Pickup swap question

torkolort

Inspired
I've just ordered a Dimarzio Crunch Lab pickup to replace my D-Sonic on a JP6. I'll be running a Crunch Lab/Air Norton combo.

I've never changed a pickup before and frankly I know very little about how the wiring and electronic stuff works. I'm kinda scared of breaking something. Do I have to worry about the toggle switch as well or just the wires from the tone and volume knob?

Also just to get it straight, when the 3-way switch is in center position it uses both pickups. But does it only use one coil from each pickup?
 
Should be straightforward as they are both dimarzio, which use the same color code and convention. Just rewire it just the way you disconnect it and all should be well.
In center position, it uses both coils from both pickups if you have it wired as humbucker. If you have spit coil options, then it will use a coil from each, depending on how you split it.
 
Should be straightforward as they are both dimarzio, which use the same color code and convention. Just rewire it just the way you disconnect it and all should be well.

Yep, was gonna say the same thing. They're both 4-conductor Dimarzios, so it'll just be a straight swap. Just use whatever you need to make sure you match it all up the same way when you put the new one in. Take photos of the stock wiring if you have to.
 
Green and bare are ground. Red is hot. Black and White go together. Since the middle position use one coil from each pickup the switch will ground these two pairs of black and whites wires. Btw, you are gonna LOVE this pickup!!! I have a 6 and 7 string set and they blow my mind everyday!!! Get the Liquifire too... Best neck pickup EVER!!! So clear, so smooth, so cutting if you want it to be. Dimarzio's rule!!!


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Dimarzios do indeed rule for rock :)

SDs are better at vintage type tones, but I prefer dimarzios almost all the time
 
I've never been wowed by a SD pickup. I get what I think are great vintage type tones with my Dim's all the time. I'm a pretty extreme player. By that I mean I play super heavy metal on one hand (technically I use both hands...) on the other hand I love super sweet chimey blues tones. I need my each of guitars to be able access those tones. What I love the most about the Dims's is the dynamics. They clean up so nicely and it is just beautiful when paired with the Axe II. I could seriously be a Dimarzio (and FAS for that matter...) salesman. All of my guitars have a 560pF (I think that is the value) bypass cap installed. Sometimes I switch it off if I want something dark, rarely though. I LOVE bright mid to low gain sounds especially when my II is set for a raging high gain sound and my pickups clean it up so nicely.
 
Green and bare are ground. Red is hot. Black and White go together. Since the middle position use one coil from each pickup the switch will ground these two pairs of black and whites wires. Btw, you are gonna LOVE this pickup!!! I have a 6 and 7 string set and they blow my mind everyday!!! Get the Liquifire too... Best neck pickup EVER!!! So clear, so smooth, so cutting if you want it to be. Dimarzio's rule!!!

Ahhh I was SO close to buying the liquifire at the same time, and your enthusiasm really makes me regret my decision even more!
 
youtube...there will be tons of videos to show you exactly how to do it. I go there right away when I need info.
 
let us know how the crunch lab does esp. for super high gain

I can tell you right now it handles high gain like a dream. Super clear, loud, nice harmonics, very balanced FR, outstanding chord definition, and very full sounding single notesb. It may be my all time favorite bridge pickup. It cleans up super nice too. PM me if you guys are interested in placing an order. I'm a Dimarzio dealer. Seriously though. I've only been a dealer for like a year. I've used Dimarzio's exclusively for 12 years now. IMHO, they are the best pickups ever made.




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I've just ordered a Dimarzio Crunch Lab pickup to replace my D-Sonic on a JP6. I'll be running a Crunch Lab/Air Norton combo.

I've never changed a pickup before and frankly I know very little about how the wiring and electronic stuff works. I'm kinda scared of breaking something. Do I have to worry about the toggle switch as well or just the wires from the tone and volume knob?

Also just to get it straight, when the 3-way switch is in center position it uses both pickups. But does it only use one coil from each pickup?

The pickups on a JP6 are wired to a pc board which is on the back of the pickup switch. The solder pads on the board are labeled for DiMarzio color coded wires (R - Red, W - white, G - green, B - black). It's pretty tight in the control cavity to be soldering a pc board so it'll be a lot easier to lift the switch out of the cavity to solder. Remove the nut from the pickup switch on the front of the guitar (use the correct size socket or box wrench as pliers could slip and scratch the guitar or nut), then take a strip of cardboard and poke a hole through it, put the cardboard across the control cavity and put the tip of the switch in the hole in the cardboard - this will hold the switch steady while you solder. The solder pads are close together so don't use too much solder or you'll solder 2 pads together (this can be fixed by heating the solder and using de-soldering braid or a solder sucker to remove excess solder). You won't need much bare wire to solder to the pads - 1/8 to 1/4" should be enough.

Put a towel or a larger piece of cardboard across the back of the guitar - you don't want to risk dropping a hot soldering iron on your guitar.

Yes, the center position on the switch uses one coil from each pickup.

You'll probably find the Crunch Lab to be a lot less noisy than the D-Sonic. At 11K ohms the Crunch Lab is not the hottest ceramic magnet pickup, but it's really versatile, clear and detailed. The clean and low gain sounds are as incredible as the high gain. The Crunch Lab sounds like it was made for the Axe!
 
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I always thought the D-Sonic was a bit tubby. I had to dial out a LOT of low all the time. The Crunch Lab doesn't lack low end at all but is so much clearer. I don't know how Dimarzio keeps doing it. I loved my D-Sonic at first, but not so much now.


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Thanks for the walkthrough!

The package wasn't shipped yet and I had them add a LiquiFire for me too. Can't wait!
 
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