Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: sambo on February 09, 2006, 08:14:42 PM

Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: sambo on February 09, 2006, 08:14:42 PM
dont suppose many people on here have had a pickup fitted at a shop seeing as most members are guitar experts. but to the few who have- roughly how much do guitar shops charge? does it differ depending on the number and type of pickups???
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: Elliot on February 09, 2006, 08:39:54 PM
£35 seems to be the going rate, more if routing has to be done - which given how easy it is to change pups seems somewhat expensive.
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: jt on February 09, 2006, 09:03:05 PM
:D Get `em to set it up for you as well. All in should be round about £50.

 :D  8)
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: Skybone on February 09, 2006, 09:12:29 PM
Some shops fit them for free if you buy the pickups from them. My first set of BKP's were installed by the shop I bought them from as a freebie.

Not everywhere does it though, and if you've already bought the pickups, they will charge you for it. Last time I asked, one shop nearby charged around £25 per pickup...

A great incentive to learn how to solder pickups (and do set-ups as well!).
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: jt on February 09, 2006, 09:17:29 PM
Quote from: Skybone
Last time I asked, one shop nearby charged around £25 per pickup...

A great incentive to learn how to solder pickups (and do set-ups as well!).


 :D   +1

 :D  8)
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: _tom_ on February 09, 2006, 09:21:09 PM
Do it yourself, you know you want to. Or bring it all the way to my house and I'll do it  :D I think I live too far away though..
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: sambo on February 09, 2006, 10:30:38 PM
yer you do live way to far away tom lol... but i just cant do it myself nor can my mate whose supposed to know how to do stuff like this... but £25-£50 thats ridiculous!!!! im completely stuck now cant go either way... ARGH!!!

does anyone live near hitchin? lol....
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: _tom_ on February 09, 2006, 10:32:14 PM
Just find out exactly where your mate needs to solder, then get him to do it under your command  :lol:
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: sambo on February 09, 2006, 10:35:38 PM
lol i already kind of tried that but i dont know where he needs to solder!!!! ARTDSHFWEHBFYOIB!£T !(*&23r9 :evil:  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: _tom_ on February 09, 2006, 10:46:14 PM
hahaha ok. Howzabout, be cheeky and ask the shop where you'd need to solder, then remember and get your mate to do it  :P OR you could always rewire the whole guitar if you have a diagram to follow  :D
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: sambo on February 09, 2006, 10:47:38 PM
lol nice idea tom... may try that.... :P

in fact ill try anything im soooo desperate... ive got band practice on sat and chances are i wont have it done by then....   :evil:
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: HTH AMPS on February 09, 2006, 11:46:30 PM
:o   £25? £35? - to fit a single pickup?  :o

I'm glad I've been able to do stuff like this for many years - looks like I've saved a bomb.  Anyone local to me can bring their guitar round & I'll fit their pickups for a bottle of Jack Daniels.

 :twisted:
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: HTH AMPS on February 09, 2006, 11:47:17 PM
:o   £25? £35? - to fit a single pickup?  :o

I'm glad I've been able to do stuff like this for many years - looks like I've saved a bomb.  Anyone local to me can bring their guitar round & I'll fit their pickups for a bottle of Jack Daniels.

 :twisted:
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: Dakine on February 10, 2006, 01:14:25 AM
Hope the JD gets consumed post pup installation :)
Could get some funky sounds if pre consumption lol  :twisted:
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on February 10, 2006, 10:11:22 AM
We are very fair with customers when it comes to fitting charges. We time the job and charge an hourly rate based on how long it takes.
Generally £15-30 is all it takes as it can be quick on some guitars like a Gibson and longer on a scratchplate guitar like a strat.

We are happy for customers to bring in the pickups, although obviously we like to sell the pickups to them (and why we keep a big stock of BKPs in at all times). If the customers are buying from us we feel more inclined to keep the fitting costs down as we are making ££ on selling the pickups.

If a customer is having a major overhaul / set-up as well as buying/installing pickups we often don't charge any extra  if it is straightforward to install while we have the guitar already on the bench.
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: PhilKing on February 10, 2006, 01:16:40 PM
Sambo - I updated the diagram for your colours and added a few more instructions - check the tech page.  I will be at work today but will check the forum around 5/6 pm your time.
Title: Re: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: carlaz on February 10, 2006, 03:08:26 PM
Quote from: sambo
dont suppose many people on here have had a pickup fitted at a shop seeing as most members are guitar experts.

I hereby renounce any claim that (however unlikely) might have accidentally been accorded to me as a "guitar expert"! :)
Quote from: sambo
but to the few who have- roughly how much do guitar shops charge? does it differ depending on the number and type of pickups???

As a proud member of that few ;) I can report that Machinehead in Hitchin charge £20 to fit one pup and £30 to fit two: http://www.machinehead.co.uk/workshop.php
I got a bunch of other stuff done there at the same time, like fixing some busted wiring and adding a push-pull for coil-tapping.  I haven't got much experience with wiring and electronics and stuff (nor do I even own a soldering iron) so I was happy to leave it to the pros.
Title: getting a shop to install a pickup
Post by: sambo on February 10, 2006, 03:53:48 PM
ahhhh cheers phil (gonna check the tech page now)

carlaz machinehead is exactly where im gonna get it done thanks for the price...

what did you think of the guys in there? around here they have a reputation for being greedy show-offs and most people i know prefer coda in stevenage/luton...

im kind of undecided at the mo but one thing that did annoy me was that when i got my amps input socket fixed with some switch cleaner, it was done in about 5 seconds but we were in there 15 minutes listening to the guy solo!!!!