How to Replace a Pickup - Beginner Guitar Mods #1
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- Hey everyone! Today, I wanted to talk in depth about my approach to replacing pickups in a guitar or bass. I hope this helps any of you who are looking to take your first steps into modding your own instruments.
Thanks for watching!
Instagram: @_nisebelle
Patreon: / nisebelle
Bandcamp: nisebelle.bandcamp.com/
00:00 Welcome to Beginner Guitar Mods!
00:26 Why Replace Your Pickups?
01:36 Research Your New Pickups
03:32 Get Your Supplies Together
04:13 Prep Your Guitar
05:01 Uninstalling Your Old Pickup
07:25 Install Your New Pickup
10:22 Thanks for watching!
Filmed by Britney
Edited and scored by @nisebelle
#howto
#guitarmods
#diyguitar
Im not joking when i say this is the most thorough complete and useful pickup installation tutorial I've seen. For some reason finding good soldering information for guitars on youtube isn't very easy
You’re such a natural at teaching and making useful videos! Just binged all of them yesterday 😂 keep it up!
That is going to be helpful for me in the future (I'm broke right now :D)
Right there with you 😂😂
Same 😭
Well, this is easily the best tutorial I've seen on "the basics". It's true, there is very little that can go wrong and almost nothing that can't be fixed. I also use the tooth-tensioner-technique.
when i replaced the bridge single coil on my mustang for a hot rails it was the hardest work i´ve ever done, i had no ideia of what i was doing and had to try several times because i was getting no signal, my wiring managment was terrible, but it worked, when it finally worled i couldnt believe on what i just did, now replacing pickups became something so easy for me
As a Connor who is watching this, I feel very called out and also will be changing my strings tonight😂
Am I Conor? Are we all Conor? You're 100% right, it's time to change my strings. Great video! Perfect tutorial.
Yes please we need this in the guitar community! Many mod tutorials are outdated or just not very well produced. This one is amazing!
As someone who has been working on guitars for 30 years, this is a *great* instructional video. Kudos, and keep the vids coming Nisebelle!
I remember you put out a poll a while ago about what types of tutorials people wanted to see, so I'm glad that you've finally gotten the opportunity to make this video. There's a kit build I've been meaning to put together for a few years, but I'd been a bit hesitant about it just because I'm worried about messing up the wiring and having to redo it a few times, so this is very helpful
This is so helpful and well done, thank you very much!!! Can’t wait to put these good practices to work!
Great video as always! After binging your videos last week I was inspired to start modding my squire affinity jazzmaster, starting with pickups, so the timing is perfect!
Would love to see a video in the beginner series on what “Setting Up” a guitar means and how to do it. Love the vids as always :)
That’d be perfect! She’s a great teacher and I’d love to send a video like that to my friends (a video longer than ten minutes can feel a bit suffocating when you’re new :p)
That was a great video, I really enjoy your content and keep up the great work! 😊
Nice to see you back. I've got my own summer project going 🤫 Thanks for the soldering tips🎸
Great teaching video. I know you said you weren’t a pro. But let me tell you. You are more thorough than most so called pros
Thank you for this!! Super helpful. I’d love to see a video on wiring coil splits and/or phase reversals. You explain the process so well. Thanks again!
You’re my favourite guitar CZcamsr so this is actually a god send. Thank you so much!!
Really dig this idea for a series. Thank the Algo for giving me your Bass VI video, even had an appearance by my man Puisheen. Keep up the great content!
I really hope you keep making tutorials like this. It was great! I love your filming/editing style too.
Inspirational! Keep it up!
Awesome video! If only I had it when I did my first mods. One thing you not missed but is a cool trick, when soldering the ground to the back of the pot, use a wood spatula or something like that to hold the bare wire while it's cooling, saved me a lot of time and anxiety :)
Great tutorial, very thorough! I'm gonna try and put a humbucker in my Fender Lite Ash strat, thnks for all the great tips!
Fantastically helpful. Thanks!
As a beginner solderer getting into the craft from a music background, this explanation was absolutely perfect. Many thanks!
Thank you sm for this 💜💜
WOOHOO THIS IS WHAT IVE BEEN WAITING FOR
Excellent tutorial. I got in the habit of swapping one wire at a time so that I was sure that the mods were done correctly. There’s usually more than one way to wire a circuit and sometimes what the guitar had prior to mods and what the circuit diagram said don’t always match. This was frustrating and confusing in my early mod work, but I found if I just changed one thing at a time, there would be no major change to the circuit other than the specific component and I could keep track of the process a lot better. Taking pictures also helps.
Came here to mention that last bit: Take pictures before you start! Or even take them along the way, too. Makes it easy to "rollback" any changes that don't work out.
Also, in terms of fixing mistakes, beginners can keep in mind that working on guitar electronics is the easiest thing to fix. There are very few things you can do to your wiring that aren't reversible (mostly to do with not messing up the leads near where they're attached to the pickups themselves). There's a sense of security knowing that if your DIY attempt doesn't work out, taking it to a tech can make it all better! :)
Thank you!! Best tutorial on changing pickups! 🤙🏼🎸
Here's a little tip for anyone who solders and uses a stand to hold the wire. On both sides of the alligator clip take a piece of shrink tub and place it over the alligator clip. Do both of them and then shrink the tube.
