Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Kimling86 on November 22, 2010, 11:27:09 PM
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Hi
I've just got hold of a Ltd FX400 (wonderful axe!), but it has one major flaw: EMG's
If I want to replace those with passive pickups I need to change the pots and the input jack, right?
But what about the ground wire from the bridge? Do I just drill a hole to the bridge studs and solder a piece of wire to this and then to the back of the pot? Does anyone have picktures of this process? I'm kinda nervous about drilling in my guitar
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There was a thread about this on the metallica foruma while back.
A lot of FX's do have the hole for the ground wire and it is actually already connected up whilst some dont.
But yeah other than that you just need to change the pots.
The jack doesnt really matter as much in my experience.
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I dont know if ESP put a ground wire in (and leave it disconnected or whether you will need to add one
Really the best way is to de-string, pull one of the tailpiece anchors out (not for the faint hearted) and drill a hole from there into the control cavity- i tend to use a long 3/32" or 1/8" drill). Strip the end of a pice of insulated hookup wire and pop the insulated bit down the newly drilled hole and leave the exposed wire in the post hole.
Reinsert the tailpiece anchor trapping the bare wire against the side of it against the hole wall
Restring
Solder the other end of the insulated wire to the back of the volume pot where all the other ground wires are
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Thanks
It sounds really scary, but I do think I will try it since I'm already growing sick of the boring EMGs.
There is no ground wire now, neither a hole for it. So I need to put my baby on the operating table.
Do you have any tricks to pull the stud out of the body? :?:
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you could just drill a hole in the black plastic cover on the back of your guitar, i.e. bring it outside the body then solder to the bridge spring holder. Just reinforce it with insulating tape. Unfortunately all 3 of my emg guitars didnt have the hole drilled to access the bridge for earthing wire but I didnt dare drill the wood so just bring out the wire via the back plate.
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I did the mod and will do it again with miracle men pickups on my eclipse. There is a ground wire on stock esp's. Its wired in rubber band with other emgs wires. Mine had a black wire, a very fine one coming out of a tiny hole in the body and it was just soldered to other ones from the emg kit.
Its really not complicated to remove and just solder it on one of the passive 500k pots. Best advice I can give is to wire your pots outside of the guitar on some cardbox so you get an almost ready to screw kit. Just put this inside, screw and connect pickups, jack output and toggle switch and you're done.