How To Swap Pickups In A Semi-Hollow Guitar | Guitar Tech Tips | Ep. 65 | Thomann

[@MikeLute]

Interesting to see how it is done, but in this case, for most of us, it`s time to support you local guitar tech 😅

[@TiagoNYC]

😆 definitely

[@davidallen346]

Need a miracle to find a knowledgeable guitar tech that won't ruined your guitars or rip you off in Colorado

[@joelshields8807]

Yeah, I was thinking of trying it on my Guild Starfire, but after watching this - nah.

[@AcousticJamDad]

Couldn’t agree more…once soldering and such comes into play I’m out totally…I can mod aesthetic stuff but the wiring is a mystery to me

[@acwatercolors]

Totally agree !

[@seanmccann2513]

Suddenly my Epiphone ES-335 pickups sound great.😂

[@acwatercolors]

Same😅 Love my guitar as it is at last !

[@alexstrums]

Haha. They are sweet sweet sounding pickups 😅

[@RaúlCabezalí]

5:59 I wish I could grow a third hand like yours, it would come really "handy"!

[@josephhughes9490]

Kris, As always a terrific tech show. I have a semi hollow body that looks almost exactly the same as yours in the show. You just made me appreciate guitar techs so much more because I'm not going to attempt all that...lol. You did just fantastic. Great tech work.

[@tardyblossoms]

2:45 - Your face says it all, but I love that you push forward for us viewers. Appreciate the informative approach to this type o’ pickup situation! Black gloss is so easily and noticeably damaged. Mad props. Big appreciate.

[@acwatercolors]

The amount of work is crazy ! Thanks for the video and congratulations for your patience !

[@giornox114]

ahah, yes I definitely need a third hand to solder this thing! Yeah I want another video about changing electronics on a ES style! Great video presentation as always!

[@hanifahlgibran5779]

L

[@ranaimran9805]

Bt tyyy o

[@flogginga_dead_horse4022]

Your video is so great I decided I will not be upgrading my pickups lol

[@gregmullins6927]

That was excellent.

[@charliemcgrain]

SHORT CUT; If you are just changing out the pickups then KEEP THE WIRES COMING FROM THE POTS, just clip the wires short AT THE PICK UP and join the wires there. You can solder or just twist them together and tape them.

[@riviecc]

Thats how i always do it . A lot easier .

[@Kaisermb1]

Works good if you are just going to toss the pickups you’re replacing.

[@simonvanderheijden432]

That would be the stupid way to do it..

[@charliemcgrain]

@@simonvanderheijden432 I'll over look the insult if you can explain why?

[@paulpavot1056]

@@simonvanderheijden432 Why stupid? Nothing is being compromised outside of the leads of the pickup.

[@milosmil]

You are brave man. Now I must/can try it by myself. Thanks for sharing.

[@D-8-Tone2]

Just ordered new pups and a push pull pot for my semi hollow Ibanez, I try to follow these steps and I am super excited because it will be my first job on this body style. But like you said it could be time consuming and I am lack of the 3rd hand.😂 Great video, köszönöm 😊

[@steelwarrior105]

I will eternally wonder why gibson thought not adding a backplate to the es series was a good move

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha, I get it, it's anything but practical... The roots of hollow body guitars are acoustics, where you fix everything through the sound hole. I'm pretty sure that's the reason for this: tradition basically. I only wonder why they didn't make the f-hole a little wider on the ES range to make it easier to install the pots. It's just super tight and there's always a chance of scratching the finish when doing it... 🤷‍♂️ Cheers //Kris

[@deepwaterrehab7685]

They did on the ES-333 model 👀

[@robbie6129]

Yes please do a video on changing pots and electronics on the semi hollow

[@KP11520]

I use Mallory 150 .022uf Caps. Cheap and run with expensive PIO caps. The leads always snap when installing the electronics harness back in my Semi Hollow Dot! OUCH! Doesn't take much wrestling. I always tape the whole face work area. The reason they are called "F" holes has nothing to do with anything you've been told. It's because the word MOST USED when doing an Electronics and Pickups swap begins with "F". LOL Tweezers that stay squeezed until your hand applies pressure to release, really helps hold the Pots still when building out the wiring harness and soldering. Make a cardboard template to get lead lengths zeroed in! I use clear plastic hose to feed the appropriate Pot through the appropriate hole. I used SD 59's in my Dot. If Modding gets you closer to your dream guitar, then why not do it! Good Stuff!

