Tools needed:
Soldering iron, solder, screwdriver, pliers
Remove the strings from the guitar so that you can get to the pickups.
Unscrew the screws that hold the old pickups in place then turn the guitar over and remove the
back plate (or the scratch plate for Strat style guitars.)
Follow the wire from the old pickups to the contacts where they are
soldered. Unsolder the pickups by heating each of solder joints with
soldering iron until the solder melts. Then gently pull the wire away
with the pliers (don't use your fingers as the pickup's wire can get
very hot).
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Once the pickups' wires are unsoldered you will be able to remove the
old pickups from the guitar. Start with the bridge pickup then the neck
pickup.
If the old pickups had mounting rings remove these and attach them to the new pickups.
Starting with the new neck pickup, thread the wire through to the back
of the guitar then screw the pickup in place. Repeat the process with
the bridge pickup. Turn the guitar over and solder the new pickups in
place using the wiring diagrams from this section of the site. |
Soldering is easiest if you firstly melt a little solder on the end of
each of the wires that that are going to be soldering. Secondly,
melt a little solder on the contact that you are going to be soldering
to. Then, using the pliers to hold the wire in place against the
contact, heat up the solder on the wire and contact so that it melts
together and hold it still for a few seconds whilst the joint cools and
hardens. |
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Work systematically through the diagram making sure all the wires are
in the correct place. When all the wires are soldered correctly replace
the back plate and restring your guitar. Plug it into your amp and test
the new pickups. |
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