Hey Mick. I’m one of three guys that build the ES models, in White wood, at the Gibson Custom Shop. I know you are very particular about details so a few things you may like to know… Gibson builds two main years (with a few small exceptions) a ‘59 and a ‘64 (not a ‘63)… and the hole in the maple Center block is called a “window “. (A detail only someone as geeky as us would appreciate)…. Also, the window was added in 1964. Love the show… I’ve watched since the beginning… love what you guys do… God Bless my friend. Tell Dan Hi from the Custom shop. Ps… very impressive how you pushed through and got the job done. Even people here (who do this every day) has a hard time with ES style guitars. Great job, Brother.
Thank you so much Aaron! It was inspirational to visit Memphis (when it was there) and also the Nashville facility. It was Mike Voltz who showed me around and had I had the money, I’d have bought a Rusty there and then. That was the inspiration for this one. Thanks for your work Aaron!
Aaron, you guys do great work, thank you! Asking cause you're on the inside, but I understand you may have no idea... Is there any interest from Gibson on bringing back the 333 with the LP style rear access plate?
i have never felt so represented in a youtube video. Mick sorry for all the trouble but man did it feel good to not be the only one who thinks they are undertaking a simple task with their guitar and getting to the point where you just can't handle it anymore. Great video on showing the utter frustration that guitars can be!
mental preparation is the key, you can't be thinking about something else or getting angry at inanimate objects. (easier to say than to do for most though...)
Find yourself a 333, it has a Les Paul style backplate and pickup swaps are really straightforward. They only produced them for a couple years, and they get snatched up by Blink 182 fans and modded because Tom Delonge had a signature 333 that is unobtainably priced.
Mick, I applaud your willingness to experiment with trial and error for an International audience. You're teaching countless budding guitar techs valuable lessons, including perhaps the most important: frustration is real, but can be circumvented. Thanks for your work, per usual. Good job. 335 sounds fantastic.
Dude. No way. Lol There's absolutely nothing about this process that appeals to me as a do-it-yourself weekend adventure. Anyone who does this is a monolith of patience and dexterity.
The building rage and frustration seen in this video is quite possibly the funniest and relatable thing I’ve seen this year. I would love to see the outtakes. You have the patience of a saint.
Mick, I felt your pain so much on this one that I had to pause halfway through and go and get a glass of wine! 🍷 I could actually hear a difference (albeit a small one) and really appreciate that you gave us some examples in the context of some tracks. Take a bow, Sir!
The Gibsons are louder and bassier which always sounds ‘better’ in sound comparisons and in music stores (and something that TH-cam gear demoers know all about). Ask a producer or a mix engineer though, and they’ll tell you they don’t want all the flub. What they want is the articulation…. Which is what I wanted, and why I prefer the new pickups. Cheers!
Once saw Trogly show a neat little trick to avoid all that fishing the pots in and out hassle: he ties thread 🧵 around the shafts before dropping them inside the body. That way you can just pull each thread through the respective holes and fish the pots back up in no time. Works for the pickup leads, or the jack as well
Love the pet cameos as well. Luckily you did the soldering at work, otherwise the cats would sense your intense concentration, and would *love* to cause some ill-timed mischief.
I went through the same emotions you went through when rewiring mine with push-pull pots, and I had a window in the cavity to work with! Working on an ES’ electronics takes nearly an act of God. Congrats on pulling through. It took me 4 days but I finally got through as well and it is glorious. Just left with a lot pride and crippling guitar PTSD.
If ever there was a "beware, don't try this at home" warning, this was it. Thank you for taking some stress and multiple swear words away from my life. 👍🤟😎
I watched this during breakfast with my wife this morning who asked me if that is the same reason she can hear shouting and screaming coming from my workshop sometimes! Sorry, but I was crying with laughter, (sympathetically) when you realised the pots were too short. But you didn't give up and that's the trick to learning for next time. Great vid.
I rewired a jazz box once, it was a breeze because I tied washers and strings to the existing pots then removed everything leaving the washers and strings in the guitar. I then did all of the wiring outside of the guitar. I then just tied the strings to the new pots and fished the entire new harness and pickups back through the respective holes by pulling the strings with the washers. It was actually the easiest wiring job I’ve ever done.