[@BaconatorJames]

I own basically the same guitar - same color, etc, a 2019 Gibson ES-339. All the effort required to change pickups on an ES style guitar, and this was a helpful video, but it's inspiration to buy a Relish guitar, with hot-swappable pickups. Glad I like the '57 humbuckers it came with, I had enough of playing 'Operation' when I was a kid.

[@alexstrums]

Ah right, this makes sense. Sending an email to my luither now 😂

[@grandesguitarristas635]

Hi Kris! Wouldn't it be easier to cut the wire from the old pickup and solder the new pickup directly to that wire or do you think that could affect the tone in any way? (I mean, maybe losing some high end or something?) Thanks!!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Great question! That would be a good solution to make the pickup swap easier. I don't think any tone would "get lost" that way, if it's soldered clean. I wanted to wire this guitar "the elegant way" for two reasons: 1. first of all to show you guys, how that's done; 2. the original pickups had four conductors and the new ones have two. That would've looked super messy if I wired them together. Cheers //Kris

[@grandesguitarristas635]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses oh, I get it... that makes sense a lot. Thanks!!

[@markmccafferty6515]

Excellent thanks bud, I'll give it a go on my Tokai 👍🏻

[@davidandrews5014]

Would like to see - Removing/replacing wax potted pickups from an ES 335 style guitar that has braided metal jacketed wire and show connecting and disconnecting wire from pickups and removing the wax so that you can. Also would like to see splicing metal braided jacket wire. Thanks!

[@gulaschgunther2336]

A "Installing a Floyd Rose Into a Strat"-Video would be nice🤘🤘😁

[@juanjan__]

That's a painfully fiddly work, nicely done. I'm thinking of changing the pickups and electronics on my HB-60, so is it too late to ask for the video on switching electronics as well? 😅

[@PooNinja]

I thought those components were just born in there?? Who’s got hands that tiny! That looks like changing the rear spark plugs on transverse mounted V6 !! Ain’t nobody got time for dat! This is why you pay a tech to do this🤘🏽.

[@dbrown6451]

Can you pull the pot out of the F hole and make the soldering easier? They have to be able to come out the F if you had to replace a pot.

[@chickenlickin3820]

Thank you Josephine xxx

[@KrisBarocsi]

😂😂 Now I need a t-shirt too…

[@stug5041]

I’m glad I paid to have the pups changed in my 335; yikes this looks tough

[@cemylgn1363]

so cool guy always fun to watch

[@Bflatest]

im just going to cut a nice whole in back and used magnets to put it back on

[@modernistmixing]

Quick hack - do not f-around with the pots, just loosen the old pickups out of place, cut the wiring going to the pots, then hook the wire up from the new pickups to the cut wires going into the pot cavity. Yeah its ugly but if you're going to get rid of the old crappy pickups anyway, its way easier than having to deal with this.

[@boomerbassmeme]

I do a lot of my own set ups and maintenance but um, hell no! That looks far too fiddly for my short attention span and it would go flying. Best to leave that one to the professionals!!! LOL

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Fair enough! haha! It's not the easiest guitar type for electronic fixes and swaps... ahh man. :D Cheers //Kris

[@ameratassi1852]

Awesome stuff. Cheers bro

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Hey Amer, thanks a lot! :) //Kris

[@barruzza]

Yea...I wouldn't even try this. I'll just keep the pickups that I have.

[@sajisguitar]

Kris, tell us what you'll do if one of the pots or the output jack accidentally falls in?

[@darthshaggy9970]

Cry haha

[@stringsattached8004]

How much would a skilled luthier charge to do this upgrade? Thank you for this video. Subscribed.

[@taokichavez9319]

what happened to those really low output humbuckers? I really loved the sound, would be willing to make a comparison video?

[@pauldncn1]

Yes but will putting a bare knuckle warping in my Ibanez semi acoustic cause more feedback? Desperate to try this Thanks for the how to !

[@insidious.92]

I have a question for the next q&a: Does it match a Göldo T style neck with Harley Benton T style body? Thanks.

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

Gut, dass ich einen Meistergitarrenbauer kenne!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Sowas ist absolut Gold wert! 🤩 Ciao //Kris

[@russk8091]

Why can't you just detach the wire that's attached to the pickup, attach it to the new pickup, and insert the new pickup in the body. I'm sure this must be a stupid question, but I had to ask.

