Pickup swapping

Jethro Rocker

Jethro Rocker

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Just did a bit of it.
The 76 wine red sounds ok but non potted pickups leads to a fair bit of pig squealing at higher gain. So I switched it up for a gold Gibson 57 classic plus, same as the Lzzy Hale Explorer. Should sound fine, never tested it properly yet.

Also the second Ibby Prestige has the stock QM2 pickups which are slightly anemic for a shredder guitar. I installed a SD Distortion in the other Prestige awhile back and it has those nice screaming harmonics, really good. For a change I installed a SD Custom Custom same as what is in bridge on Godin LGSA, quite Les Pauly sounding. It seems to have more high end than the Distortion I put in other Godin, nice n grindy!

Now to install a momentary push pot in it for kill switch.
Still have another Distortion to put in the Yamaha.
Kind of a painful procedure to me., pickup changing.
 
I just did some pickup swapping in my Traditional the other day. I had a set of JW Darkbursts in it since I got it, but I wanted to try a hotter pickup in it since I hadn't done that. I have a hot pickup in my standard and it just does so much better at high gain tones so I wanted to try one in the Trad as well. I put a Planet Tone Aggressor in the bridge and it absolutely kills! I've had the pickup for a long time and always thought it just was ok, nothing special. Well it came to life in the traditional and it is something special in there. I think it's the first time a pickup swap actually floored me at how good it sounded. It's like they were made for each other.

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On my PRS Custom 10 top 24 Artiest package rosewood neck and fingerboard the HFS bridge pickup was to hot ( hot fat and screams )
the neck pickup was outstanding called Vintage Bass pickup put one in the bridge fixed the only issue is the 2010 pickup has round bobbins and the new pickups
square bobbins looks weird up close sounds great so black Friday PRS has a 20% off sale I order one no conformation on the sale
log into my account ordered again long story ended up with two Vintage Bass pickups in gold
Vintage Bass Pickups – PRS Guitars West Street East Accessory Store
now as chance would have it ended up with 3 more PRS guitars this year all used never played
The Custom 24 has a pattern thin neck it cramps my hand the McCarthy 594 neck is huge and the McCarthy Brazilian wide fat rosewood neck Quilt top
is the best profile for my hand that's my #1 guitar now next PRS guitar was a black Friday sale SC-245 Quilt top wide fat neck
plays like a dream but both Quilt top guitars sound dark to me and record that way.
The McCarthy 594 has 58-15 low turn pickups not dark the McCarthy Brazilian Quilt has McCarthy bass and treble pickups soon to be Vintage bass
The SC-245 has 245 pickups controls like a Les Paul no push pull pots like the others I have a set of JM Rolph pickups or Gibson Custom Shop 1959
PAF double white one thing about the PRS guitars they stay in tune and don't brake strings
 
Hey lads n lasses.
If rewiring a little bit in a guitar what gauge wire do you use? 26 AWG?
It doesn't need to be real thick to go to say a tone pot.
 
Jethro Rocker said:
Hey lads n lasses.
If rewiring a little bit in a guitar what gauge wire do you use? 26 AWG?
It doesn't need to be real thick to go to say a tone pot.
Click to expand...
26 is almost too thin to work with although I have gone as far as 32 which is ridiculous.
I would go for 22 but I want it to be shielded.
No it doesn't need to be thick wire.
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
26 is almost too thin to work with although I have gone as far as 32 which is ridiculous.
I would go for 22 but I want it to be shielded.
No it doesn't need to be thick wire.
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Does shielding do anything past the pickups? The majority of ones I have opened stop shielding past the pickup wires,no noise issues.
I guess I will get a bit of 22.
Thanks!
 
Jethro Rocker said:
Does shielding do anything past the pickups? The majority of ones I have opened stop shielding past the pickup wires,no noise issues.
I guess I will get a bit of 22.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
The whole inside of the guitar should be shielded.
There actually is a noise issue.
The guitar will buzz, but if you touch the strings or other metal parts that are grounded the buzz will stop.
This comes from wiring, pots, caps, switch, jack, that is not shielded.

