How do mini HB's mount in LP Deluxe?

[chill]

I have an Agile LP jr, a used custom mini HB, and a mini HB bezel/ mounting ring. How does the bezel and/or pickup attach to the body?

[Luke Duke]

Gibson has specialty mounting rings that are used specifically for that, but if you didn't want to buy one you could always make something similiar from pickguard material.

Luke

[chill]

Are they held to the guitar by friction between the bezel and the body wood? Are they screwed to the wood? Seems like I see machine screws on those, which suggests they are not screwed into the wood.

[The Golden Boy]

There's a metal insert that screws to the bottom of the cavity, that has holes that the two screws on the pickup and pickup ring mount to. I don't have the mounts anymore, but here's a pic of the cavity. The inside holes are for a P-90 to mount into- the bracket also has machine screw holes for them. The next set of holes outward are to mount the bracket, and the pickup would mount outside of those.

[chill]

There's a metal insert that screws to the bottom of the cavity, that has holes that the two screws on the pickup and pickup ring mount to. I don't have the mounts anymore, but here's a pic of the cavity. The inside holes are for a P-90 to mount into- the bracket also has machine screw holes for them. The next set of holes outward are to mount the bracket, and the pickup would mount outside of those.

Thanks for the tip and the pic, TGB. Do the machine screws adjust the height of the pickup? Seems like threaded holes on the pup + threaded holes on the bracket means the pup will not move.

[The Golden Boy]

Thanks for the tip and the pic, TGB. Do the machine screws adjust the height of the pickup? Seems like threaded holes on the pup + threaded holes on the bracket means the pup will not move.

As the screws on the outside of the mini don't adjust the height of the pickup in the ring, like a "regular" humbucker. It raises and lowers the whole P-90 sized unit, not the small pickup in the unit. Does that make sense?

If the pickup mount is not mounted to a guitar, turning the screws will not lower or raise the pickup in that mount it raises and lowers the whole unit when mounted to the bracket in the guitar- this only goes for the minis mounted in the P-90 covers. I don't know about FB pickups.

[chill]

Does that make sense?

Now it's starting to make sense. Looks like there is also a nut/ washer glued on the underside:

http://www.guitarhaven.com/shop/mini.jpg

I don't know about FB pickups.

Hmm, this one may be a firebird pup because the box the guy sold it in has firebird mini papers, although the pup itself is labeled 2B-D, which makes it a Custom bridge mini.

[WhoFan]

I have changed the pickups a few times in my 76 Deluxe... Changing the plasic rings has always proven fun... The way Gibson did it was to thread the washer and nut on and then solder the nut to the screw.... To get the nut off i used my iron to heat up the solder a bit and turned the screw... Those nuts are not easy to come by... The thread is not common to many other things......

Oneday i'm going to have my Original Les Paul Deluxe pickups repotted as they are like microphones..... I had a store pot the bridge pickup but it didn't work... Neil Young would love these pickups.... I have Duncans in that guitar now but i have a set of Gibson reissue Minis sitting in my storage to go into that guitar.

[The Golden Boy]

Those nuts are not easy to come by... The thread is not common to many other things......

This is going off 10+ year old memories... but the screw holes in the mount for the Deluxe pickup are the same size as the holes on the insided for P-90s, right? An entirely different thing than the threading for the nut, though...

[WhoFan]

This is going off 10+ year old memories... but the screw holes in the mount for the Deluxe pickup are the same size as the holes on the insided for P-90s, right? An entirely different thing than the threading for the nut, though...

The spaceing of the mini humbuckers screws is the same as full size humbuckers not the same as P90's.... P90's have their adjustment screws thru the pickup and screwed into the wood... On my LP Deluxe right now i have a Duncan Mini loaded into the plasic ring in the front... Then in the rear i have a fullsized JB humbucker... The JB had been in a guitar that was Rear Routed so the treaded pickup screw holes had been drilled out... I just put the screws thru the pickups adjustment whole and screwed them into the mini's threaded inserts in the bottom of the rout.... I stuck a piece of foam under the pickup to act as a spring.. The pickup sits ontop of the Mini rout as it is wider then the wood. It just sits ontop of the wood with just enough clearence from the strings to work without routing out wood.. I can put the Mini's back in at anytime...

WhoFan

[The Golden Boy]

Here's a nifty tip I picked up, but haven't used yet... Cut a thick mouse pad into strips. Better than regular foam- it doesn't lose it's "springyness" like regular foam.

On your mounting bracket- do you have the inner holes that are spaced for P-90s? I may still have a bracket in my Special, but I'm way too lazy to take it apart. I took the brackets out because it was more of a pain to try to get them into the holes on the bracket than into the holes in the wood.

[chill]

More good ideas. And there's another thread going about mini's in the pup forum: http://seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52461

[chill]

Thanks again for the help, gang. I picked up a couple of 4/40 threaded screw in inserts. Drilled out the pilot holes (from the DLX 90) for 4/40 screws to go fairly far down into the body, then drilled out for the inserts. Wood glue on the threads to help them stay put w/o dripping into the extra screw space below. Then I did the mini pup assembly with nuts soldered onto the screws. Rewire, adjust the height, bada bing bada boom:







The first thing I would say about the custom mini bridge is: tight and bright, and middy (I backed way off the mids, backed off the treble and presence a bit, and turned up the bass). The next thing I would say is: Malcolm Young. Especially as you roll back the volume, it stays pretty bright and Malcolmy. Great for leads, still has some thunk with the tall 412.

[WhoFan]

Looks like you did a very neat and tidy job!!!

Why doesn't Duncan offer the thread inserts with there Minis? They should as a lot of their Minis end up in custom guitars!

WhoFan

[The Golden Boy]

Did you cut the P-90 cover and install the mini as well?

The DC Junior/Special shape rocks. And with a tortoise guard- the way it should be.

[chill]

The bezel is an aftermarket mini HB bezel. I think I got it from guitarpartsresource but a number of places have them at 2 for $10 in cream or black.

The threaded inserts would be a good thing for SD to sell, although there should be a hardware store in most major cities which has stuff like that. Home Depot probably does not (although I did not look). The store I went to (WC Wink's in Portland) has a number of things like threaded inserts, rivet nuts, various sized screws/ bolts. The inserts, bolts, and nuts were $1.13.

That Agile is a nice axe. I am surprised at how well it plays for a $199 axe, and with a $35 used custom mini HB, it's all the better!