Pickups mounted to body vs. using a pickup ring

[claxor]

So many guys mount there pickups directly to the body, instead of using pickup rings when they are designing/building a guitar. Can you still raise or lower the pickup when it's mounted on the body? I thought no, but what can be done and which is really better?

[hairy-dude]

Yes, pickups can be raised and lowered when mounted directly to the body. Each pickup mounting screw has a spring around it, or sometimes a rubber tube, which pushes the pickup away from the body, and by turning the screw the height of the pickup can be adjusted. This is exactly the same as using a pickup mounting ring, as the spring around the screw pushes the pickup down away from the mounting ring, and by turning the screw, it raises or lowers the pickup as desired.

As for which is better, I think it is only about how the guitar looks. I can't imagine one method sounding better than another. Personally, I prefer mounting rings. I'm in the middle of fixing a guitar that has stripped out the pickup mounting screw holes in the body. Not particularly fun....

[Matt_B]

Some people hear a difference with direct mounted pickups and some don't. I just do it for aesthetic reasons myself.

[Axewielder]

Single coils have almost always been direct mounted on rear-loaded guitars. The cool kids are direct mounting humbuckers these days. I think rings are just an easy way to add trim to hide messy unpainted pup routes.

[Newc]

Direct-mounted pickups also have a larger hole in the feet which makes them unable to mount to rings, and ring-mounted feet must be drilled out for direct-mounting.

A fact which escapes a lot of people who neglect to mention in their ads for used pickups, as I've received quite a few in the past that were useless to me since they were reamed out.

Tonally, there is no difference.

[BlackRR]

I have also found some pickups cannot be direct mounted easily as the magnet posts are longer than the pickup feet themselves.

[claxor]

So, once you commit a guitar to be built using direct mounted pickups, you can't change your mind later and use pickup rings?

[straycat]

Tonally no difference.

[Carbuff]

So, once you commit a guitar to be built using direct mounted pickups, you can't change your mind later and use pickup rings?

It depends. If you use bigger screws that require the holes in the pickups to be reamed out then it will be difficult to remount them with pickup rings. Ive come across direct mounted pickups that had fat screws and were reamed out and also ones that used thin screws and still had the threads in them for ring mounting. As Newc said many times people will sell pickups that were direct mounted and not realize that the threads are gone and that can be a bummer.

[hairy-dude]

It depends. If you use bigger screws that require the holes in the pickups to be reamed out then it will be difficult to remount them with pickup rings. Ive come across direct mounted pickups that had fat screws and were reamed out and also ones that used thin screws and still had the threads in them for ring mounting. As Newc said many times people will sell pickups that were direct mounted and not realize that the threads are gone and that can be a bummer.

I also hate being the one to drill out the holes in the pickup to suit body mounting. Been there, mounting SD Cool Rails into my DK2. It's a good thing I like them in there!

[MetalMedal II]

Direct-mounted pickups also have a larger hole in the feet which makes them unable to mount to rings, and ring-mounted feet must be drilled out for direct-mounting.

A fact which escapes a lot of people who neglect to mention in their ads for used pickups, as I've received quite a few in the past that were useless to me since they were reamed out.

I've been able to reuse the reamed out holes for ring use by soldering a hex nut to the ear of the pickup just on top of the reamed hole. The threading on the nut was not a direct match but was enough to hold the pickup ring screw in place. And I wasn't doing real soldering either, just tacked the nut in a couple places w electrical solder.

[84sups]

The MIJ SDs don't have spring under the pickups. Straight up hard mounted, supposedly it transfers more frequencies to the pickups. Haven't heard any real difference between pickup rings or without to be honest

[claxor]

The MIJ SDs don't have spring under the pickups. Straight up hard mounted, supposedly it transfers more frequencies to the pickups. Haven't heard any real difference between pickup rings or without to be honest

There are Made in Japan Seymour Duncans? (I ask, because I like the Duncan Distortion)

[84sups]

There are Made in Japan Seymour Duncans? (I ask, because I like the Duncan Distortion)

Charvel San Dimas models.....

[Newc]

SD in this case meaning San Dimas, not Seymour Duncan.