one hand and picking up the screwdriver with the other.

I Did not thought about this way before

 

[67Mopar]

Re: these things are the devil

??? I've never had a problem with them.

 

[Techy Beccy]

Re: these things are the devil

Cool hack!
about 1 min into video.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: these things are the devil

Often times I use a regular spring PLUS a larger diameter spring as well, double them up, the wider spring really helps with stability in there.