You're a legend Mick, not an easy task! I'm sure there are many of us who have avoided it due to the limited number of quality video tutorials out there. Nothing worse than seeing an expert making it appear like a simple 30 minute task, when in fact the existing loom won't even fit through the f-hole without a tremendous struggle. This has given me the confidence to give this one a crack.
I think what I admire most about this is the perseverence alongside the honesty and admission of near-failure. Many, many people (probably myself included) would have given up and packed it off to Monty's long before you considered that might be your only option. To me the new pick-ups sound more "you" in the sense that the smile that grew across your face when playing them was a reflection of the inner satisfaction of "yup, that's a sound". Huge thanks for showing every painful bit of the process, and for producing yet another insight into the perils of tone-hunting, whilst also proving, sometimes it's worth the pain!
I know a lot prefer that warmer "traditional Gibson" thing - but I have to say for me the new pickups are so much better. Especially coming from a single coil background, that clarity is like your nostrils finally clearing after a headcold. Congrats on persevering Mick! Was worth every frustrated second.
Thanks Steve. I think anyone who thinks the warmer woofier sound is more traditional Gibson, then they’ve never played many old Gibsons! Warm and woofy = nasty Gibson to me. Bright, airy and quacks = proper PAF tone to me!
I hope Monty's and other techs give you a kickback on all the work you've just (deservedly) sent their way 😀 My revelation about money 'saved' versus quality of job was a few years back, I'd way rather pay a pro now. Much like how I feel when clients ask if their family can sing at our gigs....
I know the process was terribly frustrating, but to my ears the new loom and pickups have given that guitar new life! The absolute clarity is astonishing, but without sacrificing what I hear to be the “voice” of that guitar. Time well spent in my opinion!
I’m sitting here watching this video with headphones while my wife is watching Married At First Sight. I don’t know which is the harder to watch 🤣 Great work for hanging in there. I’ve been there, done that, and felt your pain, brother. Love the show. Keep up the great work 🙏
Mick, your frustration was visceral and palpable -- and way too relatable. I've modded many, many guitars and basses, and the one notable failure was my attempt to install a set of Duncan P-Rails (and a coil-splitting tone pot) in my Dean Boca semi-hollow electric 12. The three biggest issues were the original wiring (which included a multi-pin plug assembly for the pickups), the narrow f-hole, and the shallow body cavity. After two days (seemed longer) my frustration was off the charts and I threw in the towel. Am truly glad you were ultimately successful with the 335. Congrats!
When I clicked on this video I thought it was gonna be the installion of old and new pick ups then comparison. What I got out of it was a dogged determination to get done what u set out to do while at the same time knowing at any time u could quit or hand over to the guitar shop and u chose to stay with it. The tones were a just bonus to the video. Well done and thank you
Thank you for transparently showing the struggle of this project! Given your experience doing these type of swaps, it will prevent less experienced operators from damaging their stuff and is also a shared experience for anyone who has had challenges on similar tasks.
What a colossal difference. Reminds me of why I put the same pickups in my LP. The clarity, articulation, and note separation are night and day between the two. Been waiting for this video for a while and it did not disappoint. Thanks, Mick, if for nothing else than confirming I should never work on my 335-style guitars. And the beautiful shots of Those Pedal Pets!
I have essentially the same guitar with the same pickups. I've always liked the tone and after watching this I ESPECIALLY like it and have no desire to change anything considering also that I couldn't tell a difference. But that's just me and I'm nobody. Mine will remain stock down to the switch tip.
the old ones sound a little muddy to me but the true revelation for my ears is the open string to string articulation... lovely! thanks for sharing another adventure in tone.
Post vid thoughts: I can understand why you might prefer the new set up. The transient (Attack) is a little sharper, there is less bass and a higher main mid frequency and this I think is more the type of thing you go for. Personally I prefer a softer attack and overall I preferred the Memphis pick ups but as you say there is no better as tone is so subjective.
Hats off to you. That was some work out. It certainly gave it a bit more bounce than the original pick ups. But as you eluded to it could be done with a bit of eq. However, we do not have the pleasure of being in the room with you playing. Thank you.
