6 years ago The goal here is to understand what you already have and how it's wired.. So we seem to have 4 wires - white, red, green and black. The white and red were connected together, the green went to the soldering lug on the pot and the black was soldered to the back of the pot. Refer to the new wiring instructions - The green and black on the new pickups are opposite of the originals.   That struck me as rather odd because they are both Duncans. 9 years ago Guitar Pickups - Swapping or Replacing Humbuckers: Swapping out pickups is one of the easiest ways to drastically change the sound of your guitar. These pickups are shorter than Telecaster pickups and are not mounted onto a plate, plus they also have a much higher output. :-), 9 years ago There are countless models and brands of pickups, but electric guitar pickups are usually one of two kinds: single coil or humbucking. Run the new pickup wires through the hole to the control panel. The innovative design produced […], Electric guitars generate sound by the virtue of strings vibrations which are converted to electric signals by pickups. Swapping out pickups is one of the easiest ways to drastically change the sound of your guitar. But before you restring, I suggest you do one more reality check and verify you have the correct pickups in the correct position - I use a guitar cable and multi-meter. Before you yell at me about using the guitar cable - just keep in mind I'm not doing critical measurements on the pickups, I'm just making sure each one is in the correct spot. Very nice build and I really like the feel of these (I've got another one of these with P90's). High Output Single Coil Sized Humbuckers for Strat With all the feel and tone of a high output humbucker (SHR-1), this single coil sized ⦠Avail in other positions/colors. You cancel the 60-cycle hum that plagues single-coils, but still get that traditional Strat tone we all love. Seymour Duncan shows you step by step procedure on replacing pickups for a Fender Stratocaster. Replacing single coil with humbucker in Strat. The Stratocaster pickup. Now you can achieve vintage P.A.F. on Introduction, 9 years ago This instructable was fantastic. Then I snip the old black wire that on the back of the pot and solder on the new green a bare ground wire. Starwood Strat pickup. Soldering iron, solder and soldering stand (optional), Pliers or wrenches to remove potentiometer nuts. Great job brotha! Not a lot of things needed for this Instructable: Simple up-cycled paper Christmas treeð². Then we will open up the back and start looking at the wiring. Learn more about Fender electric basses. After a little soul-searching, I remembered I had an ESP with the Seymour Duncan SH-1 (JB) and SH-2 (Jazz) that sounded outstanding. Seymour Duncan California â50s Strat Pickup Set. The pickup is perfectly balanced in matter of clarity and warmth, it has the best from both worlds (singles and humbuckers). These are fun to do. With over 70 models, we have the right flavor that will suite your tonal needs. Fender Original â57/â62 Strat Pickup Set. While the Strat is traditionally known for being equipped with three single-coil pickups, it's not uncommon for guitar players to change up their pickups for humbuckers. Here is a pickup manufacturer that will need little ⦠⦠Free shipping over $49.00. So now that you see you really can put a humbucker in your Stratocaster guitar, which pickups should you buy? Once you’ve done that, you can screw the assembly in to secure it to the guitar, string it up and start playing! Whether youâre upgrading your existing pickups or replacing a faulty one, this pickup makes an ideal choice. The only real skills required are the ability to solder. You can get a custom pickguard from Pickguardian or WD Music - they have our dimensions on file and make great custom pick guards. I would have kept the ESP except it had jumbo frets and that doesn't fit with my style of playing. on Step 9. And I'm STILL trying to find the "perfect" pickup. New pickguard with configuration for your new humbucker pickups. String it up with your favorite strings, set the pickup height according to the instructions... You can do it by ear also - but that can get iffy. One is to get higher output. Great deals on Fender Guitar Bridge Pickups Humbucker Pickup. Metallor Electric Guitar Pickguard 3 Ply 11 holes 2 Single Pickup 1 Humbucker Pickup SSH Compatible with Strat Style Modern Guitar Parts Replacement(Black) 4.3 out of 5 stars 70 $10.99 $ 10 . Klein pickups offers many Vintage Reproductions for Strat, Tele, Bass, & Les Paul guitars. How Guitar Pickups Work – Yes, It’s Physics, But It’s Cool! You are going to assemble the pick guard with the two new humbuckers together before installing it on the Stratocaster. What kind of guitar is that? This is a Hamer SAT-QT - I think it's either Chinese or Korean. It’s a good idea to stick to hand tools to prevent stripping screws or overtightening. I must have listened to 100 different sound bites trying to figure that one out. Share it with us! Ok, so changing your pickups to humbuckers will alter your sound in a way you’re hopefully going to like, so let’s talk about how to do it. Single Coil Pickups. Specify the pattern you want when ordering. Fender Stratocaster HH Models. But the soldering is so basic, it's probably a good project to learn on. Next up, it’s time to start soldering things together. And when you’re not using the right kind of pickup, your guitar may have issues […], What is the difference between a guitar with single coil vs humbucker guitar pickups? 