Please explain this to me...

[toowrongfoo]

And again, I'm not saying that I'm some soldering guru and that the OP is a dope, I'm saying GC are dopes and that the OP has a legitimate point.

 

[Snakeman1066]

Best damn gift my ex mother in law ever gave me...

 

[ZAR14]

They are just removing the old one and popping the new one in...

To reference your quote...If that's all it takes, why didnt you do it yourself?

 

[madbass6]

I am getting a p bass worked on at guitar center, primarily, new pickup installed. I am getting a quarter pounder p bass pickup installed. However, they are charging me for a dual pickup install... Why?...

In my mind, it is a single pickup just split... Should I bring this up to them? Maybe I am wrong...

Obviously GC is trying to screw you !
But a better explanation
(on your part) would be why wouldn't you get a quote on a price before accepting and agreeing on them doing the job !

 

[TuneSalad666]

No, it's one cavity. Doesn't matter what shape it is. A router template is used rout the cavity. Nothing is "drilled out".

Well, excuse me for using the wrong terminology, material is removed with a tool that as far as I know rotate, in my world that is drilling, but I am neither a native English speaker or a guitar technician/luthier of profession.

Also it is in fact two cavities in reality no matter how you make them and if they are connected.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Solution is ... Obsidianwire solderless harness and whatever pickup you want to change in house ... 54$ plus the pickup cost !
Got a harness coming from NZ and a Fender PV 63 pickup coming for my MIJ PB70 !

 

[Fletz]

Why don't you ask them?
Why would we know?
Why GC?
Why didn't you ask how much first?

This. Really.

 

[Fletz]

Yup...could have saved the money and bought a soldering iron AND pizza and beer. Not hard at all, some pickups these days don't even require a soldering iron, just plug them in.

I can even do it and I can barely hang a shelf.

 

[lasalle69]

+1 on the DIY. Once you do a good solder, you’ll be hooked. In fact, most guitar work, aside from fine wood or fret work, is fairly simple.

 

[TKnights]

Your mistake was dealing with Guitar Center from the start .

 

[kev451]

I am getting a p bass worked on at guitar center, primarily, new pickup installed. I am getting a quarter pounder p bass pickup installed. However, they are charging me for a dual pickup install... Why?...

In my mind, it is a single pickup just split... Should I bring this up to them? Maybe I am wrong...

For stuff like this I prefer to go to mom and pop stores they are cheaper have better customer service and the more you go the more they work with you on things. I’ve been going to the same spot for over 10 years, it’s gotten to the point that I dont get charged for setup and intonation on my basses.

 

[redwingxix]

I find GC is great for buying music items (not nec. guitars and basses) but I wouldn't have work done there, lots of other alternatives for cheaper, better workmanship. However, the $49 is not only paying for the guitar techs 20-30 minutes of labor. The fee pays for that of course, but also the store manager and cashier's salaries, the rent, utilities, insurance and taxes on the physical building, the tools and materials needed to do the repair, GC advertising, website maintenance and everything else that is needed for you to be able to go to a business and pay them to do the simple repair that you need done. It might sound like a lot of money to pay for that service, but without covering their overhead then there's no GC to go to in the first place.

Also, I'd just do it myself. A lot of times you don't even need to solder anything and it's fun.

 

[St_G]

Hey, I know that there's no routing being done in this install, but a couple of people have piped up to say that routing for a P-bass pickup requires routing two holes. That's not entirely accurate. Check this out:

\

A template like that is how, in the absence of your own CNC machine, you would rout for a pickup. That's a single hole, done in a single step. Unless you count the mounting screw holes, but if you're charging extra for those, I think your entire business model needs adjusting. With, like, a hammer. To the face.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

People used to call the shop and asked if I ate yet, a pack of Camel Lights, some kind of Lager, and possibly weed + $20.
It was the going rate to install something less than a full Strat setup or 2x humbuckers to a 4-pot Gibson layout.

Turnaround was quick, you hung out with the customer, owner didn't care bc they never paid us much.

