Safety is Priority! While I consider the following steps to be simple please use safe practices when attempting
to make these modifications. "If" routing is necessary, be sure to wear approved safety glasses when using the roto
tool and be very careful when using the Exacto knife. Risking your eyes and fingers are not worth a fast and usually sloppy
mod.
Here are some installation tips that I have used and some of my customers sent in to keep
the installations looking and sounding professional. While none of these mods are considered difficult I thought I would still
post them to help those who may not have a lot experience working with guitars. Good luck and thanks for visiting my website.
Instructions for Most Installations
1) Remove the existing pickup (pup) 2) Mount the new pickup into the new Pup Plate alone and look to see that
no parts of the pickup extend beyond the Pup Plate other than the pup wires. - Please note: Tele Style adapter rings,
two holes of the pickup face toward bridge
3) Carefully lower the Pup Plate with the mounted pup into the original
Humbucker cavity to check the fit. - In many cases, this will be all that is needed. Connect your new pickup,
install the four mounting screws into the original Humbucker trim ring mounting holes and you are finished.
4)
If the cavity will have to be opened slightly, as usually in the case of installing a telecaster pup, refer to the body style
below for additional installation tips.
5) Although in most cases the pickup ring will readily mount in the existing
hole pattern of your old humbucker sometimes the they may not completely align. In reality, it seems that these holes in your
guitar can vary slightly for various reasons usually due to manufacturing processes. As a fix I find the following works very
well: - Glue a wooden toothpick into the holes that do not align with the plate.
- After the glue dries, cut
the toothpick to be flush with the body of your guitar being careful not to scratch your surface. (Would be good to use masking
tape here)
- Mount the plate by using the holes that will work.
- Using a hand drill and the adapter ring as a
templet redrill the additional holes.
- Install the remaining screws.
Rear Routed Bodies 1) Tools needed to modify the pickup cavity of rear routed body if needed: - A small hand-held roto-tool such as a Dremel tool with 1/2" sanding barrel bit
- Masking
tape
- Exacto knife
- Pencil
2) After removing the original pup, cover the Humbucker
hole with masking tape to extend beyond the edges of the Pup Plate. 3)
Mount the new Pup Plate over the masking tape, install the four mounting screws and lightly draw a line around the outside
of the Pup Plate. 4) Remove the Pup Plate and mount the new pup into
the Pup Plate. 5) Use an Exacto knife and remove the tape covering the
existing Humbucker cavity. 6) Locate the Pup Plate with the pup on top
of the cavity and lightly draw a line around the portions of the pickup that extend beyond the cavity ensuring that when complete
all lines are within the originally drawn Pup Plate outline on the masking tape. 7) Place tape or cloth on other parts of the guitar to prevent dust from entering electronics or other critical
guitar parts. 8) Using the roto tool with barrel sander, carefully and
lightly start opening cavity to match pup mark. Several times in the process place the Pup Plate with the pup into the cavity
checking for fit. Increase the cavity until there is enough room for the the Pup Plate and pup to fit nicely into the cavity,
but ensuring that no marks are made beyond the outer Pup Plate outline. 9)
Remove the tape slowly being careful to not accidentally remove paint. 10)
Remove any dust from sanding.
11) Repair any shielding that may
have been damaged with aluminum foil tape or shielding paint.
12)
Connect the pickup and mount the Pup Plate with the pup onto the guitar.
Top Routed Bodies 1) Tools
needed to modify the pickup cavity of a Top Routed body if needed: - A small hand-held roto-tool such as a Dremel
tool with 1/2" sanding barrel bit
- Masking Tape
- Exacto Knife
- Pencil
2) After removing
the original pup, cover the Humbucker hole with masking tape to extend beyond the edges of the the Pup Plate. 3)
Mount the new Pup Plate over the masking tape, install the four mounting screws and lightly draw a line around the outside
of the Pup Plate. 4) Remove the Pup Plate and mount the new pup into the Pup Plate. 5) Use an Exacto knife and
remove the tape covering the existing Humbucker cavity. 6) Locate the Pup Plate with the pup on top of the cavity and
lightly draw a line around the portions of the pickup that extends beyond the cavity ensuring that when complete all lines
are within the originally drawn Pup Plate outline on the masking tape. 7) Remove the pickguard from the body
and all hardware on the pickguard. 8) Using the roto tool with the barrel sander, carefully and lightly start sanding
the cavity to match the profile of the new pup. Several times in the process place the Pup Plate with the pup into the cavity
checking for fit. Open the cavity until there is enough room fro the Pup Plate and pup to fit nicely into the cavity, but
ensuring that no marks are made beyond the outer Pup Plate outline. 9) Install pickguard on guitar with no electronics
and using pickguard as a guide, open body of guitar to match pickguard. 10) Remove masking tape and clean all edges
and dust from guitar. 11) Repair any shielding that may have been damaged with aluminum foil tape or shielding paint. 12)
Connect the pickup and mount the Pup Plate with the Pup on the guitar.
Disclaimer statement: Please
understand that I am not liable for injuries or damage to individual property incurred during the installation process. If
you are not comfortable with the above steps, please do not attempt the installation and consult a professional Luthier or
guitar repair technician.
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