Alright, now what am I missing?

[Drazden]

I'm redoing the electronics and hardware on my Peavey USA Predator (a cheap Strat copy with an incredible neck.)

So far, I'm gonna replace

The tuners (I read that Sperzel locking tuners drop right in, without any routing)
String tree
Nut
Saddles (Graph Tech)
Duncan pickups (I've got an old full size JB and a Duckbucker laying around, so I'll rout out the bridge pickup position of the pickguard EVH style to fit the humbucker and buy a Hot Rails for the neck position
all new pots, switch, and output jack.

Now.

What have I missed?

I'm just trying to avoid common beginner's mistakes when redoing a guitar like this. I'm getting a little help from the tech at my store, but I'd like to do all the work myself. Is there anything obvious that I missed in my little rundown of replacements?

[fett]

The Sperzals I took off of one of my Squiers has a small pin that needs a hole drilled in the headstock.

[DrDoug]

If your Predator has the same pickups/mounts as my 1984 Peavey Patriot, you will need to widen the cutouts just a tiny bit, and if they have two height adjusters on one side of the pickups and one on the other end, you will need a new pickguard or pickup rings for the SD's (Mine are the TB-4(b) & PG-1(n)). I used pickup rings on my SD swap, but I plan on changing out the pickguard whenever I get around to painting it.

The TB-4 came with a pickup ring, but SD sent me a free pickup ring for the PG-1 so I would have a matching set. All I had to do was ask them. Great people there, and great pickups!

Sounds like you are going to have some fun!

[kelly user]

The Sperzals I took off of one of my Squiers has a small pin that needs a hole drilled in the headstock.

nah, you need 'em just take them out.

[toejam]

Yeah, pull the little pin out with pliers and you're good to go.

[Drazden]

Ok. The tuners are on order with my store (should be less than a week), and the guitar is (pretty much) torn apart. Now, to commence rewiring!

Oddly enough, it seems that it came with 500k pots. For the stock Peavey single coils. Who knew?

I'm taking pics to document my progress. Definitely considering putting up a photo odyssey once I'm finished.

[Drazden]

Alright, though... First question. I've blocked the bridge, so no more trem springs. I'd like to remove the plate for the trem as well, so where am I supposed to wire the new ground to? If it's not grounding out to the spring plate of the tremolo, can I put it to one of the screws in the cavity?

[straycat]

That last post makes no sense.Just because you blocked the trem does not mean you don't need the springs you will still need tension to hold the trem in place.Did you block it from the back side of the sustain block?
Which plate are you talking about the cover plate or the trem base plate?

[Drazden]

Sorry if I'm incoherent; I think I've got my terms mixed up.

I blocked it from the back (down, if the guitar's hanging up). I see that I've got a different definition of 'blocked' than the normal one.
I mean I've cut a piece of hardwood to match the cavity below the trem block while it's screwed all the way down (it's a 4-screw cheapo vintage strat trem) so it can't move at all.

I was talking about the plate the springs were held onto, I guess it'd be called the trem base plate.

Will I still need the springs in the trem cavity? I had it tuned up without them, and it held perfectly.

[thetroy]

The thing you're talking about is referred to as the "claw"

You can ground it to anything really - I'd just leave the claw and springs on there though (or at least the claw, maybe not springs) and leave the ground there. It's not like you're going to put anything else back there in its place.

[Drazden]

Haha, good point. Thanks!

[fett]

nah, you need 'em just take them out.

I didn't know you could do that. Thanks

[slash]

I think its a good idea to ground the strings since you are using passive pups. I would put a spring or two back on there or solder the ground wire to the bridge.

[Drazden]

UPDATE!

Waiting for the Sperzels and a graphite nut from my music store. I've got the pickups (JB, Duckbucker, Hot Rails) in the guitar, and I just wired it up.

We've got an issue.

The Duckbucker and the Hot Rails are fine, but when I switch to the bridge position, i get a very thin, weak, barely-there signal. Like, no output whatsoever. And, it goes away when I turn down one of the tone knobs. Is the bridge pickup grounding out somewhere? It seems to me like I wired the tones incorrectly--I was trying to have the first knob be a common tone to the neck and middle pickups and the second to be strictly for the bridge--but the second tone knob is actually wired to the neck.

[nhspike]

you forgot the most important thing.
the little known, but much appreciated mojo device.
you can normally fit that into the trem cavity, or right behind the trem.
I have a pic of mine installed, but it's strictly against forum policy to display.
hey, wait a sec, you must already have one installed at the factory... nevermind!