I have an ES-335 studio (no F holes) from the 80s. The pickups finally gave up from exposure to high heat and sweat. After seeing your video, thank God I had an excellent luthier for the replacement surgery! Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck and Jazz pickups. I have worn a lot of the finish off that guitar and love it to death.
Love the Lollar imperials. I have the normal wind bridge in several guitars, but I’ve been thinking about doing low winds in my 335. Thanks for another great video, Mick!
Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PAF's, for me they beat Lollars Imperial range and Bare Knuckles. However any swap from the original Gibbo pickups is going to help. I took the pickups from my Gibson ES345 and dropped them into a Strat. They work very well there, as it happens!
I have never felt such camaraderie and fellowship with a TH-cam video... years of thinking we're all built different, but I felt every second of that... been there sooooo many times! Collected/fashioned 20 something pokey/grabby tools yet still you just struggle through... I also have the same project for a 335 in mind which I'm now going to research for a further six months - then pay someone else to do.
An old fable about a young man, in his search for that perfect tone, visits his local guitar shop and trades in his amp for a new one. A couple of months later he goes into the shop to buy some strings and hears someone playing in the back of the store. He runs to the back declaring that is the tone I am looking for only to find someone playing the amp he traded in. The search is endless.
I did this to my bandmate's and my 335 back to back all with lock washers. Instead of tubing, I used long pieces of neon green sewing thread tied to each pot shaft and a nut on the back side of the jack. Somewhat easier
I seem to remember I used malleable thin green gardening wire. It definitely needs that method from the get go. Knobs off, attach the wire, fishing line, whatever to the pot necks then undo the nuts and pull the harness out, making sure you don’t pull the guide wires through… doh!
I'm glad that we were spared the eight hours of footage of Mick crying into his dog's fur and regretting his life choices. I can't tell you how many times I've been glad that my grandfather was a watchmaker. He left me so many ultra-fine tweezers and magnifying loups.
As soon as I saw the thumbnail & title I knew what to expect. Sat down with a mug of tea and some biscuits and thought 'let the fun begin'. Wasn't disappointed. From 7:00 I just grinned all the way. Over time, I've swapped out three looms & pickups from 2 '335's and a 339 - custom wound Wizz Paf replica's, Bareknuckle Mules and SD Pearly Gates, if anyone is interested. You seriously almost have to be in a zen state of calmness to attempt this job. But the end result is what its all about. I now have three hollow body's with three seperate sound colours. Was it worth it? 100%. The biggest suprise was the Mules. Hadn't heard them in a '335 but they just kicked the package up a level more than the others. Won't be doing it again, though.
Has to be one of my favourite TPS videos. Have so often found myself at the point of wanting to smash whatever guitar related thing I've been toiling with, it's hugely refreshing seeing another highlight the struggle. Red light fever's bad enough tracking guitars for recording let alone taking them apart for nightmare service jobs on camera - top job!
Mick: on first watch I felt immense, indescribable gratitude. Days later, on rewatch, what I'm thankful for is something like reassurance. And maybe permission. Guitars have been my constant companions for over four decades, but it wasn't until a few years ago -- three? five? -- that your Strat journey reminded me: they're wood and wire and solder. It's going to be okay if you poke around under the hood. Note: I'm NOT saying "If Mick can do it without mucking things up too bad..." I'm saying it was the visual, the auditory, the discussion, the experience of being there under the hood with you that opened these doors. They remain open, thanks very kindly -- in part owing to the reinforcement of videos like this one. Thanks.
Thanks so much Kurtis - I love the sentiment, yeah man it will be fine! I wish you hours of discovery and falling in love with these things even more deeply than we ever thought possible!
Oh, mate. This is where so many of us live trying to get it done. But, speaking of where people live: wtf. Your place is extraordinary. I need a TPS tour of that castle. Wow. Good on you.
I was screaming encouraging words at the screen, following the suspense and then you do an edit leaving out those moments of triumph as the control pots fall into place. Would really like to have seen those moments, but cheers for perseverance!
