Model 6 - pickup replacement

[oliver]

I own a Model 6 that I bought 1988 in Florida and brought it to Germany. I kind of rediscovered it - I love the different sound possibilities, the shape, but mostly the neck which plays like butter. But I'd like to replace the Jackson pickups. After all I like the mid boost possibility - so I don't intend to rip off all the electronic but finding a way to make some easy and effektive changes.

Though I found some threads with the search function which made some things clearer I'm not enlightened yet..:think:

Still I have some very basic questions in my mind. Are the original Jackson pick ups active? Or is it only the mid boost, that makes it a kind of active guitar? If they are active, then is it possible to put some EMGs in while leaving the rest of the electronic on board and still use the mid boost? Does it make sense?

Or who make proposals for good heavy rock pickups that can be changed easily and without the need to remove more parts?

Your help is very much appreciated !

[DonP]

The Jackson pickups are passive.

They have an amplifier circuit that can work with any pickups.

EMG's are not active. They are a passive pickup with an on-board amplifier.

There is no such thing as an active pickup.

Yes, you can use EMG's with the onboard preamp.

Both the Model 6 and Model 4 I bought came unloaded. I plan on making one the stock Jackson stuff and the other hot-rodded, most likely the Model 6. I'm thinking an original SD PATB-1 and a pair of hot rails or similar.

If I were you, I'd try to leave it stock and modify something else.

[oliver]

thx for replying! Ok, I understood that the Model 6 contains an amplifier circuit which is not onboard the Jackson pickups. Its preamping the tone - but this is still not the Mid-Boost section - this comes as an addition to the amplifier circuit?

Still I'd like to replace the stock pick ups - and I read that some Model 6 owners did that and were very satisfied with the results. So if I understood - if I put in EMGs I've got a kind of double amplification - onboard the pickup and then the circuit which doesn't seem to be desireable.

So puttin in some good passive pickups like Seymour Duncan's would make a change easier? Do they fit with the charvel pots? I was thinkin about soldering some cables, leaving the pots with the amplifiers on board? Does that work?

thx very much for help.

[DonP]

Any passives will swap right in without thinking. The pickups you most likely have are the J-50BC (a PAF wind with a ceramic magnet) and a pair of J-200 stacked singles.

EMG's should go in no problem as well. I've read of other people doing it without issues with the onboard amp.

With any pickup change, the only place you will be soldering is the toggle switches and ground wires. You will unsolder the stock pickups from the toggles, unsolder the ground wires, carefully pull the pickups out (after strings and screws are taken care of).

Wiring back in will be the opposite. Hot to the toggles, and ground the grounds.

With the EMG's, in addition you will need to find a place to get the 9v positive power to the pickups.

I hope you don't have regrets down the road about not keeping the guitar original. These are going up in value and not too many are left unhacked.

[Doink]

I think the stock pickups fit the guitar rather nicely. They sound good and the bridge pickup has a lot of output. I'd look at getting a newer Schaller baseplate for the Floyd, as the old ones are prone to stripping out, and the newer ones have a threaded steel insert.

[toejam]

I'd look at getting a newer Schaller baseplate for the Floyd, as the old ones are prone to stripping out, and the newer ones have a threaded steel insert.

The Model 6 has the JT6 Floyd, not the JT590/Schaller.