Members thefyn Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 I want a guitar tech to install new pups. No set up etc as I like the way it is set up. They are not active and no routing is needed. He quoted me at $75 Is that about right? I thought it would be an hours work at most. I tried to do it myself in the past on 2 occasions and I mess it up every time. I always end up with hum/no sound at all etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JimAnsell Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 {censored} no. way too much. take it elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Teleplayer Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by thefyn I want a guitar tech to install new pups. No set up etc as I like the way it is set up.They are not active and no routing is needed.He quoted me at $75Is that about right? I thought it would be an hours work at most.I tried to do it myself in the past on 2 occasions and I mess it up every time. I always end up with hum/no sound at all etc. He will have to do a set-up and make other adjustments. He will need to determine the appropriate pickup height, see how it affects the vibration of the strings (whether the magnets make the strings vibrate more or less, whether they vibrate eliptically, etc.) - which affects your sound, tone, and even neck vibration. To do it the right way and maximize your guitar's tone, it is a bit more difficult than simply dropping them into the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members draelyc Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by thefyn I want a guitar tech to install new pups. No set up etc as I like the way it is set up. They are not active and no routing is needed. He quoted me at $75 Is that about right? I thought it would be an hours work at most. I tried to do it myself in the past on 2 occasions and I mess it up every time. I always end up with hum/no sound at all etc. I had my USA Hamer routed to take a full size humbucker in the bridge not too long ago. Granted, the guy who did it was a friend of mine, but he's also a pro. I paid $80 for the whole thing (not including the pickup, of course), and that involved routing and installation. Not sayin' you're getting ripped... I'm jus' sayin'.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xiwiwix1 Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 If there are other places to take it, do it. Take Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shuborno Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Yeah, that's way too much. I had a guy install some new pickups and pots in my hollowbody (so it wasn't very easy access to the electronics either), and I think he charged me $40ish Cdn. EDIT: I wouldn't call it "ripped off", but I'm just saying that for a job like that, it could be cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skr4ped Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Teleplayer He will have to do a set-up and make other adjustments. He will need to determine the appropriate pickup height, see how it affects the vibration of the strings (whether the magnets make the strings vibrate more or less, whether they vibrate eliptically, etc.) - which affects your sound, tone, and even neck vibration.To do it the right way and maximize your guitar's tone, it is a bit more difficult than simply dropping them into the guitar. They're tiny pickup magnets, not super strong electromagnets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeathMonkey Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by thefyn He quoted me at $75Is that about right? I thought it would be an hours work at most. That's an hour's labor charge for my techs (amp and guitar). Be careful bargain hunting for techs and repair people - you really do get what you pay for. My amp tech is expensive, but his work is amazing, and when something goes awry, he always makes it right. Same with my guitar tech - he set up the same guitar three times for me, as the bridge kept moving, free of charge, until we could get a new bridge screw. Pro level care is not cheap, but it really is worth it, at least to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members angry again2 Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Teleplayer He will have to do a set-up and make other adjustments. He will need to determine the appropriate pickup height, see how it affects the vibration of the strings (whether the magnets make the strings vibrate more or less, whether they vibrate eliptically, etc.) - which affects your sound, tone, and even neck vibration.To do it the right way and maximize your guitar's tone, it is a bit more difficult than simply dropping them into the guitar. Thats true but 9 out of 10 techs will just drop the pup in, wire it, re-string and adjust the height by sight. Most aren't going to spend too much time with it unless you tell them. I would think about $40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kenny Powers Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 i just had a set of emgs installed with the 18v mod for $50 out the door Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thefyn Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 So my suspisions are correct. I thought $40 or $50 would be the going rate. I don;t even know if the guy is good or anything. Its a small town and I am new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 $20 a piece at my local shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kenny Powers Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 do a search in yahoo yellow pages for guitar repair. I found an assload of small places that I had no idea even existed... and I have lived in this county for 24 years ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Teleplayer Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Skr4ped They're tiny pickup magnets, not super strong electromagnets. I had a long conversation with John Suhr about this. Trust me, the pickups affect string vibrations....which has a strong impact on the way the neck moves/vibrates as well. The whole thing has to do - eventually - with how "live" and resonant the guitar is at the end of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Teleplayer Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by angry again2 Thats true but 9 out of 10 techs will just drop the pup in, wire it, re-string and adjust the height by sight. Most aren't going to spend too much time with it unless you tell them. I would think about $40. You get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skr4ped Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Teleplayer I had a long conversation with John Suhr about this. Trust me, the pickups affect string vibrations....which has a strong impact on the way the neck moves/vibrates as well. The whole thing has to do - eventually - with how "live" and resonant the guitar is at the end of the day. I guess I'm just not enough of a tone snob to care. *shrug*To each his own I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thefyn Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 A perfect pickup set up does make a difference. My LP was set up by some guy in Orlando by its previous owner. I could tell the pup mounting rings had been angled to align to the strings. I wish I knew who set up my LP! But my guitar is already set up niceley. I just want the electronic side of things done right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kung-Fool Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Install them yourself. It takes 15 mins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thefyn Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Kung-Fool Install them yourself. It takes 15 mins. I tried it before. Twice. With awful results. I just dont get it. And I am hopeless with a solder iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squealie Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Learn to solder.I used to be dependant on 'techs' because I could do everything but soldering....Being liberated from a flat 50-80 dollar fee, and a week wait, for a pickup swap, will change your life.If it's tricky soldering, I bring it to one of the wiring techs at work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamesPeters Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Pickup height is crucial to the sound. Some techs charge more than "rock bottom low prices" but are worth it; if you know that tech is good then keep that in mind. Also, sometimes installing pickups can require minor modifications to the electronics or routing, and he might've factored that into his base price "just in case". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thefyn Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by squealie Learn to solder. I used to be dependant on 'techs' because I could do everything but soldering.... Being liberated from a flat 50-80 dollar fee, and a week wait, for a pickup swap, will change your life. If it's tricky soldering, I bring it to one of the wiring techs at work... The place I work for is full of awesome electrical engineers. I just test the software side of things. I don;t want to bring my guitar into work because its such an easy job. My problem is all diagrams never match my set up. Like the humbucker setup on the SDuncan website does not list my specific pup. I get just a humbucker typical diagram.I just know that I will mess it up. Reversed polarity, split coil, nasaly sounding crap I usually get! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KirkHammett1 Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 {censored}, I swap pups all the time, did 3 yesterday. Takes 2-3 minutes installation, putting the strings back on is the hard part. I'm in the wrong business I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucketboy Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much for a 15min job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skr4ped Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by thefyn The place I work for is full of awesome electrical engineers. I just test the software side of things. I don;t want to bring my guitar into work because its such an easy job. My problem is all diagrams never match my set up. Like the humbucker setup on the SDuncan website does not list my specific pup. I get just a humbucker typical diagram. I just know that I will mess it up. Reversed polarity, split coil, nasaly sounding crap I usually get! What pickup are you putting in? What guitar is it going into?If your problem is just getting a proper diagram, this is the place to ask Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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