What this does is stop the metal clips from going into the side of your wire and possibly causing a short. It doesn't matter if you have a high-end model or a low end model they all need this done.
I really enjoyed your video. I always like watching other people who do their own work. There's always something to learn from somebody. I learned that lesson long ago.
I most definitely gave you a thumbs up and I hit the subscribe button I'm also looking forward to watching more from you.
hello! I'm a new viewer to your channel. Very happy to have this video recommended to me. Even tho I'm not a beginner guitar player. with this video I learned alot of new info and also feels like a refresher course keeping me updated. I'm excited to dive In to your older videos.✊🤘
Sick video, I just did my first mod yesterday, I installed an Emg into my guitar without soldering via quick connect, it would be really interesting to see your instrument collection and what mods you’ve done to them, thanks for the educational video!!!
I just gotta say. Nisebelle's videos are so good. You deserve more subscribers!!!!!!
Great video!
This video just helped me swap my first pickup! Thank you!
this is the best tutorial for replacing pick ups on you tube thank you I'm putting together a parts jaguar from a squier base so im excited about switching out the pickups wish me luck
Nice job! Thank you
4:28 Hey now! I changed them a couple weeks ago 😂
Awesome video. I've never changed a pickup yet, but I'll for sure be referring back to this when I do!
new to your channel - you are brilliant!
Great idea for a series
you are so amazing at teaching and explaining, i always loved the idea of modding guitars but i was too scared to do it, but this video made me change my point of view, thanks a lot!
Great video!! And it's this type of quality content that gets a like a subscribe when ya didn't even ask for one!
Good Job! you are awesome!
I had a Seymour Duncan Nazgul put into my bridge for my Jazzmaster, it’s insanely sick but a bit too sharp/high sometimes. I been wanting to reinstall my original soapbar pickup, this may have given me the motivation!
Thanks for sharing much appreciated 🎶🎵🎸🇬🇧
super helpful! i dont think ill be replacing my pickups, but ill refer to this video if i ever will, thanks!
i think one cool modding tutorial would be adding a killswitch or a coil split.
Nicee!
Good explanation. Wishlist for the next videos: I have an old Yamaha Pacifica where the first frets are worn out and have dents. How to fix this? Replacing all frets or only those that need it and how to do it?
Another option is to try to find a guitar that has the pickups you like and buy that guitar. But of course, money can be an issue and later upgrading a pickup or two is more economical. Thanks for sharing.
i love your videos
Will second using your ears when choosing pickups...
My favorite sounding guitar is also a stock 2003 MIM strat
Awesome video. if your new pickup volume seems low check the height of the new pickup
I would love to see a tutorial on how to make the split coil mod with a push and pull potentiometer for humbucker pickups
Great advice! I may be getting ahead of myself, but when it comes to more complex wiring schemes I like to use alligator clips to test connections before soldering (coil splits/taps, phase/series/parallel etc.) That said, this technique can also be used on something as simple as your example for newbies. Happy soldering!
Love alligator clips for testing! I’ve definitely tried out some mods with clips and forgot they were in the guitar for months haha
You are probably just as good as anyone who calls themelves a luthier if I have to be honest!
Definitely better than some I have worked and/or trained with.
nisebelle with the double upload in 24 hours!!!!! :D :D
Hey, I didn't know you were in Seattle. 👋 from Lake City Way.
Love your tutorial here. Good to see it from a beginner for beginners. At some point, I should give this and other mods a try. M&M and Thunder Road have served my needs well (Jag, Jazzmaster, and Bass VI pickups, bridges, and vibrato upgrades).
Thinking about buying a Squire Jag to mess around with and replacing the rhythm circuit with phase and cut off switches. Seems like a good project and would be a sound I don't have. Ever done this mod? Would love a tutorial.😉
I am so in awe of that Greco
would love to see some wiring mods in the future, such as switching up a double humbucker guitar from dependent wiring to independent. also i'm wanting to drill some holes in a squier bronco to make it a string-through set up, any advice on drilling four perfect holes in this brand new guitar? much love sister
I'm interested in tone, sound and impression from guitar playing. For your mods I would like to hear how each mod tweaks the tones. Also seeing you apply your mods by playing more would be enjoyable, like tone before, tone after, then play a lick or a passage? Like your work!
Thank you Nisa! It's the only thing Vicki and I can't do yet... 🤣🎩🌹🎶🎶
Budget-friendly pro tip: put paper towels or an old cloth towel between your guitar’s finish and any solder work. Solder spatter happens and little drops of flux like to go everywhere.
These hot droplets are not finish-friendly.