Ha ha this brought back some uncomfortable memories Mick! 😱🤣well done for persevering against all odds and getting the job done without an access hole... sorry to have given you false hope, we now know for sure that not all 335's are created equal and that Matt's earth wiring is very pretty but a complete 🤬
😊You are making my day… by a strange coincidence, last week I decided to change the pots of my over 20 years semi guitar, one pot stopped working… and last night, yes really last night… after spending much time to solder and trying to fit the pots back into my guitar, I decided to stop and take a break before trying again :-) A ground wire broke while moving all the parts around inside the guitar so I will have to start everything all over again… I will wait a few days before I try again… cheers and congrats on your job…
I remember swapping pickups and the loom in one of my semi-hollows. It took a good 7 hours and at the end of it, I told myself I'd save enough and have a professional deal with it for the sake of my mental health. Glad to see I'm not alone.
Hey Mick, Iain here. I was going to slip a set of those into my Eastman……….just decided it’s easier to convince Mrs V that I must purchase a Gibo VOS 335. Well done sir
Appreciate you taking the time out to highlight the subjectivity of guitar tone, absolutely true. With that in mind I'm a huge fan of Lollar's too, the guys over there are great folks and the pickups sound insane!
I'm not screaming, I am just feeling so bad about how amazingly entertained I am with this travail. I apologize, Mick. When we meet, you can remember this and say: head or gut? (see The Last Boyscout).
Thanks Mick, unintentional I know but this is such a hilarious video, it deserves 100k views! How many of us can identify with the red mist of guitar maintenance! Brilliant.
I'm a luthier from Birmingham and have been fortunate enough to have been mentored and guided be some of brums big hitters ( mentioning no names) Honestly... there's no easy way of doing this. Ballache central. Love you guys!
This was hilarious! As someone who started a pickup swap on an ES style/F-hole guitar about a year ago, that is still hanging unfinished in my workshop - I can totally relate!
Hi Mick, i hope this make you feels better: if you change pickups and pots in a 345 stereo, you have the extra jack, and 2 bigs and heavy bobbins to install inside the same guitar. I spend 6 or 7 hours in my 345.
A big effort it was indeed…What I find peculiar in every pickup change, and this makes no exception, is that the fundamental character of the guitar is still recognizable to my ears
Indeed! That shouldn’t come as any surprise really. The only people who would disagree are those people who think the only thing that determines a guitar’s sound is the pickups. I find that peculiar! :0)
The difference at the end was like night and day to me. Love the new loom and pickups I thought the guitar sounds much clearer now! What a brilliant video Mick, the story of the pure frustration was so completely relatable and genuinely inspiring that you took a day, slept on it and made it to the end!!
I gutted my 2012 LP traditional as soon as I got it. Replaced everything, got rid of the coil taps, and popped in a set of standard wind Imperials from Lollar. Been my #1 ever since. Low winds are sounding nice in the 335, Mick! Nice work!
Hey, Mick! We met once back at Andertons many years ago and I mixed you up with Pete but you still were gracious enough for a selfie. I love your perseverance, you pushed through! Isn’t that a really good example of life in general? It’s all a mess and the pots are too short but, come next day, the cat goes purr and the pots fit and it’s all better. If you push through the stress and misery. Thank you for all the inspiration!
Hi Mick, I decided to change the pickups myself on my Hagstrom D2F to CreamT afterburners. After looking at what was actually involved,I chickened out and got a professional to do it for me. It is a really fiddly job and the man did a fine job for me. I would definitely have got into difficulty trying to do this myself. Well done on doing a really good job that would have had me blowing my top myself..
Mick- I'm impressed that you shared this episode. So many people ion the internet show themselves in only a highly edited way that often gives viewers the impression that their lives are perfect and that they never encounter frustration etc. Of course- just in the narrow world of guitar stuff- we've all experienced these sort of technical frustrations- we've accidentally broken a pot, snapped an important connector, or spent hours swapping pickups, hardware, messing with a truss rod etc that didn't turn out the way we wanted. Anyway- thanks for keeping it real!
Nice job, Mick! Thanks for posting this. Putting new pickups & wiring, etc in a 335 was the first mod I ever took on. I used a backpacker's wire survival saw to widen the center block window so the new (coil tapping) pots would fit through. My second mod was to a strat and was quite pleased at how simple it was! I probably won't do another 335 but I'm glad I didn't know beforehand just how difficult it would be. Now my only real hesitation to mod guitars is from soldering. It's such a frustrating disappointment to get the thing all back together only to find that it doesn't work. I really wish I could find a way to make my soldering more consistent.