2 Pcs Belcat Hot Rail Blade Humbucker Pickup for Fender Strat Electric Guitar. Worry not […], happynewguitarday.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. on Step 9, Thanks! So if you’re trying to avoid that 50’s rock sound, why change the pickups at all? You are going to assemble the pick guard with the two new humbuckers together before installing it on the Stratocaster. Plus I like having the switch out of the way like that. Make sure you use the screws the pickup came with (if it came with screws). I am big fan of fender guitars, so replacing reissues for more vintage correct pickup was first (and maybe last) thing to do. The first thing you want to do is to remove the strings. For most guitars with the tune-o-matic bridge and the stop tailpiece, you should remove those as well. The ones on this guitar were on very snug and they stayed in place the entire time... But always be careful, these can just as easily fall right off when you remove the strings. No need to scratch up the surface. It has excellent sustain and cranks out soaring, crystal-clear treble notes, giving harmonics plenty of ⦠This article is going to tell you what you need to know to change out those beloved single coils and install a good set of humbuckers on your Strat. Fender literally wrote the book on electric basses, laying the foundation for musical innovation and evolution. $89.00. Once you have your tools and parts together, the process starts with removing the pick guard with the single coil pickups and everything else attached. Enter the Single Coil-Sized Humbuckers: all the huge, warm, harmonically rich power of a full-sized humbucker in a drop-in replacement, single coil size for Strat. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Some pickups have soderless wiring, which means you only have to solder to the guitar wiring. You can do this, you just need some basic tools: Once you have your tools and parts together, the process starts with removing the pick guard with the single coil pickups and everything else attached. Why? I do one pickup at a time to make sure I put the bridge pickup in the bridge position, etc. Plus I run the wires and label them as I do each pickup.Note on plastic trim rings: These are made to sit in a specific place (neck or bridge) and in a specific direction (one side is slightly higher than the other). Make sure you pay attention to how rings are orientated before you take them off! You do this by plugging in the guitar, then tapping on each Strat pickup as you cycle through the neck, mid and bridge tones with the switch. Choice made. What necessitate Strat pickup changes? 8-Hole Conversion. One of the main reasons you might want to change your single coil pickups out for humbuckers is to go from a vintage sound to the more popular modern rock sounds of today. We’ll also talk about tone and brands. That is how they differ from acoustic […], A pickup is integral to an electric guitar, and also an acoustic guitar to an extent. From here, you’ll want to follow instructions from the downloaded schematic and/or a video tutorial that can show you the specifics of soldering the tabs on the pots, the capacitor leads and the wires for the 3-way switch. Fender Tex-Mex Strat Pickups. $7.99. True single coils, noisless pickups and Strat sized mini humbuckers. EMG P BASS BLACK ACTIVE PRECISION REPLACEMENT PICKUP POTS & WIRING (FENDER 18FT) $104.00. This Hofner Shorty has a front mount scratchplate with the ⦠4 Conductors,black body, black dual rails. This is a very simple job. 3 left. Why? Almost gone. This can be changed to a double humbucker configuration (like a Les Paul) with relative ease. The whole assembly should fit easily into the guitar, and once you have it set you can give it a test before tightening everything and re-stringing the guitar. It comes embedded in the body of a guitar […], It’s a beautiful Thursday afternoon and you’re practicing for the upcoming weekend gig with the band. Vintage â72 Wide Range Humbucker. Or you can also go with guitar pickup types like a single humbucker in the bridge position and put two single coils in the middle and neck pickup positions. And is easily the best replacement humbucker pickup for a Gibson ⦠First, you must understand what a strat pickup represents. 1. These pickups are supposed to be similar to Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion. If you’ve ever wondered, “can I put a humbucker pickup in my Stratocaster guitar?” the answer is yes. Single coil pickups tend to have a low relative output that doesn’t carry over great to heavy metal, or heavy rock tones. This is the only hole that varies in location. If replacing standard Strat pickups with other pickups, make sure your cavities are large enough to fit the pickups you want - you can find our pickup measurements here. The goal is to get enough wire exposed to work with. No modifications to the existing wiring - no coil taps, etc. Lucky for you, Fender makes a variety of quality humbucker pickups. 