[@acwatercolors]

I join your group man, salle question

[@casandre2]

Hi Thanks a lot for this very informative video :-) I have a Harley Benton HB-35Plus Vintage Burst from Thomann and I am planning to swap the pickups, do you know where I can find the wiring diagrams of this guitar please?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks a lot! Please contact our customer care and ask for the schematics ([e-mail]) //Kris

[@casandre2]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Danke! 🙂

[@TickTownProductions]

Who else was terrified as he used the screw gun removing and installing the pick ups

the challenge is usually the output jack

[@ArturBrzozowski444]

Do I really want to take that pots replacement job on a semi hollow?

[@jeppej4265]

You're right on time with the topic again! Been looking on prewired kits for my chinese es335 style knockof. Planning to change the pickups as well but not sure if I swap them from my gibson les paul an by new for that one. Do you see any size or other issues with the pickup swap like this? I gues ar least the pot shaft are different in asian built vs. Us ?

[@DogDaze66]

Where’s your shop?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

In Treppendorf, Bavaria, Germany. It's a small town close to Bamberg. Beautiful region, historical cities and the shop is worth the travel. :) //Kris

[@mauti8550]

😊

[@roboman5000]

Change them pots 😃

[@marcuscorneliusaurelius6534]

Step 1: Place guitar gently in case for transport. Step 2: Go to ATM and take out a 100 dollar bill. Step 3: Bring 100 dollar bill to guitar shop. Step 4: Pay man with neck tattoos. Step 5: Transport guitar safely home in case. Step 6: Test guitar in home amp.

[@scotteggleston7134]

What an absolute headache....

[@RobertCorrington]

This is ridiculous. Why the hell don’t guitar manufacturing companies put panels on the backs of the semi-hollows (like they do for many solid bodies, like Les Pauls)? ER surgeon-like skills should not be required to swap pickups.

[@tolvajakos]

because it is prettier this way

[@BanBanChi]

I'll be paying someone some well deserved money to do this on my. Either that or never change pick ups

[@Williamwerenberg]

Great video 👍 Also, you sound like Christopher Walken and that’s great too 😁👍

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha! You think so? Christopher Walken is SUCH an awesome dude, I'll take that as a compliment. :) Cheers //Kris

[@Williamwerenberg]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses It is definitely a compliment, Kris 😊 Have a good one

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Super video 👍 Hobbyangler sind da eindeutig im vorteil und da ich jetut geimpft bin wirds mit der dritten hand vielleicht auch noch was 😄🙋‍♂️ 🐈

[@andreasbravos7943]

Personally, I don't like that type of guitars (the body shape only) but I admire how you fix them. Try to think that we are doing the same at S-style and we made @#$%&^! Of course, it is another reason to practice ourselves.

[@jm_tabs]

Too much patience I prefer a pro does it!

[@countblue]

Well since you got three hands its a bit unfair because I have only two. Also what happens if one of the strings gets lose? Youre lost.....

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

haha! It took me a long time to grow that third hand :D Fair enough. BTW if a string gets lose, don't worry. That's why I mentioned the tweezers and the paperclip. Those are there to save the day in a situation like that. :) //Kris

[@StratsRUs]

You are excellent.Thanks. This reminds me of an old joke. My gynaecologist friend recently redecorated his whole house, through the letterbox of his front door.

[@HunnysPlaylists]

LOL

[@tolvajakos]

How about not soldering to the pot? When you just need to swap pickups, you could just cut the old pickup wire at about half of the length. Remove old pickup with half wire. Other half of the wire remains soldered to the pot. Fish out the cut end through F-hole. Thread the new pickup wire through the pickup wire channel while you insert new pickup in place. Fish out open end of new pickup wire, trim overhang if you feel like it. Solder the two open ends (of the new pickup wire soldered to the pickup and old pickup wire soldered to the pot). You have just created a splice. Push it through the f-hole and tuck away. You now have a splice that you can always easily reach without touching pots if the pickup didn't work out and you want to swap it again.

[@jwparsons1]

I did that except I connected the wires with telephone wire jelly connectors instead of soldering.

[@TheDahveeed]

My brother tried that before and we didn't get any audio. It's easier to legitimately screw that up

[@5uperhands]

This is the approach I am going for. 59 Vanson Alnico2 on a Hartwood

[@JG-pe7qo]

it's looks like surgery

[@billylyle1]

Nice work ..Im Pick n Up What your puttin down....