I got a lesson from a couple of people… and also watched some TH-cam vids. The right tip, making sure you clean it, the right solder and practising about 100 joints will get you there! And a good iron of course! Good luck!
Mick... this was great. I really appreciate you showing your struggles. I bought a 2001 ES-335 Dot about 9 months ago and decided to replace the 57 Classics and harness with a set of Duncan Antiquities and an emerson harness. I spent an entire Saturday, about 8 hours, fiddling with it and it ended up not working. It was the most frustrating guitar work I have ever done. I have replaced pickups on my guitars for the last 12 years and consider myself fairly proficient. I ended up just taking it to a local guitar luthier who has decades of experience and had him do it for me. He charged $70 for the work, but I gave him an even $80 because I know how hard that was to get done. Now, I love this freaking guitar so much.
Trick for desolding, add some fresh solder on top of the old to let the iron have an easier time getting the old solder to temp, idk exactly why it works that way, but it does.
Good on you for knowing when to take a break and walk away. Frustration is no good to anyone. I’ve done my own wiring and pickup swaps over the years on my Strat Shaped Object (SSO) with all sorts of combinations - phase switches, coil taps, etc. But my last (final?) pickup swap I bought a solderless loom from Obsidian Wire and I so glad I did. Now my soldering iron gathers dust.
This video came just in time. I was in the middle of a pickup swap for a hollow-body Ibanez jazz box. My very first time. I made a wiring loom from scratch, also my first time, and after seeing you test the setup by hitting the polepieces, i did exactly that. And it worked! That way my mind was at ease, because i assumed I had to wait for the guitar to be fully assembled to test it. Thanks! I must agree that a full hollow body is probably easier to access it seems.
As much as I love your playing, I love when you boys stretch out and get down deep like this. It's just a great way to spend Friday at work, but it is so much better than that!
ROFL!! THIS is my FAVORITE EPISODE of TPS EVER!!!!! Having done exactly this many times on historic reissue 335s, I can totally relate to the frustration. But honestly the longest I ever took was maybe 2-3 hours. And it's a 45 minute job on a modern USA model with the huge routes. Some tips. Start from a place of humility. It IS a hard job. You figured out the next tip.....gimmicky tubes and floss and stuff really doesn't work as well as playing the game Operation with small tools and your fingers. Lastly the FIRST time you have to repeat a step because you forgot a washer or put the wrong pot in the wrong hole or such....WALK AWAY! Not for 20 minutes but for hours or a day. Finally don't feel bad that you couldn't demo the harness (not loom) alone. Unless the potentiometer or/and capacitor VALUES are significantly different there is zero difference in wire sound. Its a ridiculous religious myth amongst ignorant guitar players that didnt get enough science classes in school. An .047 cap will sound different from a .015. But 2 .047 caps of differing types in a guitar don't sound different, at least to a human listener. Same with pots. If your came with 440kohms and you put in 550 ya it will be brighter and hotter. But if it isn't a good 10-20% change nobody will hear it. Of course pot taper, wiring style, (50s vs modern) will change how it behaves at different settings, but all the same tones are there at some setting. But heck, you HAD to take out the harness anyway to change pickups so why not put fresh stuff in? One suggestion. Since you have the stock pickups out intact, next time you want to try new pickups just CUT THE WIRES and splice in the new pickups. No shame in it as long as you restore the originals correctly. Thank you for this episode! Lol.
At around 11:30 I can't take it anymore! Mick! PLEASE put some painters tape around the F hole before you go dragging the pots out, it would helped prevent scratches to that beautiful guitar.
Hey Buddy, some flux and a small paintbrush will help tremendously in any de-soldering activities. Simply paint a bit of flux on the old joints/back of pots, and the old solder will melt in a split second, and transfer less heat, but also control any splatter. Re-wiring 335s live in my nightmares…
I feel bad for enjoying this utter frustration so much, but I did. The editing is incredible (Rosie affirmation included) and we all love a happy ending. Kudos for the effort!
