new pickup

[907bob]

allright i have a pos squier strat and i cant afford a new guitar so i wanna get a new pickup for it because the normal ones sound like crap. for a new pickup i was looking at a seymore duncan SHR-1 Hot Rail Stacked Single Coil Pickup click here (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040126230352024237042177569914/g=guitar/s=electric/search/detail/base_pid/300300/)

i dont know if i need to get the bridge or neck pickup. when i play i have the pickup selector switch flipped down all they way. any help would be much appreciated becasue i dont know jack about this kinda stuff.

[Edited by Lordathestrings on 01-27-2004 at 09:51 PM]

[Lordathestrings]

Welcome to Guitar Tricks, 907bob!

I edited the URL on your post to keep the page down to one screen-width. The page explaining vB code (http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/index.php?action=bbcode) shows you how to do this.

When the pickup selector is set all the way towards the bridge, you are using only the bridge pickup. That Hot Rail pickup should work out fine for that position. You may want to change the other two pickups to something else later, but that depends on how you like the sound you get with the new SHR-1.

Get a professional tech to install it. This is a job that should be done right the first time.

[Tele Master]

I want to get the Hot Rails for my Tele. I've read, especially at http://www.harmonycentral.com that this pickup is super "hot". Meaning, it picks up easily and is very Mid-High end.

[907bob]

cool thanks alot for the help. do you know about how much it would cost to get it professionally installed? im pretty sure i have all the tools to do it but is it that hard to figure out? thanks again

[Lordathestrings]

As they say... "Your mileage may vary".

You should be able to get some ballpark estimates over the phone. There are a lot of tricky subtleties that come into the mix. You should have the guitar properly set up as part of the installation. The strings have to come off the guitar to do the work, so you should get a new set while you're at it. The intonation should be checked. The pickup needs to be set at the right height. Too close, and the magnets pull on the strings, damping the vibration and killing the sustain. That can even make intonation very difficult. Too far away, and the tone gets thin. The solder connections should be neat, clean and bright (no cold-solder). And while the controls are out in the open, they should be cleaned. A tech will usually do all this as a normal part of installing a new pickup. It's not just a matter of stuffing it in, and hoping for the best. A professional job does make a difference.

[907bob]

allright cool thanks a lot for the help im ordering the pickup right now haha

[907bob]

i couldnt wait to order it so i just went to a shop in town and bought it and my dad helped me install it. it sounds a million times betther than that pos squier pickup. now all i need to do is get a better amp.