Replacing pickups in old guitars?

[Cimmerian]

Hey everyone,

I have a question which I'm sure many people have strong opinions on. Say you had great vintage guitar, maybe a Les Paul from the mid 60s (I wouldn't dare ask this question about a '59 Les Paul) and you adored the look and feel of it, but after time, the pickups just didn't sound great and you wanted to get them replaced. Would you? Or would you want to keep the pups as they are as you feel like they are a part of history? I find it hard to answer this because on one hand, replacing an original hum bucker with say a BKP Nailbomb could make purists weep, however on the other hand, it could become the perfect guitar for you. Do you feel the duty to keep the parts original for these vintage guitars, or do you think you should be able to mod to your hearts content?

Thanks,

Cimmerian

[darrenw5094]

Mod away, especially if you prefer the sound.

BUT, always keep the original pups, as that will affect the value etc. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

I agree that it's essential you keep the originals for resale value but for your own pleasure, by all means upgrade. I generally go for more modern pickups myself but if I had the guitar you describe, I'd be inclined to go for something in the Vintage Hot range instead so I'm not too far away from the original feel of the guitar. I'd guess I'd probably look at either Abraxas or Black Dogs.

[Alex]

Keep all original hardware, including pots you might replace!

I'm not an expert, but I can imaging vintage nuts will also want original pots, no matter how worn they are.

[fdesalvo]

Keep EVERYTHING. 

[Dave Sloven]

Pickups and wiring can be replaced, but do not modify the wiring loom beyond desoldering the joints you need to desolder to remove the pickups from the guitar.  Then have an entirely new point-to-point harness made and install that in the guitar, placing the original one securely in a box.

If you are installing BKPs you can order them as 'aged', which might give you a look closer to the ones you are removing. I'd discuss that with them when placing your order.