Can a novice replace mandocaster pickup?

[homermando]

Got my Almuse upgrade pickup and have not done any previous work like this; any advice and websites with step by step instructions?

[darrylicshon]

I'm not sure if this will help but Seymour Duncan has lots of info about pickups
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/

[mrmando]

If you've got a soldering iron and can follow a diagram, I don't see why you couldn't do this. Neither of those conditions applies to me, unfortunately.

[Marty Jacobson]

There are lots of good tutorials on youtube. It is very straightforward. It's about as difficult as working on an old car or lawnmower. So if you've ever rebuilt carbs or swapped out a car battery, it's not much more complex than that. You won't even need a diagram. Just replace the existing pickup with the new one. Match the colors of the wires to what's already there. Should work just fine.

[ricomando]

is your pick up cavity shielded and grounded ? is there a ground lead running to the bridge ?

[buchrob]

Easy enough job, but I would set aside a few hours to be safe. Plug in your instrument before starting and turn up the volume on your amp a bit to get a good idea of your baseline noise level (hiss and hum).

The UK Almuse site has some instructions and color coding.

http://www.almuse.co.uk/instructions.html

Place the instrument on a thick towel. Remove the strings and gently remove the scratchplate screws. Make a wiring sketch or take a photo if you can before disconnecting any wires. This will be of some comfort if something ends up being an orphan during the process. There will probably be a very fine wire running to the bridge that will have to be reconnected in order to minimize hum. Instruments assembled in the far east typically use the minimum amount of wire possible, so you may not have much room to manoeuvre.

Though a professional repairman might wince at this, I prefer to cut the existing pickup wires about half way between the control and pickup and solder the new leads there. That way I avoid accidentally damaging a delicate control, switch or pickup. This also gains a little more working space.

You can plug in the re-wired mandocaster before re-assembly and tap the top of the pickup with a screwdriver. If you hear a thump in your amp, and no more hum than before, you know your wiring is good. Disconnect the instrument and insulate your joints well. I prefer shrink-wrap tubing. Reassemble gently. Small screws in the same hole can easily strip.

P.S.: Nothing will tick you off more than dropping hot solder onto the finish of the instrument. Try to prep your soldering area by putting down a sheet of cardboard or wood covered by a damp cloth.

[John Adrihan]

Typically novices bugger up screws more than anything. Get the right size tools and be patient, and go for it.

[thistle3585]

I have done several of these swaps and highly, highly suggest that you replace the electronics in addition to the pickup. Its like putting a high performance engine in a car with a transmission that isn't going to translate the engine's performance. The down side here is that they use a cheap pot with a 5/16" thread and quality pots are 3/8" so you need to make the hole in the pickguard larger. Also, while you're at it, I'd recommend wiring in a coil tapping switch since you have everything apart. This is a pretty common upgrade and it wouldn't surprise me if Tom or Pete would be willing to provide you with an upgraded harness with all new pots, switches etc that you can drop in. I am getting ready to put together a wiring harness for an Almuse this week. I'll do step by step photographs of it and post them by the weekend. It should be a simple write up.