Right spacing and leg length? What are the cover options?

[rogueleader]

I'm ordering a set of calibrated covered painkillers for my jackson slsmg. What spacing do I need? How does one measure it? Also how do I determine the necessary leg length?

If I plan on only wiring them as humbuckers it is fine to go with the Braided 2 conductor option, correct?

Also, I want to replace the rest of the wiring (pots, pickup selector, jack, cabling) with the highest quality materials possible. What would the members of this board reccomend?

Thanks,
Garrett

[Twinfan]

52mm - measure between the two E strings above the bridge pickup
Short legs - I had a DKMG and that's what I used

CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, CRL switch, orange drop capacitor

:)

[asianaxeman]

watch out for CTS pots, most are designed for Les Pauls and too broad for the spacing in other guitars like kjacksons

[Brown tone]

if the wiring works, don't change it. The difference between wiring that works and better quality wiring that also works is non detectable. Were you a manufacturer and needed to put out hundreds of guitars, then the better quality would equal less failing pots, but for the rest of us it doesn't matter! You can get the cheapest "pos" chinese pots and it'll still work for years.

[Brown tone]

you need short legs as the slsmg has floyd rose bridge, also the bridge pickup should be F-spaced(53mm spacing)

[FELINEGUITARS]

if the wiring works, don't change it. The difference between wiring that works and better quality wiring that also works is non detectable. Were you a manufacturer and needed to put out hundreds of guitars, then the better quality would equal less failing pots, but for the rest of us it doesn't matter! You can get the cheapest "pos" chinese pots and it'll still work for years.

I'll beg to differ
Yes - the old wiring will work for sure (and will last a long time) but there is a slight difference  that most guitarists can detect with better quality parts.
And maybe not such a big deal if spending £200 on pickups

Also if the Jackson has EMGs he will need to change the pots anyway

Those parts aren't expensive
Volume pot - £4
Tone pot - £4
jack - £3
switch - £12
Capacitor £1 for orange drop - £10 for a vitamin Q ( I recommend you try one of these if you are curious - good results :D)

[Brown tone]

if the wiring works, don't change it. The difference between wiring that works and better quality wiring that also works is non detectable. Were you a manufacturer and needed to put out hundreds of guitars, then the better quality would equal less failing pots, but for the rest of us it doesn't matter! You can get the cheapest "pos" chinese pots and it'll still work for years.

I'll beg to differ
Yes - the old wiring will work for sure (and will last a long time) but there is a slight difference  that most guitarists can detect with better quality parts.
And maybe not such a big deal if spending £200 on pickups

Also if the Jackson has EMGs he will need to change the pots anyway

Those parts aren't expensive
Volume pot - £4
Tone pot - £4
jack - £3
switch - £12
Capacitor £1 for orange drop - £10 for a vitamin Q ( I recommend you try one of these if you are curious - good results :D)

I'd also beg to differ. £10 for any kind of non pickup or active part invested in a guitar is an outrage! There's NO way you could hear a difference between "regular" 47n cap, orange drop or vitamin Q! There might be a psycho acoustic difference, but that only comes into the equation when you *truly believe* in hearing it!

[BigK]

if the wiring works, don't change it. The difference between wiring that works and better quality wiring that also works is non detectable. Were you a manufacturer and needed to put out hundreds of guitars, then the better quality would equal less failing pots, but for the rest of us it doesn't matter! You can get the cheapest "pos" chinese pots and it'll still work for years.

I'll beg to differ
Yes - the old wiring will work for sure (and will last a long time) but there is a slight difference  that most guitarists can detect with better quality parts.
And maybe not such a big deal if spending £200 on pickups

Also if the Jackson has EMGs he will need to change the pots anyway

Those parts aren't expensive
Volume pot - £4
Tone pot - £4
jack - £3
switch - £12
Capacitor £1 for orange drop - £10 for a vitamin Q ( I recommend you try one of these if you are curious - good results :D)

I'd also beg to differ. £10 for any kind of non pickup or active part invested in a guitar is an outrage! There's NO way you could hear a difference between "regular" 47n cap, orange drop or vitamin Q! There might be a psycho acoustic difference, but that only comes into the equation when you *truly believe* in hearing it!

Well I just differ I can definitely hear the difference between standard ceramic/mylar caps and orange drop caps... the orange drop caps are smoother and clearer, and I'm sure if Jonathan (one of our resident master luthiers) says the vitamin q caps are better I have no reason to doubt him.

Also when you buy better quality pots such as the CTS pots the sweep of the pot is often alot smoother which I find makes it easier to access sweet spot of volume rolling back etc.

[PhilKing]

I've played around with the caps and pots a lot using Vitamin Q, Orange Drops, Hovland Musicaps and vintage paper in oil, as well as the Deluxe vintage caps.  There is definately a difference.  Whether it is worth it to you is something else.  For me the additional cost is not an issue, so I always go for it.  Sometimes though I like the older caps sound (especially on single coil pickups).  The vitamin Q/paper in oil do have a great sound.  The musicaps were good, but I prefered the paper in oil sound.  Orange drops make a huge difference over most stock capacitors.  For various paper in oil check out Angela Instruments http://angela.com/angelajensensequapaperinoilsignaltypecapacitors.aspx