For any of yall wanting humbugkers in a single coil, look into hot rail pickups
Glad to see you're back up and running. One small comment - on the bit about out of phase, there's a couple of caveats to your solution. It will not work on (1) vintage wiring with a single hot and a braided outer shield (i.e. vintage-style PAFs/humbuckers) or (2) two conductor for pickups with covers/ base plates (like tele pickups) without a separate ground lead. Flipping the wiring would not work with these because what used to be the ground will now be attached to hot, and what used to be hot is not connected to the ground (i.e. the cover or the baseplate) and will cause lots of noise.
That’s a really great point thanks for catching it! I haven’t run across phase issues yet with covered pickups nor braided leads, but I’ll definitely keep this in mind going forward!
Niceee
Thanks, really good vid. Take pictures before you disassemble and you'll be golden.
Pro tip: File a groove in the center of a small flathead screwdriver, like the string slot on a nut, and it is amazing for helping control wires while soldering them. I use the teeth method as well, but I tend to use that to hold the solder while my hands do the more intricate work. That last part isn't a tip, just a comment.
I need to swap pickups on my standard harley benton telecaster but the wires on the new pickups are different, the stock pickups only have two in one wires one hot and ground together. The new pickups comes with the wires separated, what should I do.
How good are 90's Greco LP customs though!
I tend to take a lot of photos as reminders of what things were like or supposed to be.
There are a couple of wiring sites (like Seymour Duncan) that have amazing diagrams of almost any wiring setup you'd like to try, in case you are moving from stock and adding splitting, in/out of phase etc.
One thing to note - wire colours are not universal so you need to be aware of that if changing brands of pickups - that red coloured "hot" wire may not be in the new pickup. (Ask me how I know 😜)
What was that red marker that you used. Do you have a link you could share...
Hi Nisebelle! Fantastic video!!
How do we know which hambucker goes to the neck or vice-versa?
Hey! Depending on the manufacturer, often times they’ll mark which one is which either with a colored dot, a label, or by the wire color (refer to the wiring diagram to check this). If not, you can use a multimeter to check the DC resistance of the pickups. Generally speaking, the neck pickup is often wound to have a lower resistance value than the bridge pickup. Hope this helps!
@@nisebelle Thank you so much!!
I will second that, you have a natural teaching voice. One small thing, please slow down your speaking just a bit. I want to be able to digest what you are saying. And, being new to changing pickups, I’m not really fluent with the technical language yet.
I lived and taught music in the Seattle area for 18 years. I hope you know about A-Sharp Music near the IKEA store. Great people, ready and solid advice, and super selection of instruments. If Skip is still there, he will treat you well.
Thank you for another great video. Looking forward to the next one.
Thanks so much for the note! I'll slow down my delivery in the next tutorial. I haven't checked out A-Sharp Music yet, but I'll definitely stop by next time I'm in the area!
This is for passive to active, correct? I just wanna swap out my old active pickups to different ones. Is that just plug and played ?
Great tutorial, but a bit of a personal torture to watch a vintage Greco stripped of it's PAF recreation. Hope they don't misplace those, because they're usually sought after, commonly being a Maxon Dry Z.
Either way, cool video!
Definitely keeping the pickups! If the owner didn’t already want different pickups in it, I absolutely would’ve left it stock!
@@nisebelle solid choice!
Will you end up making a video on building an amp or something in that realm?
i changed my strings a week ago thanks >:(
changing the value and/or quality of the potentiometers could improve the tone (for cheap).
Do you need to shield the cavity?
I’ve found that some guitars do and some don’t depending on pickups, pickup type, control plates, etc. in general, if a guitar has a distractingly loud noise floor on a clean channel with no pedals, then I’ll typically shield it.
@@nisebelle thanks for the tip one more question, tape or paint which is better for the cavity and the control plate. Thanks again.
@@tonycastaneda3051 Unless the pickups are ridiculously noisy, it isn't really needed. You can also use aluminum tape over copper to save money. Copper blocks more frequencies than aluminum, but I am not convinced those extra frequencies are relevant with guitars. I still add it when asked, or in new builds since it doesn't take long and people will fight to the death to defend their placebos. While the idea is to treat it like a faraday cage, the circuit is never fully contained, which a faraday cage has to be in order to be effective.
If/when you do go for the foil tape, check gardening sections of hardware stores. Order it for guitar and you'll pay twice as much as you will if you buy it from a garden center where copper foil tape is sold to help keep snails out of garden beds. Exact same stuff, only with a different label and lower price tag. I've also seen people use spray adhesive and heavy duty foil like you'd bake or grill with. Just be sure the adhesive is conductive.
Paint is easy, but most of the conductive recommend three to five coats, each one needing 24 hours of drying time between them, and on top of that the paint can expire if not used. The tape doesn't have such issues.
normalize roasting blues licks
CHANGE YER STRINGS, CONNER!! 😂
oh no nisebelle, nop demo? :( WHYY
is this a mtf
The fact that you put in silver pickups is really upsetting though
Umm... something seems off here. 🤔
You're going too fasttt :(((
your hairstyle does NOT help you
This is q good show or pod cast...