Need some help!?!?

[DirtyChains]

I purchased this guitar and I need to know what has been done to the bridge pickup. The humbucker in it does not look right. I thought at first it was just missing the covers off the double single deal but it has a ring. Please tell me what model it is and what I can do. I have found an original Charvel hum to go in the bridge but is it going to take additional mods to make it work? What in the heck is in there now??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ME:B:EOAB:US:6

Any help in any form is appreciated. I am new here so hello to all! I haven't got the guitar yet either. My thoughts were to drop a SD JB in there and install a push/pull tone/volume pot. Diagrams or schematics to do this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[surfdork]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Might be a DiMarzio X2N (HOT!!)
Can't be sure until you pull it out when it arrives.

[DirtyChains]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Thanks. I went to their site looking and forgot to even look at that pickup. It would fit in the same spot as the original 2 single coil setup wouldn't it?

I need to know the model of the guitar as well guys. I would like to have the original pickup that went in there but I guess with the ring added that is impossible now??

[Budman68]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Well, I think they would have had to route it to get that pickup in there and in all honesty, you probably wouldn't like the original pickups that were in there anyway. Everybody has their own opinions but most switch out those original pickups(set of 3 J200 stacked humbuckers). I believe the model is a Model 275.

Dave->

[DirtyChains]

Re: Need some help!?!?

I bought a very nice used Charvel hum pup with the correct logo in very nice shape. If the body was routed out for the pup to be installed could the plastic cover be taken off and put over that pup? I see white inside the ring and that made me wonder just how much it had been modified. It doesn't look like an EMG or any covered pup would fit to me. The seller knew nothing of the guitar. Is the big unpainted screw on the bridge original?

Also, what options do I have for the single neck pup? Will any regular one fit?

[Budman68]

Re: Need some help!?!?

I think you're going to just have to wait to see it up close in order to tell what's going on in there. As for the unpainted screw, I must be missing something because I honestly don't see that.

Dave->

[DirtyChains]

Re: Need some help!?!?

If you scroll down in this thread the pickup in the guitar looks exactly like the one I bought except the color, pickup and all.

http://www.jcfonline.com/ubb/noncgi/...=000130#000001

I have played acoustics for a year or so and I am kind of lost here to an extent. What kind of bridge is on this guitar? Is it single or double locking? I read through some old post here and one type on the 275's was very easy to upgrade to a double locking.

Thanks for all the help!

[Budman68]

Re: Need some help!?!?

I believe those came with the Charvel stamped double locking tremolos that were made by Schaller of Germany. The one that you bought looks to be that same trem but it's kind of a dark picture. It's a very good quality trem as it's basically the same as the original floyd rose trem. Not exact, but close.

Oh, and you're very welcome [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Dave->

[etaeniura]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Looks like a 275, and if you enlarge the one picture, you can see the locking screws coming out from behind the bridge, so it should be a double locking model. The pickup kind of looks like an X2N, but I thought they had black rails, and those look silver to me-maybe some other rail type HB. It definitely was routed to fit that pickup, so any other HB should drop right in. Trust me, you didn't want the original pups anyway. IF they are the same Charvel SC's as my fusion, they are pretty poor. THe neck pickup route is an EMG type for singles without the "tab" on them where the wires are soldered. Any of the aftermarket stacked singles or dual rail types (JB jr, lil' 59, etc.) should work as long as they don't have the protrusion that standard singles have. The wiring for the five way is the same as a standard strat, with the single volume. It is extremely simple to wire in new pups if you keep track of what you desolder. They are pretty cool guitars and it looks like you got it for a decent price. THey have great necks. I would definitely reccomend adding a tone control of some sort. Even after replacing the stock singles (which were NOT j200's, merely a crappy imitation) with real j200's the tone was much better, but still a little bright for my taste. switching the volume to a 250K pot might help that a little bit, but a tone control would be better. Hope that helps!

[DirtyChains]

Re: Need some help!?!?

That clears up alot, especially on the single coil issue. I am hoping like crazy the original owner put a push/pull vol/tone pot on it already. I was concerned than a covered pickup (EMG style) would not drop in since you can see the white of the guitar inside the pup ring. I guess I am too used to looking at Gibson style ring. Very nice to know I should be able to drop in anything I want. I plan on putting a JB in the bridge and the lil 59 single coil up front. I have an original style Charvel humbucker in mint condition ordered with the matching logo on it if I decide to keep an original look or sell it. Very nice info-keep if coming guys!

If anyone has a schematic for a push/pull pot along with a 5-way switch and a single/hum combo please let me know.

[Budman68]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Originally posted by etaeniura:
Even after replacing the stock singles (which were NOT j200's, merely a crappy imitation) with real j200's the tone was much better, but still a little bright for my taste.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hmmmmmm, they weren't J200's? What model pickup were they?

Thanks!
Dave->

[straycat]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Covered = J-200
vintage (pole pieces)=J-100.
Both are great pickups IMO.J-100s smoke the fender singles. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Budman68]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Originally posted by Richard:
Covered = J-200
vintage (pole pieces)=J-100.
Both are great pickups IMO.J-100s smoke the fender singles. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Richard, that's not always true. I had purchased a couple of J200's that had the covers that had the holes in them for the pole peices from a 650XL. I didn't notice at first in the pic but I did now that the single coil has the charvel logo rather than the Jackson logo that were on the J200's. Were these what you had "etaeniura" ?

Thanks,
Dave->

[etaeniura]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Yes, I had the ones with the charvel logo, and they are most certainly a different animal than the J200's. The J200's are taller than the "mystery" charvel singles and sound completely different. The Charvel singles were very bright and brittle sounding (especially at the bridge pos. The Neck position one sounded ok clean, but the distortion tone on these pups is terrible (IMO). I replaced them with the J200's and it is much better. Anyone know the true identity of these pickups? Or will they forever be known as the crappy Charvel stacked single coils?

[DirtyChains]

Re: Need some help!?!?

Well that further reinforces that a previous owner of the guitar did an even greater favor and done the routing for me!