Skill level to replace pickups??

[Gambolputty]

I want to take the stock soapbars out of my SE and replace them with DiMarzio Virtual P90s. How hard is this going to be to get the pickups swapped and adjusted properly?

My mechanical background is OK. I was a helicopter mechanic and an Airframe and Powerplant technician for a couple of years in the Army. I have soldered in the past, but haven't touched a soldering iron in probably 15 or 20 years. My focus and attention to detail is excellent. I can follow written directions with ease.


Am I qualified to pull this off or should I just have my favorite guitar techs knock this out? Saving the money, drive time, and loss of use associated with taking the guitar to the techs is a big consideration, but getting a high quality outcome is of upmost importance.

Please share your opinions.

Gambolputty

[badfinger]

the key is soldering skills. Everything else is being able to read the wiring instructions. I found this site which helped me tremendously..

http://www.kingbass.com/soldering101.html

At times you wish you had another hand in there, but some patience and practice and its no big deal.

Do it yourself!

[kev]

This is not to discourage you at all, just more of a heads up.

Apparently, I suck at the search function today, but I seem to remember at least one thread where someone did a swap only to find that the replacement pickups they chose had more physical depth to them than the stock pickups and therefore also the routes for said pickups were too shallow. Then again, I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, so, I could be dead wrong...lol!

If you decide to change any of the pots, I do know those require a minimum amount of modification. jmadill details that out in one of his threads about his "Deluxe-i-fication" of a singlecut SE. Here's that thread (http://forums.birdsandmoons.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20690&highlight=deluxe)

Kev

[Rabidhamster]

if you were a heli mechanic you've got more than enough skill to complete this. Warm up on some spare loose wires first if you arent confident, but you'll have no problems at all.

While youre in there, I'd reccomend replacing the pots with high quality american ones, but the shafts might differ, which would require a little bit of drilling. The sound quality will be worth it though, and I know youre capable of doing it.


If you run into any snags, we'll all be here to help out.

If the cavity is too shallow, that isnt anything an inexpensive dremel tool cant fix.

[IntenseJim]

I remember that some P90s-- and it may be the Dimarzio Virtual Vintage P90s --may not fit into the regular P90 slots.


FWIW, your skills set is impressive to me. No bull.

[-CM-]

You might find the videos on this page interesting.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/how_to_install_a_pu.shtml

[Jmilliondead]

i'd say give it a go, it's the best way to learn, i changed pickups for the first time when i was 15, very scary thinking that i had done it wrong and was gonna get electricuted when i plugged it in lol, but it was fine, long as you have wiring diagrams, which these days are so easily available from the internet, there's no harm in trying!

worked for me, 6 years later and im now a guitar tech!

[Flanagan]

i'd say give it a go, it's the best way to learn, i changed pickups for the first time when i was 15, very scary thinking that i had done it wrong and was gonna get electricuted when i plugged it in lol, but it was fine, long as you have wiring diagrams, which these days are so easily available from the internet, there's no harm in trying!

worked for me, 6 years later and im now a guitar tech!

+1

As long as you have some confidence and reasonably steady hands,it's not that big of a deal.It's kind of second nature to me these days,but in the early stages,it was tral and error.Now,you can locate a diagram for just about any application online.Makes my job much easier at times.

[JoeinLA]

Uhhh, if I can swap out pups, ANYONE can...

It just took my like 2 hours the first time I did it... :P

[DavefromDE]

It's like putting a gas grill together, the first one takes some time and the next ones are a breeze. You can easily handle it and I agree, it would be worth the effort if you don't mind to upgrade to a good quality pots. It will require reaming the holes out a bit but it will be hidden by the washers and knobs. I usually put masking tape over the hole before reaming/rat tail filing to help avoid finish chipping. When I solder, I always heat the bigger part first and let the solder flow toward the heat. This is particularly good such as soldering grounds to the flat backs on pots. I heat the flat part of the pot next to the wire at the same time and let the solder melt onto the wire and flow out. Do this and cold solder joints are not an issue. If the pickup height needs to be raised, try foam underneath, fender has used it for years on basses etc. Hope that helps, you will have no problems. Good luck, Dave