9 years ago Looks pretty sweet, although the pickup switch is in an interesting spot lol. 1997-mid-2000: Big Apple Strat â American Standard Strat with 5-way switch (with coil splitting) and Duncan pickups (â59 neck and Pearly Gates + bridge) mid-2000 to mid-2003: American Double Fat Strat â American Series Strat with same electronics and pickups as Big Apple Because the stock ones always seem lackluster or just don't sound right to me. All of my main guitars have different pickups than the stock ones. So this instructable will be a simple swap of similar humbucking pickups. Now will we start on the new pickup wires. These were rubber wrapped and I used a simple wire stripper to take off this outer sheath. Just be really careful about taking off the sheath - you do not want to damage the insulation of the wires in the bundle. You can use small manicuring scissors, wire cutters, razor blades, etc. Next, install the switch with the flat metal side towards the outside of the guitar’s pickguard. Initially intended to mimic the Patent Applied For pups that went into the '59 Les Paul Standard, the Seymour Duncan SH-PG1 Pearly Gates Pickup is a top-rated humbucker among hard rock and blues-rock players. Or you want to bring new energy into an old favorite with a Strat tone? $20.69 $ 20. 4.4 out of 5 stars 74. It is, after all, the first best-selling solid-body electric guitar. NEW Genuine Fender Mounting Screws (12) For Humbuckers 005-0166-049. Once you have all the pots soldered and re-installed, you can tuck the wires in neatly and put the back cover on. The guitar itself is a very nice instrument - but the sound with the stock pickups really didn't do anything for me. If you want to get a genuine vintage tone with your pickup, ⦠Multiple decades later, modern (electric) guitars […], The Fender Telecaster enjoys an iconic status in the music world. com. You’ve got your humbuckers in your Strat…..now what? The third pot has the tabs facing the one before it. The benefit? 6 years ago Outstanding! These have similar specs as the originals, but Jeez, these things suddenly turn flaccid into Flambe'!  This set is supposedly Seymour's personal favorite - I have to agree with on that. When pickups were originally employed in guitars, the greater objective was to make the guitar sound louder than before. The most popular and the most âStrat-likeâ configuration is SSS, followed by an SSH configuration, which maintains a lot of the classic Strat mojo by keeping single coils in the two top positions and replacing the bridge pickup (which is most susceptible to hum) with a humbucker to combat noise and provide a more modern tone. Required fields are marked *. Can you upgrade a Fender Stratocaster with Humbucker Pickups? How Are Guitar Pickups Made & How To Make Them. on Introduction, Good luck on the choosing part! Reply Locktite. Depending on how your guitar body is routed out under your pickguard, you may need a router to make the cavity large enough to house a humbucker pickup. Putting a Humbucker through a 250K pot will most likely sound like your amp has a âmud blanketâ on it. 99 I de-solder the old green wire on the pot lug and then solder on the new black wire. New pickguard with configuration for your new humbucker pickups. I was able to use tin snips to trim off a little bit of each end to make things fit. I personally like the open coil look of the new pickups. The originals were chrome - but for some reason those just didn't look as nice on this guitar. That's just my opinion - feel free to disagree :-) And... the sound???? ... EMG PX BLACK ACTIVE FENDER PRECISION P BASS REPLACEMENT PICKUP POTS & WIRING. Although I like my guitar's pups, I might get a cheap project guitar soon, so I'll look this up again if I need to replace those pups. ... JIUWU HSH Loaded Pickguard Black Wired Plate for Fender Strat Guitar Replacement. The new pickups will come with wiring instructions. If you are working with used pickups, you can find wiring diagrams for them easy enough on line. Knowing which pot value your pickup needs is the best way to solve this. The answer is style and comfort. 9 years ago The pickup has four wires so it can be splittable. Your email address will not be published. You will need the wiring assembly instructions available for download from Fender. You don't have to do the coil tap wires first. That's just the order I did things. Get the Right Set for You Answer a few simple questions and the Porter Pickups team will personally contact you with a no obligation way to improve your guitars sound that will inspire you to play more. Well, a standard single-coil pickup usually consists of a set of magnet wrapped up in a thin wire. 4 left. Many guitarists prefer the Fender Stratocaster’s look and feel, but need to get heavier, smoother tones out of it. Then take the volume and tone pots and place them in the hole cutouts with the tabs of the first one pointing towards the second. Aside from personal preference and the type of music you’re playing, […], Are you looking to buy your first Strat? $16.99. If youâre looking for replacement humbuckers, Single coils or more weâre here to help. Did you make this project? There will be two thicker sets of wires - each set will be sheathed in rubber, paper, wire mesh or whatever. One thing that will be different between manufactures is the color and number of wires that come in from the pickups. So we will look at