Modify a vintage guitar I'll never ever sell?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rick Lee
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Rick Lee

Rick Lee

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I have two of the old EBMM EVHs and they are so awesome. But those DiMarzios are two-conductor wire and I want to be able to coil split. The Tone Zone and Air Norton are just about the same and come in four conductor wire. I also have three other guitars with stainless steel frets that play like butter. I know it'd be an expensive upgrade, but I'd like to be able to coil split these EVHs and have the playability of the SS frets. Again, will never sell these and I'd obviously keep the stock pickups for Mrs. Lee to sell with the guitars when I die. Should I do it?
 
ABSOLUTELY !!!

I just picked up a 1970 Les Paul, and the first thing I did was change the pickups. :giggle:

Why? Because I wanted to play it, and happen to prefer certain pickups that were not currently in it.

Probably not the best thing to do from a collector point of view, but I am not a collector. I just happened to like how the guitar played, so I bought it.....TO PLAY.
 
Can't you just cut and rewire them to four conductor? Yes to everything else. I have a guitar on it's 3rd fret job, sold the original case and pickups long ago never intending to sell the guitar only intended to make me happier, and given it's three fret jobs in (with ss the last time), I'd say it's worth it. Do what the funk YOU want!
 
I didn't think one could rewire pickups from two to four conductor wire. And I know EBMM will not even let you buy a new one without mailing them the bad one. So I'm not sure I'd want to mess with them. The current production DiMarzios are cheap and plentiful. In fact, I'd probably go with something from Jalen or Pariah, if really replacing the stock pups.
 
My blue EBMM EVH has had a fret level and crown job and it will last a while, as I don't put a lot of hours on it anymore. But my sunburst one has divets all over the frets. As long as fret work is coming due, I think I want to buy once, cry once and go SS.
 
Rick Lee said:
I didn't think one could rewire pickups from two to four conductor wire. And I know EBMM will not even let you buy a new one without mailing them the bad one. So I'm not sure I'd want to mess with them. The current production DiMarzios are cheap and plentiful. In fact, I'd probably go with something from Jalen or Pariah, if really replacing the stock pups.
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I've done it with a couple Gibson and SD sets after only watching a YT video, but don't see why it wouldn't work on most others. Could help offset ss fretwork cost a bit. Does require a little patience or you'll destroy it.
 
Oh hell, I won't be DIY'ing that one. If my tech says it's anything more than a cinch, then hell no. I think I'm gonna go Pariah Poundcake or Jalen. I have a lot of Jalen pickups in other guitars and Greg has always done great customization for me. First world problems here.
 
Definitely are 4 wire HB sets specifically designed for what you're after and will ultimately sound better. Just throwing it out there more or less if costs or originality were of concern.
 
Swapping pickups and pots are no big deal as long as you keep the original parts and don’t drill any holes for new switches etc.

The refret may or may not be a hit. If it needs refretted, it needs refretted. If you play it, I would do it.
 
Rick Lee said:
I have two of the old EBMM EVHs and they are so awesome. But those DiMarzios are two-conductor wire and I want to be able to coil split. The Tone Zone and Air Norton are just about the same and come in four conductor wire. I also have three other guitars with stainless steel frets that play like butter. I know it'd be an expensive upgrade, but I'd like to be able to coil split these EVHs and have the playability of the SS frets. Again, will never sell these and I'd obviously keep the stock pickups for Mrs. Lee to sell with the guitars when I die. Should I do it?
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Rick, I think you have some more options on the pickups; if you want to do the Tone Zone, that's cool, but I think Dimarzio is saying the AT is closest to the Axis bridge these days, and also I believe Jalen makes the Poundcake (at the bottom here: https://www.pariahpickups.com/modern ); think the Air Norton is pretty much the exact same as the Axis neck, so on-target there.

If you're talking refret, having a guitar with bad frets is of no value; the upgrade to SS maybe a little more detrimental compared to getting nickel, but man if you're never going to sell those, just play the life out of them with SS frets and keep the old electronics components bagged up and safe somewhere. Just my $.02!
 
grooveHT said:
but I think Dimarzio is saying the AT is closest to the Axis bridge these days,
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I wonder about that. The AT-1 didn't come out for many years after Larry made the pickups for the EBMM EVHs. Legend has it Ed and Steve Lukather were going back and forth between two sets of pups and Ed couldn't make up his mind, Luke told him to flip a coin. The set that made it into the EVHs could not be sold separately per the contract between EBMM and DiMarzio. But the set that lost the coin toss could be and thus was born the Tone Zone. If Ed and Luke couldn't hear the difference, then I'd say they have to be close. I have several sets of both and I don't think I can hear a difference.
 
I’d change em out, to me changing pickups is not a big modification, especially since it’s easy to change it back.
 
Rick Lee said:
I wonder about that. The AT-1 didn't come out for many years after Larry made the pickups for the EBMM EVHs. Legend has it Ed and Steve Lukather were going back and forth between two sets of pups and Ed couldn't make up his mind, Luke told him to flip a coin. The set that made it into the EVHs could not be sold separately per the contract between EBMM and DiMarzio. But the set that lost the coin toss could be and thus was born the Tone Zone. If Ed and Luke couldn't hear the difference, then I'd say they have to be close. I have several sets of both and I don't think I can hear a difference.
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I've heard that as well; I think both of those pickups, the EVH/Axis and AT are supposed to be derived from altered or 250k pot JBs though, from each of the respective namesakes, so it sort of fits. Eh??? Like you said, Tone Zone sure isn't far either!
 
You can find the 4-conductor version of those Dimarzios used if you keep an eye out- they're in several other MM guitars. I've picked up a few sets over the years for use in other guitars.
 
beej said:
You can find the 4-conductor version of those Dimarzios used if you keep an eye out- they're in several other MM guitars. I've picked up a few sets over the years for use in other guitars.
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I know, but they don't come cheap. I think they go for about double the price of the a new Tone Zone and Air Norton.
 
Greazygeo said:
Swapping pickups and pots are no big deal as long as you keep the original parts and don’t drill any holes for new switches etc.

The refret may or may not be a hit. If it needs refretted, it needs refretted. If you play it, I would do it.
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This.
 
I'd even green light if you wanted to put a Floyd Rose on a vintage Tele. It's your guitar. Mod it and play it!
 
If I was keeping them forever of course I would go stainless steel frets, they are the funnest to play in and bends are icy.
 
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