Extract Mini Humbuckers?

Headphones

I have a shiny new SG Special with mini humbuckers.

While doing it's first string change I've explored much of it (it all falls apart when the strings come off!!! - never on a Fender!) and as I've half a mind to swap to P90s I tried to extract the pickups.

But they don't budge.

They lift to the point the screws disconnect from their mounting (is there a threaded plate in there?), but there's not enough pickup above the body to grasp and extract.  It feels like an interference fit to the body.

Can anyone offer advice on how to extcart them?

FatPete

Are the leads still connected?

Headphones

No , there's plenty of slack too.

andy_k

maybe unscrew a couple of pole pieces to get a grip with some pliers-carefully??

Corvus

Might it be a paint lip fallen over the cavity edge? Could easily lose 1-2mm of width/length in the cavitywith that. If so scrape with a Stanley blade or carefully paring it off with a fresh-blade scalpel might make enough room.

stickyfiddle

Which exact model of SG is it? 

Headphones

It's a 2018 special.

It has no pole peices (so I can't grab them).

It has a thin satin nitro finish; I can't detect a lip, but perhaps something like a careful trim with a scalpel might ease it just enough without damage.

Will have a crack at the weekend.

WezV

Do you have a small suction cup anywhere?

it will come out if you can keep it straight on the way out.

normally I find facing it down and whacking the back with my palm is enough to get them out far enough so I can gently grip and pull the out

andy_k

it wont have been painted AFTER pickups were installed, so what you need is two thin strips of metal almost as wide as the ends of the pickups, then try to lever them out a tiny bit at a time-both ends at the same time, very gently.
I would use a pair of 6'' steel rules for example, but maybe put some tape on the edges of the cavity's first-very easy to gauge the wood. The plastic covers of the pickups flare out slightly at the bottom, so its probably just a tight fit.
good luck.
cheers
andy k

Headphones

I've been scouring the house for something with suckers to no avail, but not found anything yet (save the sink plunger).  I'd been contemplating gaffer tape, though the cleaning afterwards would add to the challenge.

The rulers idea sounds interesting, though there's very little proud of the body to grasp.

I'm not so sure I fancy whacking an SG - they feel so light already - I worry my hand would go through!

andy_k

quick search for pics,shows lots with mini hums, cant see how it would be trouble getting them out? my ruler idea was me assuming they were plastic P90 types with no surrounds-like the older 'specials'.
mini-hums just look like regular hums-pickup attached to surround, surround attached to body, so leave them attached to the surround--unscrew the surround from body and lift out--surely??
I cant see your problem-without a pic to show it.
lots of funky Gibson models around--but i cant think of one with pickups flush to the body anyway?
good luck
andy k

andy_k

searching further---i see a pic of someone selling a 'husk', and theres a couple of metal plates showing-under the pickups--sorry, looks like there might be a screw or screws in there---maybe ?  really need to see what you got.
The surround might be a tight fit--but if it went in --it will come out---not sure what the plates are there for though??
let us see how it goes.
laters
andy k

WezV

andy_k said:

not sure what the plates are there for though??

Gibson's original design used P-90 covers cut out to fit the mini hums.   The whole assembly, pickup and ring, move up and down  with the height adjustment screws. on the end of the pickups.

if you look at the pic you can see a spacer between ring and pickup feet and a nut the other side of the feet.   the screw will pass right through the feet so tuning it won't adjust the height of the pickup in relation to the ring.   it will change the height of the whole unit in relation to the mounting plate

WezV

pickups like this can flare out a bit at the bottom and be difficult to extract.   Filterrons  can suffer from the same issue

they went in straight, but it can be difficult to get a good enough grip to pull them out straight.  if you tilt it at all it can wedge in place

 working upside down and letting gravity and a whack do some of it works 9 times out of 10.   It stops you pushing it back in when you try and straighten it up

Alegree

I'd start by trying to unscrew a pole screw or two half way out the pickup and grabbing it by those to try to pull it out.

WezV

Alegree said:

I'd start by trying to unscrew a pole screw or two half way out the pickup and grabbing it by those to try to pull it out.

None of them to pull out on these Gibson’s 

Alegree

WezV said:

Alegree said:

I'd start by trying to unscrew a pole screw or two half way out the pickup and grabbing it by those to try to pull it out.

None of them to pull out on these Gibson’s 

What? They usually grip onto the baseplate, don't they?

WezV

Alegree said:

WezV said:

Alegree said:

I'd start by trying to unscrew a pole screw or two half way out the pickup and grabbing it by those to try to pull it out.

None of them to pull out on these Gibson’s 

What? They usually grip onto the baseplate, don't they?

They look like a Firebird pickup, not a mini-paf style.  It’s a solid cover with no pole pieces 

FatPete

Like this:

Alegree

Oh, then he's screwed.

Headphones

The firebird like pickups (no polepeices) are rigidly mounted to the black plastic surround, which rises and falls with the pup.

In the cavity (judging by the bridge pup) there's a mounting plate, screwed to the body.  This has tapped holes for the pickup screws to mate with.

When I undo the screws and they clear the mounting plate, the pickup is only a mm or two proud of the body leaving little to grasp.

I suspect they do indeed flare a little at the bottom, as there's a hint of space at the body face (and that's how you'd shape them for mould release).  Feeler guages or the ruler trick might work with a bit of tape as a puller.  I'll find out on Sunday.