Semi-Hollow pickup swap - question about switch

[progrmr]

I'm going to put some GFS pickups in my Oscar Schmidt Delta King - there's a couple of GREAT videos on youtube showing how to get everything out and in with a semi-hollow that are very helpful.

The Delta King has one difference...the switch is on the upper horn, not right by the lower F-hole. I'm guess that you just have to kinda let it drop down to get it out, but thought I'd ask to see if anyone that has some experience with this setup. Seems like it's just going to be a bit more trouble but pretty much the same concept: Let it fall down, fish it out then when replacing it run a string from the hole in the upper horn and fish out/attach to the switch then pull it back up.

Kinda looking forward to the challenge

 

[bigoldron]

I haven't worked on a hollow body, but I would recommend tying a string to the switch BEFORE you let it drop down into the body. That way you can fish it back through a whole lot easier. Good luck with it!

BTW, what GFS pups did you get? I've ordered them a couple of times on a couple of different guitars and have been very pleased with them. I've also been eyeing those Delta Kings for a while. Maybe one of these days, I'll pull the trigger and get one of them. How do you like it?

 

[ZMAN]

Before you go "Fishing" , I have seen a lot of guys do a "cheater" swap. You just take the existing pickups out and use the wiring already there and just attach the wires from the new pickups to the existing ones. I have even heard of guys putting quick connections so they can easily swap them out in the future.
I really doesn't affect the tone at all, and is one heck of a lot easier.

 

[progrmr]

I haven't worked on a hollow body, but I would recommend tying a string to the switch BEFORE you let it drop down into the body. That way you can fish it back through a whole lot easier. Good luck with it!

BTW, what GFS pups did you get? I've ordered them a couple of times on a couple of different guitars and have been very pleased with them. I've also been eyeing those Delta Kings for a while. Maybe one of these days, I'll pull the trigger and get one of them. How do you like it?

I got the Alnico Fat Pat Boutique Humbucker Chrome neck/bridge pair. $77 shipped. I've got GFS Mean 90's in my Epi Emperor and the Neovin single coil set in my CV 60's strat - they both sound really good. I'm sure this will be a nice upgrade. I really like the feel of the Delta King and it was really cheap. The neck isn't as chunky as an Epi DOT - the neck/fret work is very good.

The pickups aren't great - but for the price if these GFS give great tone the guitar will officially be a Cadillac for a pinto price

Before you go "Fishing" , I have seen a lot of guys do a "cheater" swap. You just take the existing pickups out and use the wiring already there and just attach the wires from the new pickups to the existing ones. I have even heard of guys putting quick connections so they can easily swap them out in the future.
I really doesn't affect the tone at all, and is one heck of a lot easier.

Yea, I've read about that - be worth checking it out after the strings are off for sure.

 

[progrmr]

I swear - when it comes to me and pickup swaps, I have 0 luck.

Got the fat pats today, got the neck pickup out using the cheat method. Wire in new pickup and try to place it in the cavity...pickup won't go. It doesn't fit. Just a bit bigger than the route in the body.

** sigh ** Have the dremel at the ready...gonna try to enlarge the route. Why can things never go according to plan??!! lol!

 

[progrmr]

woohooo! Success! After much dremeling I got the pickup to fit. And the darn thing actually works. Sounds pretty good - saving the bridge for tomorrow night as I'm sure I can expect the same.

Gettin' there...gettin' there...

 

[bigoldron]

woohooo! Success! After much dremeling I got the pickup to fit. And the darn thing actually works. Sounds pretty good - saving the bridge for tomorrow night as I'm sure I can expect the same.

Gettin' there...gettin' there...

Hang in there Progrmr! You're doing great. And yes, I feel your pain. NOTHING I ever do is simple... :thwap

 

[ZMAN]

I hate to rain on your parade but did the pickup ring fit in the same holes or did you have to redrill.
I am glad that method worked. It sure seems like a lot of work to pull all the pots and switches on a semi.

 

[progrmr]

Yea the pickup ring fit - the stock pickups didn't have any housing around it so the chrome covers on the fat pats wouldn't drop in. Dremeled away on the corners and the front/back of the route until I had just enough room. Look ok too.

I ran the dremel with one hand, had the vacuum with the hose in the other so all the dust got picked up as it came off the body.

Really want to do the bridge and enjoy the full set. After tonight it should go faster even if I hit the same issue.

 

[progrmr]

Yes! Finished! Bridge went a bit faster, slipped once with the dremel though. Scuffed up the finish but mostly covered by the ring.

Before:

After:

Nice sound difference too - must crisper and even.

 

[ZMAN]

Looks good. I will chalk that up to another succesful use of the quick and easy Cheater method. I asked my tech a couple of years ago about getting pickups replaced and he mentioned this method. He said if the owner wants new pots and switch you have to fish everything through the F holes, otherwise you can use this method with success.
He replaced the toggle switch on two of my Epi Semi hollowbodys that both failed. I asked him how hard it was and he said once you do 50 or 60 it is pretty basic. LOL. If the owner wants the OEM style hook up he recommends changing the pots and switch since they are out anyway.

 

[progrmr]

Actually I wouldn't have minded pulling everything out if the switch had been next to the f-hole. I've been looking at other semi-hollow guitars and most of the them don't have the switch in the upper horn like this one.

Bad thing is that the wiring for the switch runs under pickups - so if I ever had to swap it out I'd have to pull the front pickup.

My first ever successful pickup swap - not nearly as bad as I thought. Next I'm going to do the input jack, switch, and a tone pot on my Electra LP - should be a piece of cake (yea right! )

 

[wingsdad]

Nice going :thumbsup

...Bad thing is that the wiring for the switch runs under pickups - so if I ever had to swap it out I'd have to pull the front pickup. ...

You can cheat on this, too. Remove the switch cap, tie a string securely to the switch post, unscrew the ringnut, let it drop, then fish in through the upper f-hole with a hook fashioned from a piece of stiff wire to grab it, making sure to hold onto the string so it doesn't drop through the hole, too. Unsolder the existing wires, noting which went to which terminal on the switch, and solder the new switch to them. Pull it back through the hole and finish up from there.

I recommend going with the best quality Switchcraft switch you can afford.

 

[bigoldron]

Nice going :thumbsup

You can cheat on this, too. Remove the switch cap, tie a string securely to the switch post, unscrew the ringnut, let it drop, then fish in through the upper f-hole with a hook fashioned from a piece of stiff wire to grab it, making sure to hold onto the string so it doesn't drop through the hole, too. Unsolder the existing wires, noting which went to which terminal on the switch, and solder the new switch to them. Pull it back through the hole and finish up from there.

I recommend going with the best quality Switchcraft switch you can afford.

+1 on what he said! That's what I was talking about with the string. The pickups look great BTW! I know she sounds great now! :thumbsup :applause