the wire bundles and get a handle on what we will be working with. As Larry DiMarzio, the founder of the groundbreaking replacement pickup company that bears his name, once told me many moons ago: âPickups are the most flexible tone-modifying element in an electric guitar. Another entry from DiMarzio, this Super S humbucker pickup has been designed specifically for your Strat, ensuring that youâll be able to drop it straight in without any problems. on Introduction. Fig. I failed of course, but now I know what to use if something absolutely positively cannot come off. 69. Ornaments, That Smell Like Christmas and Will Warm Your Heart! And based on the number of aftermarket pickups available, a lot of people seem to agree. In position 2 or 4 (the combined neck/middle and middle/bridge settings) of a 5-way switch, the paired pickups become humbuckers. What Makes Your Guitar Pickups Go Microphonic? tones, bombastic high output shred tones, and everything in between with your classic SSS Strat ⦠Thanks for the comments! There are a few reasons you might want to put humbuckers on your Stratocaster. After investing in a new pickup, you don't want to mess up the threads. I put a dab on the jack of my acoustic guitar, and I spent thirty minutes trying to wrestle it off. I just got this new multi-meter at Harbor Freight for $3.64. You get what you pay for - note how far off my measurements are. I think I'll be looking for a nicer meter. You should get a solid guitar amp feedback sound on each one – while you are at it, check out this post on the best amp for Stratocaster guitars too!. This is much easier to do on most guitars if you take the pots out first. Again, use the solder stand to hold your work. In case you don’t already own one, the Fender Stratocaster is usually built with an SSS setup – that is, three single coil pickups. I just need more guitars and money ;-), Reply It is an absolutely fantastic pickup for rock and roll styles, as well as blues rhythms. 5 out of 5 stars (4) 4 product ratings - Seymour Duncan SHR-1 Hot Rails Strat Bridge Pickup BLACK - Fender Stratocaster. on Step 2. - just don't cut the wires inside (or your fingers). We also carry a full line of vintage reproduction parts. When the Stratocaster guitar was unleashed on the music world in 1954, it quickly became favored for its bright, crisp sound and stunning versatility. The Fender Strat, Fender Telecaster, and countless other guitars use the single coil pickup, which is ⦠So if you want to reduce your time with the iron, look for the humbucker pickups that have plug-in wires. When ordering a replacement pickguard, pay particular attention to the location of screw hole #5. You can cut the original wires - but do it near the pots to leave as much wire on the old pickups as possible. I would recommend you leave a little of the old wire on the pot until you are ready to solder the new ones. This might be a handy reference. The pots have three soldering lugs and you don't want to put the new wire on the wrong lug. Startocaster Pickups from Fender, Seymour Duncan and Antiquity. 250k pots tend to lose more of the treble frequencies. First up, letâs get into the control cavity. Assembling the pick guard starts by mounting the humbucker pickups in the cutouts and attaching them with the screws and springs included. All of my main guitars have different pickups than the stock ones. Measuring the gap between the pole piece and the 6th string on a Strat. The guitar I am using for this Instructable is a brand new Hamer Sunburst Q/T (Indonesia) that had "Duncan Designed" HB103B. If you're going with a standard humbucker-sized pickup you can still get away with using a 250k pot, I'd just avoid pickups known to be bassy. Take alook at these recommendations for effects pedals that work well with humbucking pickups: Your email address will not be published. 11-Hole. Strat® Guitar Pickguard Mounting Hole Options: Vintage 8-Hole. **[Editorâs Choice]** If you are looking for a good quality strat pickup ⦠A Telecaster with low-output single coils will sound pretty awful through 500K pots, too. 7 Main Types Of Guitar Pickups Explained & Best For You, Understanding Humbucker vs Single Coils Guitar Pickups, 10 Best Strat Pickups – Upgrade Your Stratocaster Tone. Everything seems to be going perfectly — you had […], Without the pickup, your guitar may not be audible enough. Reply This humbucker pickup is available with gold-plated covers, nickel-plated covers, and open coils. Because the stock ones always seem lackluster or just don't sound right to me. Once you’ve finished assembling the pickups, pots, and the 3-way switch according to the schematic, you want to be sure everything is cleaned and uncrimped. Great job! $119.00 ... Pickup BLACK - Fender Stratocaster. I'm just a compulsive DIYer that plays guitar and tries to fix just about everything around the houâ¦. Musiclily Pro 11 Hole Loaded Guitar Strat Pickguard HSS with Noiseless Alnico 5 Pickup Humbucker Prewired Scratch Plate Set for Fender American/Mexican Stratocaster Standard Modern Style, 3Ply Black. Free shipping. Make sure you tighten the pickup screws evenly, just like when you took the stock one off. on Introduction. Standard Single coil size,but it is Humbucker,you can install it in a Fender Strat/Squier straightly or Tele guitar with a modification.