Did you fit your Bare knuckles in by yourself?

[Madiac]

Just curious to see! Im a bit uncertain myself wether i should do it or not.

[Roobubba]

Although I wouldn't say 'proud' - it's really not that hard if you have a soldering iron and you're not a total muppet! That said, if you're not confident enough to do it (or don't have the relevant tools), taking it to a tech is less likely to end in you damaging your axe...

Roo

[AndyR]

I agree with Roo - I wouldn't say "proud" anymore, although I probably was extremely proud the first time I hacked around inside, put it back together and... it still worked!!! (this was many years ago).

Definitely give it a go, but make sure you've got the tools - you need a decent soldering iron and (I always used to mess this up) the CORRECT screw-drivers for your pickup surrounds or whatever screws need moving. For years I lived with one or two screw-drivers and just jammed 'em in and started turning... Pretty soon, the head of every screw and allen-bolt you own will be f*cked if you do it this way! :lol:

Oh yeah, and get yourelf an old tea-towel or something to protect the finish while you're soldering - solder can spit. (Probably ought to protect your work-space as well, eg the missus/mother/whoever will not understand the burn marks on their table/carpet/whatever :D)

Lastly, this seems so obvious, but you will mess up on it... DO NOT FORGET THAT THE B*STARD THING IS VERY HOT (I'm one of the many people on here who will probably admit to absent-mindedly reaching for the iron and grabbing/touching the wrong end...)

But do go for it... if I can do it, most people should be able to.

[Antag]

I voted YES, but it's actually a mixture:  10 YES, 7 NO

I only have 14 BKP'd guitars, but 2 of them have had 2 BKP sets in & 1 was sold.  Of the 7 NOs, 6 of them were because I was having other work done at the same time by Feline so it made sense just to get him to install the BKPs too.  Only 1 of the NOs was a product of pure laziness :)

[MDV]

Of course I did. No pride, though: its very easy.

[Andrew W]

I installed a set of Apaches into my Strat last night; it's the first time I've replaced pickups myself in years and yes the guitar still works.  

I agree with all that has been said above and I'd add a couple of suggestions that I found usefu last night: 1) Unsolder the jack and earth connections from the scratchplate mounted controls so you can remove the scratchplate and work on it without being tethered to the guitar body - obviously this only applies to guitars with the electrics mounted on a scratch plate. 2) I wrote notes on pieces of masking tape about what each cable should be soldered to as I worked.  This meant that when I came to reassmble the thing it was obvious where all the loose wires had to go.  

It's a pretty straight-forward exercise, especially if you're swapping like for like components provided you work methodically and don't rush.

[Ratrod]

I replaced the pickups in a Les Paul once for EMG's. I did it in 45 minutes flat including changing all the pots and jack, from in tune to back in tune. I'm proud of that.

Installing BKP's with a simple braid wire is to easy to be proud of.

[PhilKing]

I started fitting pickups when I was 16ish, so pride doesn't come into it at all for me.  At this point I've no idea how many pickups I've fitted, however the hardest are 335's and their ilk.  I've done 4 or 5 semi accoustics and they don't get any easier!

[Philly Q]

I started fitting pickups when I was 16ish, so pride doesn't come into it at all for me.  At this point I've no idea how many pickups I've fitted, however the hardest are 335's and their ilk.  I've done 4 or 5 semi accoustics and they don't get any easier!

Likewise, although I was a few years older when I started I guess I must have fitted at least 100 pickups, probably a lot more if I thought about it.  I'm still pretty slow, but I think I do a good job.

I wouldn't dare attempt a 335 though (with my temper, I'd probably get so frustrated I'd freak out and smash the guitar... not a good idea).

[Frank666]

It's not the hardest thing to do, if you're half decent with a soldering iron it shouldn't be a problem

[gwEm]

i always do all my electrical and electronic work, but i don't think anyones going to disrespect you if you take it to a tech

[AndyR]

i don't think anyones going to disrespect you if you take it to a tech

+1 :D

[Philly Q]

i don't think anyones going to disrespect you if you take it to a tech

+1 :D

Yeah, of course no one's going to disrespect you.  :)

If I spent less of my time taking guitars to pieces and putting them back together again... I might actually be able to play the damn things.

[Fourth Feline]

I always fit my own, even trying several in a semi-acoustic ( which is a bit like wallpapering your hallway through the letter box ).   :)

[Ratrod]

I rewired, repotted, rejacked and repickuped a hollow body several times. Talk about a PITA job.