Guitar center install pickups

Instead, their circuitry incorporates an active preamp usually powered by a 9V battery to boost the signal level, filters and EQ. How do you replace Strat pickups? Having the Right tools for installing your new pickups is key. Step 2: Remove the Strings. Step 3: Remove Pickguard Screws. Step 4: Remove Pickguard. Step 5: Make Notes of the Wiring. Step 6: Unsolder Old Pickups. Step 8: Spring or Tube Pickup Mounting? Are Acuvue Oasys hydrophilic lenses?

How do I reset my key fob after replacing the battery? Co-authors 7. Headless DIY Guitar Kits Since the initial introduction of headless bass guitars to the market in the late 70s, followed s Engineered Ebony Fretboards Traditionally, hardwoods such as Ebony, Rosewood and Maple have been the materials most often use Filed in: Guitar Electronics. Invalid password.

Added to your cart:. For my metal style, the bridge pickup is of big importance. Replacing with upgraded models increases power, sustain, and crunch. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers.

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By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article Steps. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Remove electrical covers. You will need to detach any wires leading from the pickguard assembly so you can easily replace any pickup or or other hardware.

Remove the solder. To remove them you need to touch the solder with the soldering gun and pull the wires apart.

If you need to, draw a basic schematic if you cannot get a wiring diagram. Remove the pickup s. Take out the two screws on either side of any old pickup. When pulling the strings through the neck if that's how your guitar is made pull them through one at a time so that you don't accidentally scratch something.

This varies widely guitar to guitar, but on mine it comes off with two small screws on either end of the plate. When you take it off, be gentle and don't force it. If it doesn't want to come off it might be because you're pulling on a wire. Lay it right next to the cavity so that you can see the wires clearly. Find the pickup wires. If you are working on a single coil one like this, you should have two wires per pickup.

Somewhere in there you should also have a ground for the bridge plate. Mine was a separate black wire that came through the same hole that the pickup wires did. On my guitar, the bridge plate is held on by five screws. Three on the back of the plate, two towards the neck on the front.

You may need to remove the intonation block things. One or all. If you decide to take any off, use your calipers and measure from the front of them to the back of the bridge plate, so that you don't lose your intonation. Mark each saddle like in the picture. Remove the screws for the bridge. Depending on the guitar, you may or may not need to remove the bridge plate in order to change the pickup. Next, loosen the pickup screws. On mine there are three. Don't get the pickup in a bind.

No more than a full turn per screw. Work clockwise around the pickup if it helps you get it straight in your head. You should be careful with everything once you get it loose. Pick up the bridge plate and set it aside. If you are removing a single coil like I am, you will see two wires coming from the pickup. Follow these to the control panel. Write down exactly where they were soldered.

Desolder them. Now that you have the bridge plate off, go ahead and put the pickup in. Watch out for the pickup, the magnets in it are strong. For my pickup, I put the screws it came with into the bridge plate and slipped the rubber tubing isolator things over them. I then put the pickup in place, used a screwdriver to thread it into the holes in the pickup, and that's it.

Make sure you use the screws the pickup came with if it came with screws. Make sure you tighten the pickup screws evenly, just like when you took the stock one off. After investing in a new pickup, you don't want to mess up the threads. Run the new pickup wires through the hole to the control panel. Put the bridge back on with the screws you took off. Start out by turning on the soldering iron. Get it hot so that you don't have to wait on it later.

Use the exacto knife to trim away part of the black insulation covering the internal bundle of wires. Your pickup might not have that. Only do an inch or so, then read the wiring diagram to see how you have to wire it. In my case, I had to wire three of the wires to the control panel. I guessed how much wire I would need, then I stripped that much of the outside insulation off the wire bundle.

Next, I stripped about a half inch of the insulation off each individual wire. That's it for part one. Read over wiring diagrams and make sure you know where and why the wires go where they do. Do you know where the wires should go? Find out if you don't know for sure. Tin the pickup wires and add solder if needed to the parts that are going to be soldered. You need a good connection. I had a problem with my wiring diagram. I think it might be because my guitar isn't a real Fender, and the wiring is different.

I looked at the wiring diagram for the "Standard Tele" and it didn't match what I had. So that was a problem. Instead of worrying about it, I settled on just wiring the new wires up like I had the old pickup.

If you are in doubt, just go with something that was close to what worked before. You probably won't ruin the pickup if you don't get it right the first time. This part is pretty much unique to the pickup and guitar. Just solder the wires where they need to go. Make sure the connection is good by tugging on the wires. If you can't solder, there's a million instructables on doing it. Draw a picture of your wires and where they need to go.

It really helps to get it straight in your head. For my pickup, I had five wires: Bare: Gets soldered onto the back of the volume pickup with the green wire. My guitar originally had the yellow wire on the tone pot, so that's where I put it. Green: See above, it also went to the tone pot. White: Gets wired and soldered to the red wire. Red: Wired and soldered to the white wire. Black: Goes to the pickup selector switch. My pickup selector didn't look like the one in the directions, and I wasn't sure what tabs on the switch went to what, so I just put it where the original black pickup wire was.

Make sure you tape up the red and white wires. Heatshrink if you have it. Impress the next guy to open your guitar. Don't let the heat sit too long on the pots. It can't be good for them. Now that everything is soldered securely, it's time to test it.

This part can get pretty annoying if you don't have something right.