Replacing Pickups Options

[dcz702]

I've got a ibanez prestige that has emg pickups in it, really I don't like them. I really don't like active pickups at all from the 2 guitars I've owned that had them.
I'm gonna replace them with Seymour Duncan nazgul in the bridge and Seymour Duncan sentient in the neck and I'm gonna do it myself something I've never done , but I have a idea on how and doesn't seem to hard.
So while I'm at it what's about the pots? If I'm gonna do some work to hook up my axe I'll just go all out, wanted to learn how to do this anyway.

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[Chris S.]

I've got a ibanez prestige that has emg pickups in it, really I don't like them. I really don't like active pickups at all from the 2 guitars I've owned that had them.
I'm gonna replace them with Seymour Duncan nazgul in the bridge and Seymour Duncan sentient in the neck and I'm gonna do it myself something I've never done , but I have a idea on how and doesn't seem to hard.
So while I'm at it what's about the pots? If I'm gonna do some work to hook up my axe I'll just go all out, wanted to learn how to do this anyway.

If the pickups you are switching over to are passive you'll definitely need to replace the pots as generally they are 25k ohms, while passive pickups are generally 250k, 500k or 1M ohms.

As for wiring everything Seymour Duncan has just about every wiring diagram known to mad unless you do weird stuff like me:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/

As for tools and parts I would recommend Stew Mac unless you have a place nearby that sells the parts:

http://www.stewmac.com

And just a few tips that I have learned over the years:

When soldering to the bottom of the potentiometers, sand the bottoms to rough up the surface and use a chisel tip - this will make it a lot easier. When I first started soldering I used a pencil tip on smooth bottom pots and it was a NIGHTMARE!

If you have any questions or anything let me know - I've swapped out electronics in about 100 or so guitars. I'm no master wizard but I know a thing or two

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[Darius Wave]

Topic is probably not a bit longer than Chris already wrote Keep close to worldwide standards - 500kOhm pot (audio taper for volume and linear for tone control) for passive humbuckers. Basic rule is...the bigger value of the pot, the less treble you loose (less capacity between hot output and ground). Also....do not try to save money on pots quality. Good CTS pots will serve for a lifetime and will not get loose as fast as cheaper ones like alhpa or similar

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[Mertay]

Good CTS pots will serve for a lifetime and will not get loose as fast as cheaper ones like alhpa or similar

A problem is CTS pots are too thick for ibanez guitars, the hole between the outer and inner body must be drilled to be widened.

My luthier did this many times though so nothing to fear, just cover tape on the outer side of body before drilling so the paint won't crack (small possibility but just to be safe).

I had to use alpha pots cause CTS doesn't make push-pull pots. They're not as good but not so bad either.

also use orange drop capasitor on your tone pot, .022uF is a safe value for humbuckers.

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[Chris S.]

Another positive of CTS pots is that the insides can be cleaned just by taking the knob off

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[Todd Simpson]

It would be way easier of course just to swap out to a different set that is already wired for in your guitar. I switched the EMG 808 (which I didn't like) to the EMG 57 series (which feels more like a passive alnico pickup with wads of gain). The EMG is a solderless design so it takes about 5 minutes to swap pickups. Just pull off the strings, unscrew the pickups and reslot the new ones.

This is the pair I'd suggest to anyone with or considering swapping to EMGs they are very "UN" emg sounding. The 57/66 pair is IMHO simply the best pickup they make as it sounds nothing like the EMGs that I just don't like. This link has a vid on bottom with Devin Townsend going from jazz to metal.

If you do swap out, you are going from ACTIVE to PASSIVE which is a bit more complicated than just swapping out active to active or passive to passive. You will need to drill bigger holes in your guitar for entirely new pots, and follow the other directions listed. People do it all the time and if you mess it up you can take it to your Luthier to fix. Just don't press to hard on the drill during hole widening or you may crack the finish on your prestige.

In short, perhaps trying this on a less expensive guitar for your first time might be a good idea? The pickups you are switching to are a nice pair I don't like ceramic bridge pups on Ibanez guitars personally but some folks LOVE em For my ears, they run fizzy and dark at high gain but thats what some folks want. Then again some folks don't hear the fizzy and dark as everyone has different ears and different thoughts.

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[dcz702]

thanks guys gonna order my pups tonight, and order what i need from stew mac, as far as pots im gonna do some research chosing the right ones, (thanks Darius), ive got a prestige saber its got a real thin body. while i search if you could let me know what would be a good choice that would be cool. ill go over this thread in a bit, and research the pots that you guys recommended
PS dont wanna do any drilling, that mertay mentioned

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This post has been edited by dcz702: Jun 9 2015, 12:32 AM

[Chris S.]

thanks guys gonna order my pups tonight, and order what i need from stew mac, as far as pots im gonna do some research chosing the right ones, (thanks Darius), ive got a prestige saber its got a real thin body. while i search if you could let me know what would be a good choice that would be cool. ill go over this thread in a bit, and research the pots that you guys recommended
PS dont wanna do any drilling, that mertay mentioned

Alpha pots really aren't that bad if the CTS won't fit - definitely a more solid potentiometer but an alpha will do just fine

As Mertay said, they don't come in a lot of variations - so I had a CTS for the volume and tone but an alpha as a pan control to pan from the neck pickup to bridge pickup (instead of having a toggle switch - told you I am weird like that ) and the alpha pot held up.

I ended up going back to a toggle switch but not because of any issues with the pot, just didn't care for the panning effect too much.

Let us know if you need anything

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[Todd Simpson]

You'll just have to use pots that are a bit less ideal is all if you don't wanna do any drilling. It will still work, folks go from Active to passive all the time

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