Broken Squier TB pickup... what to do?

[Steveaux]

Just rang my local Fender/Squier dealer, and gave them the number, along with the numbers for the two 1Meg pots, gonna see if they can get me them. They said it should be no problem.

I'm not so sure I needed to know this .... time to fire-up the router.

 

[Darkstrike]

Wow! Cool! Fender should make these things available. They're excellent pickups... if you're into that sorta thing.

They are nice pickups, for what they are, I like that I can coil cut them, its a cool option!

I'm not so sure I needed to know this .... time to fire-up the router.

Don't have a router, I'm going hardcore!

 

[McSpunckle]

Not gonna be able to fix the pickup. The coil is too damaged. It would have to be totally re-wound.

So, I'll either be calling my Squier dealer tomorrow, or looking for another option. Bummer.

I have a couple of ideas in my head... considering just making a new pickguard and putting a chrome-covered humbucker like a Rio Grande Pitbull in there... (Ok, I'd probably just use some sort of rail-style guitar pickup, but whatever).

 

[Darkstrike]

That sucks dude.

 

[Doublefunk]

You could always just put the darkstar in it.

 

[McSpunckle]

Considering it, but I already had the new wiring all planned out. All the switches of a Jaguar... plus 6 more. Haha.

In any case... I'll come up with something.

 

[throbgod13]

again..

it needs a Darkstar..

 

[nicfargo]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm thinking about getting a second one and adding it to my squier to get the functional CS TB. Any suggestions on getting one of those pick guards? If I need a custom one, any suggestions as to who to go to? Hopefully I can order that pick guard through Fender. 1 meg pots on the CS TB, is that right??? Just looking for a fun mod project and this looks like it.

/thread jacking

 

[McSpunckle]

Well, since the thread's been bumped...

I've decided to go with 2 X2Ns (actually, GFS Power Rails-- they have all the marking for an X2N copy despite some reviews claiming they're more mid-heavy. Which would actually be better).

For the neck pickup, I'm going to use an Alnico magnet to mellow it out, and since the coils will be the same, I can do inner/outer coil modes with no hum.

My problem now is finding a source for pickguard material big enough to make a new pickguard...

On another note, I wouldn't want to use 1 Meg pots with these pickups. They'll muddy up very fast while turning the volume down. If you want to brighten up the tone, add a no-load tone pot. That's where the most high end is lost anyhow.

 

[GlennW]

Warmoth is a good place for pickguard material.

 

[Anonymous Guy]

What does the humbucker look like uncovered?

 

[McSpunckle]

Warmoth is a good place for pickguard material.

Their stuff comes in pretty small sheets. I haven't measured what I'd need to make a TB pickguard, but I doubt it would work. it's a very large pickguard. The sheet of pickguard material would have be able to come very close to covering a P bass body.

What does the humbucker look like uncovered?

It's heavily wax potted. Once you get that off, it looks like a guitar humbucker with huge coils and 4 poles per coil. 2 poles on each coil are turned up-side-down (with the cover on, they are adjustable from the bottom of the pickup).

 

[throbgod13]

you can get pickguard material from WD (pickguards.com), or have one cut from Chandler Guitars..

i'd make you one from carbon fiber, but it's been pretty slow going recently..

 

[nicfargo]

so if it's been slow going, that means you have lots of time to make us one right???

I'm at work right now, so I'm not sure if the full sheets on pickguards.com are big enough or not...I'd hope so. Any tricks to cutting this stuff I should be aware of?

 

[McSpunckle]

The full sheets are big enough, but very expensive.

I'm considering getting creative with this... finding something at a craft store. I need a new Xacto knife anyhow. Hehe.

What I was gonna do to cut it is use the stock pickguard as a template, and rout it out (along with a thin peace of wood, likely, for stability).

I've heard of people using Jig Saws as well. That would be a good option. Cut outside the line, then sand down. That's how I did the template for my Kahler. Other than the sanding part. Tehehe.

I'd be all over a carbon fiber pickguard if I wasn't going kind of trying to keep this thing retro looking.

 

[nicfargo]

$60.00 doesn't look too bad for a full sheet of black...I've seen pick guards for jazz basses from fender or allparts be just about as much ($40). I can make a ton of pick guards with 24'' x 54''. Plus it gives me some extra if I screw up. Now...I have to decide if I want to bind the neck. I know it's a pain...but it looks schweet. I'll have to re-fret, but that's no biggie. This is gonna be a fun project that's going to take some serious time, but luckily not a ton of money.

 

[McSpunckle]

Just noticed that Allparts sells a 11-3/4 x 18 B/W/B pickguard blank for $22. I believe that would be big enough.

http://www.allparts.com/Black-Pickguard-Blank-p/pg-0095-033.htm

 

[nicfargo]

Cool, I'll do some measurements when I get home. I think I'm also going to paint mine shell pink just because with that much pick guard, the sunburst is pretty much useless.