What difficulty can I expect when changing an Emmons pickup?

Tom Quinn · Posted 28 Mar 2017 1:01 pm

As the search for making my sad sack D10 push pull intensifies, I want to replace the 15K wound pickup in the E9th slot with what appears to be the original @ 17K (haven't measured it yet) pickup.

I imagine you pull the control panel for easy access to the wiring. But I also note the pickup has some serious spring pressure on it when the time comes to install the pickup.

Are there any tricks I should know or obvious pitfalls? Big thanks for any advice.
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I need an Emmons!

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

The PUPS are mounted on an aluminum flat piece with the 4 mounting screws with spacers. If the next PUP is the same size and the 4 holes match up size wise you should have no issues .

yes , you can unscrew the control plate there should be enough room to turn it sideways to make your connections. Don't forget to protect the body from tools and mishaps.!
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Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

Tom, there are two different hole spacings on Emmons pickups, depending on the age of it. One puts the bass side close to the neck opening but the other is more centric. The problem this can cause is the strings don't line up directly over the pickup poles. If you run into this problem you can retrofit the base to make it work right but other than that, it should go pretty easy. Tony's right, you could pull the control panel up to make the connections but most of the time, it's just as easy (if not easier) to do it by just flipping the guitar over and unsolder the old, solder the new.

Tom Quinn · Posted 28 Mar 2017 5:18 pm

Thanks guys. I've found three curious problems with this guitar.

First, the C6th neck sounds okay, not great, but in the ball park.

Second, the E9th neck is absolutely, totally dead any place there is an A chord but especially at the 5th and 17th frets. At the 17th, the guitar absolutely dies in a few seconds. Doesn't matter where the amp volume is set, it just goes away.

I also need to either put a replacement set of nut rollers in or figure where the current ones should be. The 4th and 5th string rollers are considerably higher than the rest making the guitar unplayable below the 5th (there it is again) fret.
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I need an Emmons!

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Tom
Regarding the A chord anomaly, I'm not a physicist, but I'm wondering if the torque on the neck screws were changed, the guitar might come alive again at those frequencies.

I'm about to put in some GeorgeL pickups in a 1983 PP I have, and I'm gonna pull the control plate on this one. When a guitar has 8 knee levers, there isn't a whole lot of room to work from underneath. Even with less machinery under there, I still remove a couple pull rods for more room.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I would be very surprised if changing the pickup would help your problem. A slight variation in resistance will do almost nothing to change the tone and absolutely nothing to clear up dead spots on the neck.

I would check out what Herb suggests and get the right roller nuts first.

What does your steel sound like when it's not plugged in ?
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Bob

Tom Quinn · Posted 30 Mar 2017 1:37 pm

Thanks Bob. I haven't really strummed it unplugged to tell the truth. It's back in the case now. I'll get it out in a bit and fool with it per your good advice.
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I need an Emmons!

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

Hey Tom; Dickey here...search out forumite John Widgren. He is an old friend of mine (we have ridden together too a couple times; he is into bikes)He was very helpful 30 years ago when I was starting out as far as showing me stuff, helping with equipment, tone, technique, etc. He is a push-pull guru. I flew him down to Florida a few years ago & he set up my old bolt-on to perfection! He can help you with the sustain issue; must be a minor problem because push-pulls are sustain monsters.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.

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