Help on replacing pickups - To F-space or not to F-space?

ashlock · #1 03-08-2001, 01:56 PM

I am looking to replace the faded pink PAF Pro's on my Jem77FP with black ones. *My questions are; *(1) will I need to remove all the strings to be able to get access to the pickups, or can it be done somehow with the strings on? *(2) Are both the neck and bridge pickups F-spaced, or is it just one of them or none? * (3) I have read that the neck pup is reversed 180 degrees. *Does this mean the wires are just switched at the 5-pole switch, or will I see that the pup is physically rotated 180 degrees?

This is my first pup mod, so thanks for your help

**jemsite** · #2 03-08-2001, 02:03 PM

You need clear access with strings out of the way.

I would simply pop off the tremolo with strings still attached to them. See the Jemsite - Guitar - TECH area for more info. Just lock the nut first and be careful. Huge timesaver. No reason to remove all the strings and retune from scratch.

Both are F-Spaced.

Wire the normal way (also in TECH area) but for the neck pickup just rotate the pickup 180-degrees looking from directly above the front of the guitar. So that bridge side of the humbucker is now next to the neck instead . Simplicity is sometimes better

Good luck... glen

(Edited by jemsite at 1:06 pm on Mar. 8, 2001)

Jason Stone · #3 03-08-2001, 11:34 PM

Okay, I can't be the only one who is in the dark on this. *What, exactly, is F-spacing and why is it called F-spacing?
My hunch is that it's just a non-standard way of spacing the pole pieces of the pickup so that they line up with the strings better. *As for the name, I'm stumped.

J

ashlock · #4 03-08-2001, 11:37 PM

I am pretty sure it is called "Fender-spacing", to fit the wider string spacing on a strat.

mecca777 · #5 03-08-2001, 11:52 PM

I've heard it referred to as both "Fender-spacing" and "Floyd-spacing", as in Floyd Rose tremolo. It's the same as Seymour Duncan's Trembucker pickups - the polepieces fit the Fender tremolo spacing rather than the Gibson Tune-O-Matic spacing of the original humbuckers.

jimmi · #6 03-12-2001, 02:12 PM

ashlock,

I have to disagree with Glen on this. If you want to replace your pickups w/o taking off the strings I would not do it. YOu could lossen the strings lightly, and then unscrew the pickgard, and then take the trem bar and point it away from the pickups and lossen the strings w/ the bar and slide the pickguard out w/ the pickups. *That is how I did my guitar. * I would not risk the damage with the strings tunned up and taking the bridge off the posts.

BTW, If you want pink pickups you can special order them from DeMarzio.

iain · #7 03-12-2001, 03:01 PM

jimmi, the FP is rear routed, the length of the pikup wire, on the stock pickups, would probably make that method impossible. Also, on the newer FP's, the pickups are not mounted to the guard at all, but direct mounted.

kennydoe · #8 03-12-2001, 04:43 PM

If you're just going to pop the bridge out long enough to replace the pickup you won't risk damage.

I had my UV set up recently and asked the tech (a tech i hold in the highest regard) if popping off the bridge to replace the pickup would cause damage to the guitar or even screw up the setup...He said just don't keep it off longer than you need to, i.e. a couple of days.

You'll screw up the setup worse by loosening than by popping the bridge off.

~Kenny

jimmi · #9 03-12-2001, 04:45 PM

iain,

Oops, I did miss that it was a FP but I looked at my BFP and Idon't think it should be different. *If the pickup wires are too short then cut the connections 1st and then take out the PUs and when you put in the next ones, feed in the wires 1st, attach the PUs and then do the wiring.

**jemsite** · #10 03-12-2001, 04:51 PM

The JEM is not a delicate acoustic guitar with glued in set neck.

You can safely remove the bolt-on neck without trouble to do repairs. If the guitar is several years old, you can probably leave the neck off for weeks at a time with no residual effects, although I'd try to avoid that myself

As with any repairs, do what you feel comfortable with and no more...glen

ashlock · #11 01-07-2002, 07:17 PM

Just an update. *I sold the floral and got a 7VWH. *Didn't like the brittle sounding Ceramic magnet Evolutions, so I installed a Paf Pro and a FRED to get closer to the tone of the floral. *It's a snap to just leave the locking nuts tightened, remove the tremolo springs and lift the trem up and out. *After doing the soldering, I simply put the trem back in and the damn thing was in perfect tune!

Now I will be replacing the stock Evolution SC with a Blue Velvet to get more uniform output in the 2-4 positions of the 5-way.