![Rick Beato At That Pedal Show! [Recording Guitar Tips, Producing & More]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9vefw_c2BRA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Rick Beato At That Pedal Show! [Recording Guitar Tips, Producing & More]](/img/tr.png)
Hey Mick. I’m one of three guys that build the ES models, in White wood, at the Gibson Custom Shop. I know you are very particular about details so a few things you may like to know… Gibson builds two main years (with a few small exceptions) a ‘59 and a ‘64 (not a ‘63)… and the hole in the maple Center block is called a “window “. (A detail only someone as geeky as us would appreciate)…. Also, the window was added in 1964. Love the show… I’ve watched since the beginning… love what you guys do… God Bless my friend. Tell Dan Hi from the Custom shop.
Ps… very impressive how you pushed through and got the job done. Even people here (who do this every day) has a hard time with ES style guitars. Great job, Brother.
Thank you so much Aaron! It was inspirational to visit Memphis (when it was there) and also the Nashville facility. It was Mike Voltz who showed me around and had I had the money, I’d have bought a Rusty there and then. That was the inspiration for this one. Thanks for your work Aaron!
Aaron, you guys do great work, thank you!
Asking cause you're on the inside, but I understand you may have no idea... Is there any interest from Gibson on bringing back the 333 with the LP style rear access plate?
There's only three of you? Does that include start to finish or just final assembly?
Hey Aaron, is the ‘61 not considered a catalog model then?
Please Push the management to make more ES varieties plz, ty.
i have never felt so represented in a youtube video. Mick sorry for all the trouble but man did it feel good to not be the only one who thinks they are undertaking a simple task with their guitar and getting to the point where you just can't handle it anymore. Great video on showing the utter frustration that guitars can be!
Yup. This is me w Guitar Amps for sure!
mental preparation is the key, you can't be thinking about something else or getting angry at inanimate objects. (easier to say than to do for most though...)
This video has thought me a lesson, don’t buy a 335 style guitar unless I love the pickups it comes with
Or pay a guitar tech to install the pickups for you!
Yes… it is such an incredible hassle.
A 335 has to be PERFECT to even think about it.
was literally thinking this ha
HA! ...that's why I chopped the lead heading off into the oblivion, and soldered the new pickup leads to them ;)
Find yourself a 333, it has a Les Paul style backplate and pickup swaps are really straightforward. They only produced them for a couple years, and they get snatched up by Blink 182 fans and modded because Tom Delonge had a signature 333 that is unobtainably priced.
It's amazing how much younger Mick looks in the the pre-op playing samples. 😆
Hahaha!
This might be one of my favourite vids ever. Watching a man fight a full breakdown & I felt every second of the frustration!!! Massive effort.
Well said. So funny. Entertaining and reminded me of “Will Smith” and the Oscars. Take your damn pots and pick-ups out of my geetar. 🤣🤣🤣
It was so relatable, I had a full fledged breakdown the one and only time I did a pickup swap. And that was on an SG!
Hahahahhaha!!!
Same!
Great job staying composed and completing the job! 👏🏻
Mick, I applaud your willingness to experiment with trial and error for an International audience. You're teaching countless budding guitar techs valuable lessons, including perhaps the most important: frustration is real, but can be circumvented. Thanks for your work, per usual. Good job. 335 sounds fantastic.
Thanks Aaron! Here’s //not// how to do it. Hahahaha!
You haven’t lived until you’ve rewired a 335. So relaxing…😳
A cross between dentistry, plumbing, and forestry. 😬🙅🏻♂️📺👍
So… Sooooo relaxing…😅
Dude. No way. Lol
There's absolutely nothing about this process that appeals to me as a do-it-yourself weekend adventure. Anyone who does this is a monolith of patience and dexterity.
the stress...🤮
you should give an ES-137 a shot... having the pickup selector at the top like a Les Paul makes rewiring it..... SO...MUCH....FUN
The building rage and frustration seen in this video is quite possibly the funniest and relatable thing I’ve seen this year. I would love to see the outtakes. You have the patience of a saint.
Mick, I felt your pain so much on this one that I had to pause halfway through and go and get a glass of wine! 🍷 I could actually hear a difference (albeit a small one) and really appreciate that you gave us some examples in the context of some tracks. Take a bow, Sir!