[@BrazenNL]

Yes, you actually did it! Thank you. And, yes, I would like to see how you do electronics, and tightening the jack.

[@wesboundmusic]

Yikes! I buy the "emergency room" comment, totally! 😀. But props to you, you make it look like a walk in the park, like a piece of cake, awesome! Thomann must be proud to have you! (this kind of mod - w/o the pickup replacement - is due for me soon... ayeeee... ;-) )

[@fredericadda]

You convinced me: I will never ever buy an old-style semi-hollow 😅

[@D14V0R05]

I wonder if it is possible to skip the pot soldering part by just cutting the wires that are already attached to them from the former pickups and soldering those to the new pickups, provided they have the same number of wires and without the braid or some sort of shielding.

[@SonOfGome]

It is

[@vincebrizio953]

Good morning, I'm Vincenzo, an Italian Who lives in Nl . I like much professional channel! I would like some advice: I would like to change the volume and tone potentiometers (which don't work properly), of my jazz guitar bought used (Ibanez AFJ81), with only Benedetto A6 ( Thomann’s guitars ) pickup. I would like to buy 2 quality potentiometers and condensador that fit there. What do you advise me?

[@iban1228]

after seeing this, i guess i'll be taking my Samick JZ2 to the tech for some pick-up upgrades. sometimes DIY everything is too much lol

[@tomfoolery2082]

Iv changed lots of guitar electronics along the way and this could be the best way for this there is idk . Still not for me , I would rather ship it to u or someone and pay them . Love the channel .

[@MultiGuitarDave]

Instead of a wire, it is better to slide a flexible tube over the shaft of the potentiometer. Much easier than a wire. So get the shaft right back through the hole

[@GeorgeHeil-gg6wv]

Emergency Room ? . . . that guitar is not screaming, cursing, or fighting you. js

[@martintaylor1701]

What do you guys do with your old strings? You must get through a bunch making these (excellent and very helpful) videos. I know they can be recycled, but there are almost no options outside of the US. Something Thomann could get involved in, maybe?

[@mikec3454]

So rookie question here - can you just cut the pickup wire from the outgoing ones and cut the wire of the new ones and then solder together? Just wondering if this works in order to avoid working through the F hole.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Ohh wow, I have two answers. 1. Yes you can do that. 2. Please don't do that. 😆 First of all you ruin the worth of the pickups - who would ever buy them with chopped off wires? Second, you'll probably end up having a longer wire than the original was which can lead to annoying rattling inside the guitar. Cheers //Kris

[@23skidoo46]

was thinking about swapping pups in my 335 style guitar. Ah, now, nope! too much of a pain in the ass.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha! Yeah, you really have to WANT to change those pickups. Or just go to a guitar tech. Now at least you'll know why this costs more than a pickup swap in a Les Paul or similar. 😅 Cheers //Kris

[@MistaF]

way easier with someone else helping lol.

[@catboyzee]

If I have one headscratcher/critique of what is arguably Ted McCarty's greatest musical creation is, why he didn't include a removal panel on the back of his semi-hollow design to allow easier access to the controls and wiring? I'd like to think that it would have been a small matter for those Kalamazoo craftsmen to have made it so. Great video BTW, thanks for sharing your insight.

[@danieleacquavera4107]

A 330 with humbuckers? Never seen one before... sounds cool though 😊

[@TiagoNYC]

Thank you for this. Would you say the ES 175 T would be the same process? The previous owner put a Benedetto in the neck.

[@steveg.3022]

Nice instruction video. Thanks. I want to wax pot the humbuckers on an inexpensive ES335 clone guitar. I’ll need to remove them from the guitar.

[@windpawan4910]

Thank you so much for your amazing videos always enjoy them a lot could you please make a video on es335 how to set the intonation 🙏🙏❤️❤️

[@cwwisk]

Lots of work, but definitely worth it on import guitars.

[@nintalev]

Thanks Kris as always! I have an 18 years old Squier Strat that picks up radio frequencies nowadays (never touched the electronics nor the pickups) any idea how to fix this issue? Thanks in advance :)

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks a lot! Here's a great article about picking up radio signal: killerguitarrigs.com/amp-picking-up-radio/ I hope it helps you. Cheers //Kris

[@Guitarist._.2004]

Yeah, I'm good😂if I ever get a hollow body imma just leave it alone