What is actually happening is that the unshielded parts of the guitar are picking up your body which is near the guitar.
And when the inside is all shielded, the problem won't happen.
This is why Fender Epiphone gibson is all spraying shielding paint inside the new guitars now.

The guitar will also pick up neon bar signs and fluorescent light transformers etc...the shielding decreases that noise.
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
The whole inside of the guitar should be shielded.
There actually is a noise issue.
The guitar will buzz, but if you touch the strings or other metal parts that are grounded the buzz will stop.
This comes from wiring, pots, caps, switch, jack, that is not shielded.

What is actually happening is that the unshielded parts of the guitar are picking up your body which is near the guitar.
And when the inside is all shielded, the problem won't happen.
This is why Fender Epiphone gibson is all spraying shielding paint inside the new guitars now.

The guitar will also pick up neon bar signs and fluorescent light transformers etc...the shielding decreases that noise.
Click to expand...
Shielded cavity, sure. But shielded wire not required. None of my Les Pauls have a shielded cable to output jack but no grounding issues. Same on a few of my guitars.
 
My Epi Lester Custom is dead quiet like it is. I use this wire when i do guitar wiring.here a pick of my rewire job.didnt lile the noisy P90 put in a 70s DiMarzio super d.im using modeling amps not a cranked Marshall.Screenshot_20241231_160158_Gallery.jpgScreenshot_20241231_160505_Gallery.jpg
 
The magnetic field surrounding the human body.
The UN-shielded wiring inside the guitar is picking up this magnetic field, then it is amplified..
Shielding the inside of the guitar stops this affect from occurring.
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I don't know what gauge 4 conductor pickup wires are, but they aren't very thick. You don't need anything thicker than that for sure. If you have a throw away pickup just cut the leads off and reuse that wire. I've used just about any scrap wire and it works just fine.

As for shielding, I've never shielded a cavity in my life, never needed it and I think it's silly...but that's just me.
 
DirtySteve said:
I don't know what gauge 4 conductor pickup wires are, but they aren't very thick. You don't need anything thicker than that for sure. If you have a throw away pickup just cut the leads off and reuse that wire. I've used just about any scrap wire and it works just fine.

As for shielding, I've never shielded a cavity in my life, never needed it and I think it's silly...but that's just me.
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I’m with you on the minimum gauge needed for the pickup wiring…my 22 gauge suggestion was for what I’m, personally, happy to work with, and usually have at hand.

As for shielding, aren’t you the one that can differentiate EL84 based power amps? ;) Please bear in mind that I share(for the most part…aside from my cellphone pressed against the unshielded cover to the control cavity of some of my guitars…that’ll make some noise) the unabashed indifference to the full shielding of my electric guitars…so…I mean no offense…I just figured that if someone was going to hear the shielding, it would be you.
 
Thatbastarddon said:
I’m with you on the minimum gauge needed for the pickup wiring…my 22 gauge suggestion was for what I’m, personally, happy to work with, and usually have at hand.

As for shielding, aren’t you the one that can differentiate EL84 based power amps? ;) Please bear in mind that I share(for the most part…aside from my cellphone pressed against the unshielded cover to the control cavity of some of my guitars…that’ll make some noise) the unabashed indifference to the full shielding of my electric guitars…so…I mean no offense…I just figured that if someone was going to hear the shielding, it would be you.
Click to expand...

Yes that's me, but that's different. That has to do with an underlying high frequency that EL84s have I can hear that drives be crazy. Not everyone can hear it, I'm just one of the lucky ones.
 
EL84 it depends on the brand I tried the new fake Golden Lions they are expensive garbage the Russian 6N14N-EP are great and can take plate voltage
up to 450 VDC and the made in England Mullard sound smooth. Disclaimer I did own a 1965 AC 30 Top Boost that the stock power transformer failed
it never sounded the same the voltages were wrong I sold it knowing what I know now B+ voltage at 280 VDC is ideal for EL34
I have 3 EL84 amps that sound great one I designed from scratch EF86 preamp and two Trainwreck Rockets
 
DirtySteve said:
Not everyone can hear it, I'm just one of the lucky ones.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure I’m with you, but it doesn’t bother me the same way…kinda like an itch…upper neck…in back of the ears, and on down the spine. Not all are unpleasant though(IMO).
 
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