Those were the good ol days when I'd get hungry and hope someone needed a restring or pots/pickups/preamp that day.

Anyone else when they were 19 brought home food and feel like they won something?

Sounds like you been hangin' around MY shop, lol!!!

 

[Maxdusty]

It was 89.99 for dual installation of pickups. 49.99 for one. I will be buying a iron for my future projects though.

Holy cow, is that how much they charge? Not criticizing you at all for having them do it, it's convenient and if you don't have a soldering iron and willing to pay, that's your call to make not ours.
However, as your TB brethren, we just want to save you some money and point out that a pickup change is easy enough to do by yourself. I'm nowhere near as handy with a soldering iron as most people but even found this easy to do so the price being charged for it by GC is pretty jarring.
I bought my soldering iron at Harbor Freight for $4 - you can even buy it cheaper online at Amazon or ebay. You can buy solder for a pretty cheap price, you don't need much of it unless you plan to solder a lot - I bought a small reel for $3 (make sure you get the one that's suited for electronics).
It's a good idea to invest in one, it's always good to have around as eventually your output jack might need replacing, or a pot for example. I recently replaced my output jack as the one on my bass started to go, it was crackling with the slightest touch so all I really had to do was find one on ebay that was of the same type, a Switchcraft- that cost me $3.
One thing I highly recommend is to take pictures with your phone camera of the wiring before you remove anything so you'll have something to refer to should you need it when you put the replacement part in.

 

[mistermikev]

bring a guitar to service at guitar center... might as well be bringing a computer to service at best buy.

you see... they charged you for 2 pickups because they probably had to solder the two series wires between the two p coils together... and put some shrink tube on it. That's two extra wires to connect and shrink tube is not cheap.
They had to unscrew/screw 4 screws instead of 2. For them... that's probably a lot of work. that and breathing. hehe.

 

[Eekum]

Holy cow, is that how much they charge? Not criticizing you at all for having them do it, it's convenient and if you don't have a soldering iron and willing to pay, that's your call to make not ours.
However, as your TB brethren, we just want to save you some money and point out that a pickup change is easy enough to do by yourself. I'm nowhere near as handy with a soldering iron as most people but even found this easy to do so the price being charged for it by GC is pretty jarring.
I bought my soldering iron at Harbor Freight for $4 - you can even buy it cheaper online at Amazon or ebay. You can buy solder for a pretty cheap price, you don't need much of it unless you plan to solder a lot - I bought a small reel for $3 (make sure you get the one that's suited for electronics).
It's a good idea to invest in one, it's always good to have around as eventually your output jack might need replacing, or a pot for example. I recently replaced my output jack as the one on my bass started to go, it was crackling with the slightest touch so all I really had to do was find one on ebay that was of the same type, a Switchcraft- that cost me $3.
One thing I highly recommend is to take pictures with your phone camera of the wiring before you remove anything so you'll have something to refer to should you need it when you put the replacement part in.

Well, I went up to guitar center today and told them to forget the install and I was going to do it myself. Going after work to buy an iron and some solder. This weekend I will be at my workbench watching some youtube videos.

 

[Iridescentone]

Well, excuse me for using the wrong terminology, material is removed with a tool that as far as I know rotate, in my world that is drilling, but I am neither a native English speaker or a guitar technician/luthier of profession.

Also it is in fact two cavities in reality no matter how you make them and if they are connected.

I feel blessed that I don't have to live in your world. It must be hell. Condolences.

 

[Maxdusty]

Well, I went up to guitar center today and told them to forget the install and I was going to do it myself. Going after work to buy an iron and some solder. This weekend I will be at my workbench watching some youtube videos.

Good call. These are the exact items I bought at Harbor Freight, so if you have one near you it might be a good place to go to get both the iron and solder.

 

[Sixgunn]

Invest in a soldering iron. Its not hard to do, you'll get the hang of it fast. Always nice to have.

Yep. Super simple and easy. Don't be a hostage of your own stuff