Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

[Number Of The Priest]

I was wondering if it's possible to remove the whole electonics suite in a guitar without desoldering anything except the bridge ground. Say I have an HSS config, 1 volume, 1 tone, 5 way switch, battery clip (actives), and the output jack. Could I remove the suite and put it into another guitar body that has a similar layout, and then just resolder the bridge ground? "Edumacate" me! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Model 88]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

You should have be able to do that.The only problem you might have is if you do not have have enough wire between the pots and output to reach in there new home.You could even cheat with the pickups buy using some wire nuts and leaving enough old wire to reconnect them.

[Hotrod]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

No, you'll have to desolder something. The pots and the output jack won't fit through the wire channels in the guitar. This is assuming it is not a strat type setup with a pickguard. Just write down everything you desolder so you can resolder it later. Draw pictures if you have to. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

Ahh, that's interesting, because the EMG suite that I bought off Ebay for my RG560 some time ago came all soldered together, and I was wondering how the seller managed to take the whole thing out without disconnecting/desoldering anything! He said it came out of his old Washburn guitar... probably it had a pickguard covering the massive cavity spaces underneath then. I have no idea whether my guitar tech had to desolder anything to install it in my non-pickguard RG560 though. I forgot to ask him.

[Model 88]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

I am not sure what wires Hotrod is talking about but he probably meant the pickup wires.The control wires and output wires are right out in the open. The only wires on a rear loaded guitar that go through the body are the pickups and trem ground.

[Hotrod]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

[img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] Well, I'm probably misunderstanding then. I thought he was asking if he could take everything out without desoldering everything.

Say I have an HSS config, 1 volume, 1 tone, 5 way switch, battery clip (actives), and the output jack. Could I remove the suite and put it into another guitar body that has a similar layout, and then just resolder the bridge ground?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sounds like pick ups and everything to me. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

Yes, I'm a lazy lazy lazy man, so taking out EVERYTHING that the wires are connected to (other than the bridge) would be ideal. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[etaeniura]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

In the time it took to post this question and read subsequent replies, you could have desoldered and installed the electronics in a new guitar. And you call yourself lazy....shame on you. REAL lazy people like myself would just solder the pickup leads directly to the output jack and forego all those unnecessary pots and switches! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Hotrod]

Re: Removing pickups and electronics without desoldering?

And you call yourself lazy....shame on you. REAL lazy people like myself would just solder the pickup leads directly to the output jack and forego all those unnecessary pots and switches!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]