Model 88 question

[neilli]

Anyone know if the singlecoil could be routed out for a full sized humbucker mounted straight i.e. is the SC rout in the confines that'd be covered by a neck humbucker?

[AAEA]

I would just have a body made instead of making that level of alteration to an extremely rare guitar. 1 or 500 made, not a great idea if you care about the value of the guitar. You could probably have a custom made for you for the price of selling that one.

[neilli]

Not wishing to sound arrogant, but I don't care at all about the value of a 88 LTD. One of 500 means fuck all when a company is known for one offs...

[xenophobe]

Not wishing to sound arrogant, but I don't care at all about the value of a 88 LTD. One of 500 means fuck all when a company is known for one offs...

You CS snob.


...almost exactly what I would have said too.

[neilli]

Sad but true eh? LOL CMC were selling one cheap on ebay and I quite fancied giving it a go again, but just never jived with that angled single. It was just too angled, and too much for the rest of that guitar..

[xenophobe]

Sad but true eh? LOL CMC were selling one cheap on ebay and I quite fancied giving it a go again, but just never jived with that angled single. It was just too angled, and too much for the rest of that guitar..

Like you said, it was one of 500. Not many companies can pull off a run of 500 and actually consider it collectible. Jackson isn't one of those companies. lol

No need to explain why you want to do it, IMO. Take a dremel and carve away if that's what you really want.

[straycat]

I say hack away its your guitar not mine LOL
Place a humbucker ring over the route and see if you can't see the existing route.

[neilli]

I don't have it, that's the problem!

[rjohnstone]

It should fit provided you use another oversized pickup and ring like the original humbucker.

88.jpg

[neilli]

thanks Rick! The oversize pickup was the plan, but it looks a bit more odd than I was expecting somehow. Because of the strat 24 cutaway I guess...

[rjohnstone]

Yeah... it is a bit tight.
I ran the photoshop cuts several different ways and the only way to ensure a proper fit over the single route is to place it about 1/8" away from the fret board.
Any closer will cost you the ability to put a screw in the lower bridge side of the pickup ring.
You could fill the route and then re-cut it, but you'll have to be careful to not fuck up the finish when you're blending it.

[neilli]

I figure some wood could be glued in the furthest edges of the sc rout to support the bass/front and treble/back screws for the pickup ring, so that might gain a tad more of a split perhaps?

[Axewielder]

Do it, it's an improvement. If you ever have to sell it down the road, just say it is a prototype for the "Model 88-H-H" which never went into production. Then you can easily get 2X or 3X what you paid for it.

[neilli]

Yeah, I'd say it's an definite improvement - I like an angled single, but the angle is just too much on these..

[rjohnstone]

I figure some wood could be glued in the furthest edges of the sc rout to support the bass/front and treble/back screws for the pickup ring, so that might gain a tad more of a split perhaps?

That should work. The screw holes on the oversized rings are pretty far out on the edges, so you wouldn't need to add much.
I think it will look pretty cool actually.