Swapping Stock Pickups With Teh Emgzorz. Halp!

[MyApocalypse]

I know many of you have swapped old pickups out for emg actives.

So, what i want to know is:

1. Can I do this manually? or am i going to have to bring it in to the local shop?

2. If i have to bring it in to the shop, how much would this cost?

:)

[MyApocalypse]

Come one guys! easy question!:\

[MyApocalypse]

Please? anyone? :(

[MyApocalypse]

bump:|

[DUKE]

it's pretty easy actually. the first time i've swapped out stock pups on my F into an 81/85, i did it myself. i've had no experience with soldering before, either.

it pretty much comes down to whether you can solder or not, other than that, i'd say just follow the instructions that come in the box or the one on the site.

http://emginc.com/downloads/wiringdiagrams/EMG-Hseries.pdf

if you do decide to take it to a tech and have them do it though, i'm not sure how much they'd charge. where i'm at, the local shop guys charge $20-$30 for installation.

definitely not much, but hey it's $20 you can spend on something else. ;)

[MyApocalypse]

it's pretty easy actually. the first time i've swapped out stock pups on my F into an 81/85, i did it myself. i've had no experience with soldering before, either.

it pretty much comes down to whether you can solder or not, other than that, i'd say just follow the instructions that come in the box or the one on the site.

http://emginc.com/downloads/wiringdiagrams/EMG-Hseries.pdf

if you do decide to take it to a tech and have them do it though, i'm not sure how much they'd charge. where i'm at, the local shop guys charge $20-$30 for installation.

definitely not much, but hey it's $20 you can spend on something else. ;)

Sweet, thanks so much, bro. someone finally decides to help out:D

[DUKE]

no prob, man. good luck! :)

[jet66]

If you are comfortable soldering, it's a snap. Otherwise, if you can get it done for $20-$30, that is money well spent. The trickiest parts are soldering the pickup shields to the pot (since the hot lead runs through the center, too much heat will melt the insulation) and if you want to strip the pickup leads to be shorter it takes a deft touch to not nick the hot lead insulation.

[MyApocalypse]

If you are comfortable soldering, it's a snap. Otherwise, if you can get it done for $20-$30, that is money well spent. The trickiest parts are soldering the pickup shields to the pot (since the hot lead runs through the center, too much heat will melt the insulation) and if you want to strip the pickup leads to be shorter it takes a deft touch to not nick the hot lead insulation.

Damn, i don't know if i could pull off the whole soldering stuff on my own. I don't know, i might just bring it in to the shop depending on how much they try to charge me.

Thanks for your help :)

[ZULND3R]

If you really are unsure of what you're doing, take it to a tech to do it for you but make sure he shows you what he's doing so you could do it in the future. It does involve a lot of soldering, plus you're going to need the output jack replaced, and you may or may not need a hole routed in the back of the guitar for the battery compartment.

[MyApocalypse]

If you really are unsure of what you're doing, take it to a tech to do it for you but make sure he shows you what he's doing so you could do it in the future. It does involve a lot of soldering, plus you're going to need the output jack replaced, and you may or may not need a hole routed in the back of the guitar for the battery compartment.

output jack replaced?

[jet66]

The EMG rig uses a TRS/stereo jack vs the normal TS jack most guitars come with. (T,R,S = Tip, Ring, Sleeve) The sleeve is the ground, the tip is the hot. With EMG, the battery circuit runs to the ring terminal. This way, when you unplug the cable, the battery loop is opened, so there is no need for an on/off switch. When you plug a regular TS cable in, the sleeve connects the ring terminal to the ground, which completes the battery circuit, effectively turning the EMG's 'on.'

[maidenarmy28]

i have emgs and i prefer duncans or dimarzio active pick ups give lots of un wanted buzz and sound maybe some emg hz passives pick ups would be better

[LordCliffton]

If you can follow the directions you will be fine.

Pro Tip: Use a 45 watt or lower soldering iron so as to not overheat any components.
And it's also a good idea to use needle nose pliers to hold the wire being soldered-this way you can keep them between any delicate parts, such as resistors, and the hot tip of the soldering iron. The needle nose pliers will absorb the brunt of the heat coming from the iron.
*Heat can transfer along the wire while soldering and possibly cause damage, even though the part may look fine. This helps to thwart that before it happens.

Good Luck!

[MyApocalypse]

i have emgs and i prefer duncans or dimarzio active pick ups give lots of un wanted buzz and sound maybe some emg hz passives pick ups would be better

Sorry dude, ive got an HZH4 in my alexi 600, and i'm getting a ridiculous deal on an 81 60 set so EMG actives is the way i'm goin

[MyApocalypse]

Thanks to Jet and Lord C, i appreciate the help

[MyApocalypse]

The EMG rig uses a TRS/stereo jack vs the normal TS jack most guitars come with. (T,R,S = Tip, Ring, Sleeve) The sleeve is the ground, the tip is the hot. With EMG, the battery circuit runs to the ring terminal. This way, when you unplug the cable, the battery loop is opened, so there is no need for an on/off switch. When you plug a regular TS cable in, the sleeve connects the ring terminal to the ground, which completes the battery circuit, effectively turning the EMG's 'on.'

Wait, does this mean that i'm gonna have to invest in new hardware?

sorry for n00b questions

[jet66]

I believe the pups will come with a full set of 1 tone, one vol, one input jack, and one battery clip in each individual package. (Plus springs and bolts for mounting the pup to a pickguard or ring.)

[MyApocalypse]

I believe the pups will come with a full set of 1 tone, one vol, one input jack, and one battery clip in each individual package. (Plus springs and bolts for mounting the pup to a pickguard or ring.)

Ok, thanks so much again

[ColeJustesen]

It is really pretty simple if you can solder. The thing that helped me the most when soldering is to always make sure you have a clean tip on the soldering iron, and tin it frequently.

I just did a project on one of my guitars where I routed out a spot for the battery box, and then wired in a set of EMGs. The hardest thing about it was remembering which part of the jack was hot, ground, and the for the battery connection. This was only because I forgot to look before I desoldered the connections. Best of luck to you!

Cole