P-Rails & Triple Shot woes

[prsg372]

Hello all, first post here. I'm hoping someone can offer up some advice/help on the problem I'm having with a set of P-Rails with Triple Shot rings. I attempted to install them in my PRS CE-24 and by the time I get everything packed down in there (the P-Rail leads were shortened to make room) I have no room to adjust the pickups. They sit up too high, the neck P-Rail actually touches the strings slightly. While trying to get the neck pickup to actually adjust down the little ribbon cable for the solder pad actually pulled away from the Triple Shot ring. Its been a real fiasco. I called SD and they kindly replaced the broken one under warranty but didn't have a lot of insight to the fit problem. The only advice that was offered was to trim the pole pieces that are on the underside of the P-Rails. This really makes no difference because the solder pad that mounts on the back of the p'up sits higher than the poles anyway.

Maybe the guitar is just too shallow (especially in the neck cavity). I'm not about to go routing into the guitar to deepen the pickup cavities. I really love the sound a versatility of the P-Rails and Triple Shots, but they don't seem to want to fit in this guitar

[DrNewcenstein]

A common problem with shallow routes. I've got a couple like that and have the same trouble.

Your only option to keep using them is to shave away some wood, sadly.


Will the pickups fit in the cavities without the TS? If so, I can recommend a mod that might help, but it involves separating the ribbon cable from the contact board. Otherwise, use the TSs in another guitar with not-as-tall pickups and use a pair of push/pulls for the P-Rails.

[frankfalbo]

If the pickups will fit without the Triple Shot, then they should fit with the Triple Shot. The pole pieces are the same length as a P.A.F. and P90. The solder pad should not sit below the pole pieces. Check out the "how to install" video HERE:
You can see that I'm slipping it into a pretty shallow cavity, but by being deliberate about wire placement it seems to work out just fine. I truly believe that if you can fit a pickup without the TS, then you can fit one with, but I admit I haven't tried every route out there. Best of luck to you, I hope you find a solution, don't hesitate to post photos of your dilemma now, or once you get the replacement.

[prsg372]

If the pickups will fit without the Triple Shot, then they should fit with the Triple Shot. The pole pieces are the same length as a P.A.F. and P90. The solder pad should not sit below the pole pieces. Check out the "how to install" video HERE:
You can see that I'm slipping it into a pretty shallow cavity, but by being deliberate about wire placement it seems to work out just fine. I truly believe that if you can fit a pickup without the TS, then you can fit one with, but I admit I haven't tried every route out there. Best of luck to you, I hope you find a solution, don't hesitate to post photos of your dilemma now, or once you get the replacement.

Hi Frank, actually I watched the installation video several times before attempting. The odd thing is, the guitar in the video looks like it has a shallower neck cavity than my PRS CE-24. I even trimmed the P-Rails leads back short to give even more room. I think the problem is actually that the P-Rails are slightly taller than a regular humbucker. The combo of the P-Rails and Triple Shot is a fantastic idea but it just doesn't seem like its going to work for me in this guitar which is a shame.

[prsg372]

A common problem with shallow routes. I've got a couple like that and have the same trouble.

Your only option to keep using them is to shave away some wood, sadly.


Will the pickups fit in the cavities without the TS? If so, I can recommend a mod that might help, but it involves separating the ribbon cable from the contact board. Otherwise, use the TSs in another guitar with not-as-tall pickups and use a pair of push/pulls for the P-Rails.

I'm very interested in the mod you mentioned. Especially since I already have one Triple Shot where the ribbon did in fact separate from the board while installing.

Push pulls wouldn't give me the complete results (using either of the pickups in all combinations independently.) like the Triple Shots. My guitar only has 1 volume, and and 1 tone.

I can't shave wood from the neck cavity because the neck is connected there. I'd be shaving wood from the actual neck heel. Guess I need another Fender eh?

[frankfalbo]

The P-Rails screw poles are not taller than a regular HB. So the overall required depth of the route is the same. The base of the pickup is just about 1/16" taller than a standard humbucker, but not taller than the Duncan Distortion, or other humbucker with a tall magnet. I just can't help but think that if I were sitting there in front of the guitar I could make it fit. Something isn't quite right. It's like you didn't fold the ribbon cable over itself quite right, or the pickup wire is stacking on top of itself, etc. Any photos would help, like one of the bottom of your pickup, and one of the cavity.

[DrNewcenstein]

If the cable is still attached to the switchboard/ring, you can simply separate them and strip them to expose the wires, and solder some extra wire to them (I recommend using thin wire as found in standard pickup 4-conductor cable, which is available from www.wymoreguitars.com at a reasonable price).


Once you run both the pickup leads and the TS switching leads to the control cavity, connect everything to the contact board there, then connect the TS wires as normal.

However, getting the switch wires back onto the contact board in their respective holes is going to be difficult. You can achieve the same results by wiring the switch wires and pickup leads directly to each other, then to the pads on the contact board, as this will have the same effect (since the switch wires are in fact connected to the pickup pads).

I had to do this on one TS I butchered while trying to monkey it into the cavity. On another that I butchered, and due to the design of the pickup in question (Anderson H3+), I was able to connect the switch wires to the contact points on the pickup baseplate itself.



However, if you've separated the ribbon cable from the switch board, then the only thing I can suggest is getting some solid core wire and try to seat them into the holes. This is going to be very hot work, so use pliers to hold the wire, and you'll probably have to use one bit of wire to ream out the hole in the board, then another for the actual mounting, as the insulation from the first wire will probably melt off by the time you get it done.

[prsg372]

The P-Rails screw poles are not taller than a regular HB. So the overall required depth of the route is the same. The base of the pickup is just about 1/16" taller than a standard humbucker, but not taller than the Duncan Distortion, or other humbucker with a tall magnet. I just can't help but think that if I were sitting there in front of the guitar I could make it fit. Something isn't quite right. It's like you didn't fold the ribbon cable over itself quite right, or the pickup wire is stacking on top of itself, etc. Any photos would help, like one of the bottom of your pickup, and one of the cavity.

Hi Frank, thanks for your help, definitely having a problem with the ribbon cable as you mentioned. Where the cable meets the board on the ring, and also the little soldering pad its reinforced/stiffened with something if you notice...like a plastic or glue. This forces it to sit straight up the pickup rests on it. I can get them in...its just that once they are in they don't want to adjust. I can go higher, but not lower. The neck pickup rail blade actually touches the middle G and D strings. I kept trying to finagle the wires to lay just right, then trying to adjust...eventually the ribbon cable came loose from the neck ring.

[DrNewcenstein]

That's how mine came loose - trying to wrestle the ends with the wax/glue (and general monkeyness).

See if you can position the board sideways at the corner of the cavity so it runs down the length of the pickup, with the ribbon cable at the corner.
You'd have to find a creative way to wire the pickup to it though, like at a steep angle. That presents other fit problems, though.