Pinch Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Okay. The pickups on my Tribute are set at an angle. So if I lower the pickup to where the pole pieces are at a reasonable distance from the strings, there's a gap in the pickup ring on one side. I'm getting rubber foam to rectify this. The problem is, I've never actually removed a pickup myself. In all these years. Will the whole thing including the height adjuster and its spring be contained in the pickup ring, so I can just unscrew it and lift the whole thing out, put some rubber foam under the offending side, and put it right back in? Help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Yes, just the four corner screws and lift the whole mess out. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 Oh! Generally speaking, do I need thick rubber foam? Is the actual pickup that want to raise on one side situated directly against the wood in the pickup cavity, in which case I would only need rubber foam a couple millimeters thick, or do I need like, I dunno, a half inch? I know, I could take it out and look, but I'm planning to do everything at once next string change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 1 hour ago, Pinch said: Oh! Generally speaking, do I need thick rubber foam? Is the actual pickup that want to raise on one side situated directly against the wood in the pickup cavity, in which case I would only need rubber foam a couple millimeters thick, or do I need like, I dunno, a half inch? I know, I could take it out and look, but I'm planning to do everything at once next string change. Just get some stuff from the hardware store to take up the space for a crack like for a window or door. I've done it on guitars. SG's are notorious for having weird pup angles one of the pups. Been a while since I had one in my hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 (edited) When you take the pickup out, be careful of the long screws... Its easy to damage your top if you arent careful.. Get a cloth and lay it down so you can place the pickup on there once its out.. There will only be a certain amount of wire so it will only move so far... Edited December 16, 2020 by Rabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 2 hours ago, Pinch said: Oh! Generally speaking, do I need thick rubber foam? Is the actual pickup that want to raise on one side situated directly against the wood in the pickup cavity, in which case I would only need rubber foam a couple millimeters thick, or do I need like, I dunno, a half inch? I know, I could take it out and look, but I'm planning to do everything at once next string change. I have no idea. I've never been bothered by the pickup angle of any guitar. I would imagine any kind of fun foam or something like that. There isn't a whole crap load of room down there, so not much thickness I would think. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 Thanks guys. Yeah, it's like on an SG, only on a Les Paul. No idea what possessed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 9 minutes ago, Pinch said: Thanks guys. Yeah, it's like on an SG, only on a Les Paul. No idea what possessed them. The tabs that the screws pass through may be a bit bent, always easiest to just bent them back to where you want them. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 12 minutes ago, rct said: The tabs that the screws pass through may be a bit bent, always easiest to just bent them back to where you want them. rct There are tabs for the screws? Oh. OK. The pickup rings sit perfectly flush with... everything, though. It's just the actual pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Yeah, little metal ears on the sides of the pickup that the height screws pass through. They can get wonky and make it sit on an angle. Not a dramatic thing, and can be very subtle there on the actual pickup but looks all crooked up top when it is in. You'll see. They may be nice and straight and happen to just want to sit on an angle. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 When you go for spacing material, remember that tone matters. Tone foam. It's a thing. 😐 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 17, 2020 Author Share Posted December 17, 2020 10 hours ago, rct said: Yeah, little metal ears on the sides of the pickup that the height screws pass through. They can get wonky and make it sit on an angle. Not a dramatic thing, and can be very subtle there on the actual pickup but looks all crooked up top when it is in. You'll see. They may be nice and straight and happen to just want to sit on an angle. rct Oh! Okay. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 11 hours ago, sparquelito said: When you go for spacing material, remember that tone matters. Tone foam. It's a thing. 😐 hey if it worked for Django,,,. being dead and all... There' gotta be something there... !LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 Got some foam, so I'm tackling it tonight. Expect panicked posts delivered in my inimitable panic mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 (edited) Well... It came out easier than it went in, let's leave it at that. Basically a sturdy wire propping up one side. Was a ***** to get back in, and I would classify the end result as so-so, but I'm leaving well enough alone for now. I did manage to get some foam in there and it's closer to level now, so I could lower the pickup. Strangely, the 9-hole Tribute didn't magically turn into a solid Standard with SD Alnico IIs. GAS for the 60s Standard, but if I'm gonna pay that much, it really should come with pickups I like. I say this, of course, having never heard the BB 61's in person, but BB Pros are Alnico Vs too and they're not for me. Well, that was today. Slightly improved 2017 Tribute. Edited December 29, 2020 by Pinch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 Took me about an hour before I started looking up replacement pup rings "in case the old one breaks", because there's this tiny pucker, you see, I guess from the pickup pushing a little on the ring (it was too snug a fit even without the foam). The old me would've taken off the strings again, unscrewed the pickup and I guarantee I would've stripped the holes and ended up with a real problem. Possibly bought replacement rings (plural) too. Even though the pickup works fine now and the screws/spring thingies do what they're supposed to. This presentation bought to you by the Pinch Guitar OCD Foundation and Asparagus Rex Dino Sanctuary. Our motto is "You too can be a worrier, if you really put your mind to it!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 All's well that ends well, I always say. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.