SD Pickup swap?

[BlackStrat_Fan]

Hey everybody, I'm new here but have been checking out this forum for some time now. I've decided to pull the trigger on a SD Style 1 - the white one. Couple of questions - has anybody swapped out their bridge pickup? I know the 59 and jb's are a great combo, and I love Seymour Duncans, but I just put a SD '78 in my old Kramer Pacer Special and I'm just wondering if it would be better in the Charvel? Second, if I do the swap, is it possible to trade the tops of the pickups? In other words I like the zebra look pickups of the new white San Dimas coming out. The SD '78 I have is black. Any way of trading that out? Or is it one piece that is wound? Just curious.

And finally, anybody know of a place in Los Angeles that will offer a deal on these? I played a few at West LA Music, but didn't get into it with the salesman, though they seemed anxious to move the couple they had left.

[Dred]

Hi, and welcome to the board!

The Zebra coils are not interchangeable. The wire is wound around them, as far as my hazy memory tells me.
The only way to swap tops, so to speak, is to swap pickup covers from guitar to guitar, or if you are good at cutting things up, and then keeping them together, you may try getting a hold of those single coil slip on covers. (something like these) You may cut two of them open so the inner sides will be gone, and slipping both of them on. You may need to glue them, or if you've the hex wrench pole pieces, they alone should be able to hold the covers in place, somewhat. This is pure speculation though.

As for the sound, I've no idea how those two would sound. Your best bet would be to simply study the woods, and compare their natural tone, and make an educated guess whether the pickup/wood combp will or will not produce the sound you want. That's as far as I can go, as I haven't tried SD pickups. Sorry to leave you hanging like that.

[BlackStrat_Fan]

No, you pretty much confirmed my suspicions regarding the pickup "tops."

Thanks

[Dred]

Oh yeah, kist remembered. Of ypu are thinking of trying that pickup cover iption, by no means don't glue the suckers right on top of the pickups themselves. But you probabbly guessed that