Thank you Roger. This was an exponentially large amount of ‘work’ hahahah!
And lots of kudos that you showed all that frustration and modesty, and never once seemed embarrassed to show it to the world.
The new pickups certainly add clarity and brightness. That being said, I actually slightly prefer the original ones.
I like to see that video of him putting it all back to its original state agree.. it's too shrill now
Absolute mad lad for stating that out after that odyssey 😂
The Gibsons are louder and bassier which always sounds ‘better’ in sound comparisons and in music stores (and something that TH-cam gear demoers know all about). Ask a producer or a mix engineer though, and they’ll tell you they don’t want all the flub. What they want is the articulation…. Which is what I wanted, and why I prefer the new pickups. Cheers!
@@ThatPedalShow Very interesting. I agreed with his comment, but as you say the the sound of the new pick ups and loom is better defined.
@@ThatPedalShow Yêah 👍
The sparkle and clarity in the new ones got me. Love em much more than the originals. Congrats Mick!
Once saw Trogly show a neat little trick to avoid all that fishing the pots in and out hassle: he ties thread 🧵 around the shafts before dropping them inside the body. That way you can just pull each thread through the respective holes and fish the pots back up in no time. Works for the pickup leads, or the jack as well
Your patience knows no bounds. The amount of nonchalance with which you tell us "I'm so angry I could smash the thing to bits." Good on you!
Love the pet cameos as well. Luckily you did the soldering at work, otherwise the cats would sense your intense concentration, and would *love* to cause some ill-timed mischief.
I went through the same emotions you went through when rewiring mine with push-pull pots, and I had a window in the cavity to work with! Working on an ES’ electronics takes nearly an act of God. Congrats on pulling through. It took me 4 days but I finally got through as well and it is glorious. Just left with a lot pride and crippling guitar PTSD.
I've experienced so many different emotions watching this video, you're a champion Mick
If ever there was a "beware, don't try this at home" warning, this was it. Thank you for taking some stress and multiple swear words away from my life. 👍🤟😎
I watched this during breakfast with my wife this morning who asked me if that is the same reason she can hear shouting and screaming coming from my workshop sometimes! Sorry, but I was crying with laughter, (sympathetically) when you realised the pots were too short. But you didn't give up and that's the trick to learning for next time. Great vid.
I rewired a jazz box once, it was a breeze because I tied washers and strings to the existing pots then removed everything leaving the washers and strings in the guitar. I then did all of the wiring outside of the guitar. I then just tied the strings to the new pots and fished the entire new harness and pickups back through the respective holes by pulling the strings with the washers. It was actually the easiest wiring job I’ve ever done.
You're a legend Mick, not an easy task! I'm sure there are many of us who have avoided it due to the limited number of quality video tutorials out there. Nothing worse than seeing an expert making it appear like a simple 30 minute task, when in fact the existing loom won't even fit through the f-hole without a tremendous struggle. This has given me the confidence to give this one a crack.
You can always put the old ones back in :)
This was a lesson in perseverance. Nice work Mick!
I think what I admire most about this is the perseverence alongside the honesty and admission of near-failure. Many, many people (probably myself included) would have given up and packed it off to Monty's long before you considered that might be your only option. To me the new pick-ups sound more "you" in the sense that the smile that grew across your face when playing them was a reflection of the inner satisfaction of "yup, that's a sound". Huge thanks for showing every painful bit of the process, and for producing yet another insight into the perils of tone-hunting, whilst also proving, sometimes it's worth the pain!
Dear Santa. Please send Mick a magnetic scredriver and a packet of rubber bands to help him pull the pots through.
I know a lot prefer that warmer "traditional Gibson" thing - but I have to say for me the new pickups are so much better. Especially coming from a single coil background, that clarity is like your nostrils finally clearing after a headcold.
Congrats on persevering Mick! Was worth every frustrated second.
Thanks Steve. I think anyone who thinks the warmer woofier sound is more traditional Gibson, then they’ve never played many old Gibsons! Warm and woofy = nasty Gibson to me. Bright, airy and quacks = proper PAF tone to me!
