The time has come... new pickups must...

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Author Message Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 5:52 pm:    i was able to put up with the tone for quite a while, but i think i'm in need of something with a little more note definition and brightness in my AS73. spring break has just begun and there aren't any exotic party locations that intrigue me, so i thought this would be a nice little project to keep me busy. you've all seen a million of these, and i know it's not nearly as pretty as an 80s AS200 or anything, but here it is in its pretty much stock state, minus repositioned jack and random aesthetic mods. i know that most folks favor the super58s and other PAF style pickups, but i wanted something different, so i took a gamble on some GFS retrotron liverpool pickups, which have alnico magnets and filtertron style looks. (check 'em out at http://store.guitarfetish.com/pickups.html) i've read a lot of good stuff about these and they're some of the only alnico pickups in my price range, so i thought i'd give 'em a try. i've never done any wiring like this before, so it might be a little hit n' miss, but that's the beauty of having a cheaper guitar. i should be getting them in the next few days, and i'll update you guys on the status of the job. hopefully i won't mess things up too badly. if so, i'll just have to bring it in to my local guitar dealer, who is a really cool guy and knows his stuff. any suggestions, comments, or words of experience in mods like this would be appreciated. -ben Mty Username: Mty Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, March 13, 2006 - 8:31 am:    Ben I'm looking to do the same before long with my AG75 with at GFS Nashville pickups, so I'll be interested to see how your project turns out. I just put in a sound post this weekend and that has helped control feedback and give it the stronger feel I was looking for. New pickups will be the next step... --Mark Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Monday, March 13, 2006 - 11:22 am:    Mark, how exactly does a sound post work in a guitar? i did a quick search, but only found things about violin sound posts. it seemed like it was just a thin piece of wood that added some support and made for a more solid (as in pure) tone. does that sound similar to how you modified your AG? so far, i don't have much to say. the pickups have arrived (they came REALLY quickly! gfs knows how to treat a guy), but once i actually looked at the pickup switch and the wiring that would need to be done, my confidence in soldering went down really quickly. i'm gonna try to see if i can go into my previously mentioned local guitar guru's place today and watch him while he works, doing whatever i can to help him out and all that stuff. it'll cost me a couple bucks, but i think it'll be worth it to have the job done right and hopefully learn a little something in the process. Zhen Username: Zhen Registered: 01-2005 Posted on Monday, March 13, 2006 - 1:02 pm:    heeey nice smile on the peghead Mty Username: Mty Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 4:44 pm:    The sound post connects the top and bottom of a hollow body guitar such that they vibrate together, reducing feedback and adding sustain. My understanding is that the AS73 is semi-hollow, so it already has some feedback-reducing structure inside, so your's shouldn't need this. Good luck w/your project and let us know how it sounds in the end. Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 5:26 pm:    my AS73 is semi-hollow indeed, Mark. that's a cool idea for full hollows though. okay, so the pickups were installed yesterday, and i would've posted something, but i was way too busy enjoying the new, improved sound of my AS! here's a look at the finished product. ...and a little closer i'm really happy with the extra bite that these pickups bring in the high end and their warmth in the bass department. i won't ever have to put up with the hissing of my hot rod deluxe that came from cranking the treble and presence knobs to get decent high end response. i like the unique look they bring to the mix too. i've noticed a little bit of distortion with harder picking at higher volumes, but it's not a muddy distortion at all. it's nice and crisp, which will be good for cutting through the mix in band situations. when i turn on my big muff fuzz pedal, a lot more of the guitar's character shines through as compared to the stock pickups. once again, crisper sound, which is very cool. i'm glad i didn't get the "hot" version of this pickup, as these things bring plenty of output to the table, especially for a semi-hollow. i'm thinking that excessive feedback could be an issue with hotter pickups in non-solidbody guitars especially. there ya go... i'm not gonna go and claim that the tone is life changing or anything, but it is a big improvement, and these pickups were CHEAP! i hope this helps with your decision, Mark. the website says the nashvilles have a little more bite in the high end with their ceramic magnets, which could be really cool in a full hollow. good luck! Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 5:29 pm:    sorry, zhen... no more smile. i'm in search of a new sticker to put in its place. Wildfield Username: Wildfield Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 11:14 pm:    Benito, How did you erase the lightening bolt? I like it better without the bolt. Darryl Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 12:15 pm:    well, Darryl, that's a long story... it all goes back to an old family secret that my grandfather taught me when i was seven. you see, he was a world class tradesman, doing custom paint jobs on race cars, guitars, and all sorts of things... actually no he wasn't, and now that i think about it, i just put two strips of electrical tape over the stupid bolt logo thing. no erasing involved! as you can see, it doesn't look all that great when you get a little closer, but it's still better than the bolt, and from a distance, it's barely noticeable. Wildfield Username: Wildfield Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 12:53 pm:    Ah, got it. I was secretly hoping that you only had to use some Windex and the logo magically evaporated. I'm sure your grandfather would be proud of your creativity Mty Username: Mty Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 1:13 pm:    Ben where did you take it to have the pickups swapped out? Local Guitar Center type store? Independent guitar guru? I'm not coming up with much searching for "luthier" in northern virginia. Thanks, --Mark Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 3:18 pm:    ahhh, wouldn't it be nice if windex could do the trick!? we'll just have to see if they come up with some crazy new formula... Mark, i'm from a small town in midwestern minnesota, so there isn't a guitar center or anything like it within about two hours drive. lucky for me, there's a place about 20 minutes away called 'fat freddy's music'. the owner is the 'guru' and i'm pretty sure he's independent. he's a super cool guy, and the total for installation and set up was $30. hopefully you get lucky and find somebody who can do a good job and isn't too far away. Tdu Username: Tdu Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 12:25 pm:    Heya. I am a new poster. I just did a similar upgrade on my Artcore. The Liverpools are great. I actually installed them myself, and this was the first guitar wiring job I ever did. It IS tough, but it's not THAT hard. You can get plenty of easy to follow schematics online. You just need to be able to solder. You take everything out of the guitar, wire it outside the guitar, than put it back in through the f holes and the pickup holes. I saved myself a TON of money figuring it out myself though. I am in an isolated area as well, with a few options within 1/2 hour drive. I can tell you none of them would do it for $30 though! Which is why I did it myself. You are lucky you have a place with a reasonable tech. Benito1300 Username: Benito1300 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 - 10:20 am:    the whole soldering thing was basically the trick. i'd never done it before and the gun my dad has is waaaaaaaaaaaay old, so i didn't feel too confident goin' at my axe even if it was relatively inexpensive. i actually just had my first soldering experience last week on some copper piping, so perhaps i'll be more prepared should the need for a wiring job come up.

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