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Mounting Minihumbuckers


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Not long ago I pickup a set of SD antiquity minihumbuckers to put in an old LP Deluxe.  Duncan uses the typical method of install, soldering a nut to the height-adjustment screw with a spacer added to keep the pickup at a specific height above the ring.

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This wasn't going to work for my installation, particularly for the neck pickup.  With the ring screwed down to it's lowest position the pickup stood too tall to avoid the strings.  This is the time in most projects when things get put off and it's takes me a while to get around to finding/ordering pieces/parts to make things work as needed.  True to my nature, this is how things stayed since November.

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I needed to take them apart and replace the factory spacer with something a bit longer to decrease the pickup profile.  Duncan used 12mm aluminum spacers and 3/48 hex nuts soldered to the posts. 

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Removing the solder and nuts from the posts was only a small hassle, but in my mind an unnecessary one.  I chose 15mm nylon spacers and 3/48 nylon locking nuts for reassembly.  This way they can easily be taken apart if needed for different installations in the future.

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The nylon lock nuts are easy peasy and seem to stay in place well enough.  I had some difficulty finding them until I landed on a radio controlled airplane hobby site.  If you ever need hardware smaller than Ace Hardware or Fastenal carries, RC shops are awesome.

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With everything back together it was time to test the fit.  The profile of the neck pickup is now similar to that of the original Gibson pickup it's replacing.  I find it odd that SD would spec a profile that creates problems for LP installs.  All's well that ends well, I guess.  Now it's time for some solder to get the install completed.

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1 hour ago, killerteddybear said:

3/48? Is that a real size?

Should have used a hyphen, 3-48

1 hour ago, RobB said:

Is there a mounting plate in the cavities? How are they held in place?

There is.  It's tapped at the ends for the minihum mounting screws.  Height adjustments are done in the same way as full-size humbuckers mounted in rings, but with the minis both pickup and ring get closer to or further from the strings.

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