This pair came in from a good friend of mine! Matt plays in loads of bands locally and we’re worked on records together, played live shows together and run events together. Check out Matt’s bands (links at the bottom of the page).
So, I helped Matt secure a BareKnukle endorsement and we made some plans that once he got his new pickups through, I’d be swapping them out for him. So both guitars were having their pickups swapped out to Black Hawks. The Strat was having a single Blackhawk in the bridge with a single volume and the Tele was to have a complete Black Hawk Set with the same Jim Root wiring, one volume and 3 way switch.
I worked on the Strat first as I thought, this will be the easiest of the two to turn around. Low and behold they were both problematic but for different reasons.
The Strat –
First thing first, the new pickup didn’t fit the scratch plate! So the first thing to do, mark out the scratch plate and file away until the new pickup was able to fit! That was really the only problem with the Strat, the rest of it was a simple pickup swap! Desolder the first pickup, clean up the pot, install and solder the new pickup, test it and then give the guitar a full set up.
The Tele –
This guys was far more problematic. The guitar has the standard EMG 81/85 that you find in a Jim Root! Great noise cancelling pickups built for metal. Now, take them out, swap them for a set of passives and you have noise for days! So we needed to focus a little more time and attention on this swap. The fix was to take the guitar apart again, remove the bridge, drill a hole from the bridge through to the pickup cavity and then ground everything to the base of the bridge! It was a pain in the ass but we got there in the end!
Once the pickup’s had been swapped out and everything had been tested it was time to whip off the strings, give both guitars a real clean up, polish the frets (again, 1500 fit – 12000 grit) and complete a full set up! Matt normally plays Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky’s with the Strat in Drop C# and the Tele in Standard Drop D. After getting the Strat Finished I swapped out the beefy slinky on the tele for a set of 10-52 D’Addario’s as they held better for Drop D.
A final touch up to polish the body (and really go to town on the backplate) and just like that, it’s done.
Assimilate – https://www.facebook.com/AssimilateOfficial/
All Aboard Gloria – https://www.facebook.com/allaboardgloriaofficial/
Callaine – https://www.facebook.com/CallaineMusic/
