Design Issue with the EBMM Axis

[brunocormack]

The SD is one of the worst-case picks here since it's a taller pickup than most, so you're fighting both the shallow cavity and the wire routing at the same time. A couple things that have worked for people in this exact spot:


The cleanest non-destructive fix is bending and re-drilling the mounting legs to match the factory pickup's geometry — basically copying how the stock pickup sat low and flush. No wood removed, fully reversible.


If you do decide to relieve the cavity, the neck wire channel ("canyon") is the move, not deepening the whole pocket. A small chisel relief just wide enough for the wire to drop below the baseplate buys you the clearance without hacking up the floor of the cavity. Tape it off and go slow.


Otherwise, swapping to a lower-profile pickup with shorter legs solves it without surgery. If you're after that SD voicing specifically, a few of the custom winders (Wolfetone, etc.) will build to a footprint you spec — send them the stock pickup as a reference and have them match leg length and overall height.


What tone were you chasing with the SD that the stock pickups weren't giving you?

 

[cardinal]

They are the closest they sell, but still some differences.

Supposedly the Axis is the same as the AT-1 with the virtual vintage dummy slugs removed from between the actual slugs/screws. This would make the Axis bridge a little more aggresive in the upper mids and relax the lows a little.

I have heard that the Neck is the Air Norton but only aired on one side, instead of both sides. This would make the Axis neck a littler fatter sounding with more output.

Those are both things that you can change, though drilling out the virtual vintage slugs in a pita. Just depends on how much the nuances really bother you. I can't hear shit apparently so I doubt I could tell much of a difference.

 

[cardinal]

The SD is one of the worst-case picks here since it's a taller pickup than most, so you're fighting both the shallow cavity and the wire routing at the same time. A couple things that have worked for people in this exact spot:


The cleanest non-destructive fix is bending and re-drilling the mounting legs to match the factory pickup's geometry — basically copying how the stock pickup sat low and flush. No wood removed, fully reversible.


If you do decide to relieve the cavity, the neck wire channel ("canyon") is the move, not deepening the whole pocket. A small chisel relief just wide enough for the wire to drop below the baseplate buys you the clearance without hacking up the floor of the cavity. Tape it off and go slow.


Otherwise, swapping to a lower-profile pickup with shorter legs solves it without surgery. If you're after that SD voicing specifically, a few of the custom winders (Wolfetone, etc.) will build to a footprint you spec — send them the stock pickup as a reference and have them match leg length and overall height.


What tone were you chasing with the SD that the stock pickups weren't giving you?

You know what else is completely reversible: stacking a big shim into the neck pocket. That will put the strings up away from the pickup cavity and let the pickup clear everything.

 

[Rick Lee]

I got at SD '78 Custom from a member here to throw into a Partscaster and I loved it. I have three Axis and two EVH models. My black Axis came with aftermarket pups installed (and heavily discounted because of it), so it wasn't like I was hurting the value by trying something else.

 

[JonPearson1994]

You could also swap the pickup baseplates, or even buy a baseplate just for the job. It's not that tough to do, just be careful when it comes time to remove the old ground connection and reconnect to the new baseplate.

 

[Rick Lee]

I did that on an old JB whose leg holes I had screwed up. My tech had a SD baseplate laying around and it worked perfectly.

 

[JonPearson1994]

I did that on an old JB whose leg holes I had screwed up. My tech had a SD baseplate laying around and it worked perfectly.

I've done it for multiple Ibanez guitars with shallow routes and triangle tab routes.

It does have an impact on tone of course, but if you can get the same material it ought be not much different if any.