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Replacing pickups on Les Paul with PCB


mooboo

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Guest BentonC

Gibson doesn't offer replacement pickups with the quick-connectors on them already. Most folks with either:

1- splice the new pickup wires into the existing wires going into the quick connect on the PCB

2- rewire the entire control cavity with new components- point-2-point

3- I've heard mention of some folks getting some of the quick-connect adaptors to use for the new pickup, but I don't know where to get them. You may want to check some electronic part suppliers, but other posters may want to chime in on this one as well, if they have experience with this...

 

Either way, good luck, and let us know how you fare!

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I recieved my clips from mouser electronics P/N 538-43645-0200.... I also have the little internal crimp connectors P/N 538-43031-0010 ... I was able to connect my 1980 Dimarzio pup quite easily to my SG faded... I have plenty of extras I can put in a envelope and ship to you.[biggrin]

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  • 1 year later...

I recieved my clips from mouser electronics P/N 538-43645-0200.... I also have the little internal crimp connectors P/N 538-43031-0010 ... I was able to connect my 1980 Dimarzio pup quite easily to my SG faded... I have plenty of extras I can put in a envelope and ship to you.[biggrin]

 

Hi I am looking to swap out my pups for some phat cats, you wouldn't still have any of those connectors that you could mail to me would you? If not when you order 1 from mouser how many do you actually get just one or a reel of them?

 

Thanks very much

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I recieved my clips from mouser electronics P/N 538-43645-0200.... I also have the little internal crimp connectors P/N 538-43031-0010 ... I was able to connect my 1980 Dimarzio pup quite easily to my SG faded... I have plenty of extras I can put in a envelope and ship to you.[biggrin]

 

Hi I am looking to swap out my pups for some phat cats, you wouldn't still have any of those connectors that you could mail to me would you? If not when you order 1 from mouser how many do you actually get just one or a reel of them?

 

Thanks very much

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I recieved my clips from mouser electronics P/N 538-43645-0200.... I also have the little internal crimp connectors P/N 538-43031-0010 ... I was able to connect my 1980 Dimarzio pup quite easily to my SG faded... I have plenty of extras I can put in a envelope and ship to you.[biggrin]

 

Hi I am looking to swap out my pups for some phat cats, you wouldn't still have any of those connectors that you could mail to me would you? If not when you order 1 from mouser how many do you actually get just one or a reel of them?

 

Thanks very much

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Hi I am looking to swap out my pups for some phat cats, you wouldn't still have any of those connectors that you could mail to me would you? If not when you order 1 from mouser how many do you actually get just one or a reel of them?

 

Thanks very much

 

I'll take a look

 

You get a reel

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm probably a little more old school in my thought process and I don't like the PCB that comes with the new LP. I actually gutted and completely re wired point to point last night with 500k CTS all around and a set of Seth Lovers. Right now, I think the only thing I've forgotten is the ground ring that touches all of the pots.

 

In my mind, this will make it easier if you decide down the road you want to try different cap values or different style caps, 50's style wiring, independent volume controls etc... I'm a tinkerer so I like having the ability to play with all of this stuff, and the PCB doesn't allow that for me.

 

Just my .02 Hope it works out for you

 

Jeremy

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I'm probably a little more old school in my thought process and I don't like the PCB that comes with the new LP. I actually gutted and completely re wired point to point last night with 500k CTS all around and a set of Seth Lovers. Right now, I think the only thing I've forgotten is the ground ring that touches all of the pots.

 

In my mind, this will make it easier if you decide down the road you want to try different cap values or different style caps, 50's style wiring, independent volume controls etc... I'm a tinkerer so I like having the ability to play with all of this stuff, and the PCB doesn't allow that for me.

 

Just my .02 Hope it works out for you

 

Jeremy

 

 

Does removing the PCB or in my case, the metal cavity plate, increase the chances of feedback due to the lack of shielding?

 

I find the internal cavity plate a real pain in the butt and I can't ground it properly with my new pickups as the centre connection point has become loose.

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I have never heard of PCB pickups, let alone tried them. I have always stuck with the Genuine Gibson pickups that came with my guitars. To be quite honest, the only problem I ever had was with a 1996 SG with 490R/498T pickups. I could not, for the life of me, get that guitar to clean up for me enough for the purposes of my finger style.

 

Despite all of the past and present difficulties the company has undergone, Gibson will probably be alive and kicking a LONG time after PCB Company has shut its doors!

 

A good friend of mine, who is also a Member of this Forum, like to be able to switch out caps and pots... it's his thing - and I must say that all of his guitars sound superb - but it's not my thing. To me, a soldering iron is for wood-burning! I used to react strongly and negatively to the notion of Les Paul controls being mounted on a board. In 44 years of playing Gibsons, both old and new, every night and day for a living, I have NEVER had a Gibson pot fail on me. I cannot say the same thing for Yamaha guitars, which is one of the main reasons I don't play them any more... [Fenders have never given me any trouble, either, but if a pot were to go, it would be a simple matter to replace it.]

 

In short, it no longer matters to me whether or not the pots are put in one-by-one, or are mounted to a piece of plastic so all 4 can be installed or replaced quickly and easily. That is, as long as the pots are decent quality to begin with.

 

But back to the PCB pickups: the way I reckon it, if you DID put in a pair and didn't like the sound, those quick-connects would make it pretty easy to swap the originals back in. You could then sell the PCBs on eBay. I see EMGs on there all the time... (they're prolly made by the same Chinese outfit that grinds out the MIM pups Fender uses on its lower-end models)!

 

 

Mt $0.02/FWIW/YMMV

J/W

[-X

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm probably a little more old school in my thought process and I don't like the PCB that comes with the new LP. I actually gutted and completely re wired point to point last night with 500k CTS all around and a set of Seth Lovers. Right now, I think the only thing I've forgotten is the ground ring that touches all of the pots.

 

In my mind, this will make it easier if you decide down the road you want to try different cap values or different style caps, 50's style wiring, independent volume controls etc... I'm a tinkerer so I like having the ability to play with all of this stuff, and the PCB doesn't allow that for me.

 

Just my .02 Hope it works out for you

 

Jeremy

 

does the PCB come out easily and WHOLE so that if i was to want to return it to original condition i could with the original PCB?

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I have never heard of PCB pickups, let alone tried them.

 

 

 

Unless I'm mistaken about the PCB in question (there was an attempt for Gibson to make quick swap pickup LP a few years ago that snapped in from behind the body)

 

I think the original poster was meaning the new PCB board that controls the electrics and the pickups have a little connector on the ends of the wires

 

3464747842_d8fe453e85.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I just received the parts from Mouser & there may have been a change......

 

I'm working on a 2009 Les Paul Studio. the 538-43031-0010 are MALE pins. The socket on the PCB uses MALE pins... NTTAWWT...

 

The original BBPro pickups have connecters with FEMALE sockets in the plug. Mouser part number 538-43030-0010 is for the FEMALE pins that are needed for this board.

 

Are there circuit boards out there with both MALE and FEMALE parts? Or has Gibson changed up in production?

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when i was into rc airplanes and helicopters, we used small gold pin connectors for the radio gear...these were about5/16" wide3/8" long and less than 1/8" thick. each had 3 pins and you could buy a set male/female real cheap...so maybe one of these could be soldered in to the wires comin off of the PCB and the other mating connector be soldered to the PU...voila! quick disconnect with gold pins and tiny..check out your local hobby shop... [thumbup]

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