I hope Monty's and other techs give you a kickback on all the work you've just (deservedly) sent their way 😀
My revelation about money 'saved' versus quality of job was a few years back, I'd way rather pay a pro now. Much like how I feel when clients ask if their family can sing at our gigs....
Especially since he's helping them continue the scam of special tone capacitors. Shameful!
I know the process was terribly frustrating, but to my ears the new loom and pickups have given that guitar new life! The absolute clarity is astonishing, but without sacrificing what I hear to be the “voice” of that guitar. Time well spent in my opinion!
Oh man, I feel the pain. And still you managed to keep pushing onward. Congrats on your endurance
I’m sitting here watching this video with headphones while my wife is watching Married At First Sight. I don’t know which is the harder to watch 🤣 Great work for hanging in there. I’ve been there, done that, and felt your pain, brother. Love the show. Keep up the great work 🙏
Ah man, that show is brutal. And that dress!
I can relate to this whole experience in a very real way! Love the new p/u's! They're choice and have so much clarity!
Thanks Blake!
Mick, your frustration was visceral and palpable -- and way too relatable. I've modded many, many guitars and basses, and the one notable failure was my attempt to install a set of Duncan P-Rails (and a coil-splitting tone pot) in my Dean Boca semi-hollow electric 12. The three biggest issues were the original wiring (which included a multi-pin plug assembly for the pickups), the narrow f-hole, and the shallow body cavity. After two days (seemed longer) my frustration was off the charts and I threw in the towel. Am truly glad you were ultimately successful with the 335. Congrats!
When I clicked on this video I thought it was gonna be the installion of old and new pick ups then comparison. What I got out of it was a dogged determination to get done what u set out to do while at the same time knowing at any time u could quit or hand over to the guitar shop and u chose to stay with it. The tones were a just bonus to the video. Well done and thank you
Cleaner and more defined sound is what I hear. Nice upgrade Mick!!
Thank you for transparently showing the struggle of this project! Given your experience doing these type of swaps, it will prevent less experienced operators from damaging their stuff and is also a shared experience for anyone who has had challenges on similar tasks.
What a colossal difference. Reminds me of why I put the same pickups in my LP. The clarity, articulation, and note separation are night and day between the two. Been waiting for this video for a while and it did not disappoint. Thanks, Mick, if for nothing else than confirming I should never work on my 335-style guitars. And the beautiful shots of Those Pedal Pets!
I have essentially the same guitar with the same pickups. I've always liked the tone and after watching this I ESPECIALLY like it and have no desire to change anything considering also that I couldn't tell a difference. But that's just me and I'm nobody. Mine will remain stock down to the switch tip.
It’s good that it cements the decision for you!
"The Gentle Barking of a Distant Labrador" is a great song name!
the old ones sound a little muddy to me but the true revelation for my ears is the open string to string articulation... lovely! thanks for sharing another adventure in tone.
Post vid thoughts: I can understand why you might prefer the new set up. The transient (Attack) is a little sharper, there is less bass and a higher main mid frequency and this I think is more the type of thing you go for. Personally I prefer a softer attack and overall I preferred the Memphis pick ups but as you say there is no better as tone is so subjective.
TH-cam compression.....
@@davidtomkins4242 I'm not sure the point you are trying to make?
I like a no-load pot, best of both worlds.
Hats off to you. That was some work out. It certainly gave it a bit more bounce than the original pick ups. But as you eluded to it could be done with a bit of eq. However, we do not have the pleasure of being in the room with you playing. Thank you.
Enjoyable lesson Mick, thanks for letting us know what a royal pain in the arsse it is to change the wiring harness on a ES-335
I have an ES-335 studio (no F holes) from the 80s. The pickups finally gave up from exposure to high heat and sweat. After seeing your video, thank God I had an excellent luthier for the replacement surgery! Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck and Jazz pickups. I have worn a lot of the finish off that guitar and love it to death.
Love the Lollar imperials. I have the normal wind bridge in several guitars, but I’ve been thinking about doing low winds in my 335. Thanks for another great video, Mick!
Your hypothesis was 100% right. Way less bloat and more clarity. Felt more percussive in a really pleasant way too. Great job!
Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PAF's, for me they beat Lollars Imperial range and Bare Knuckles. However any swap from the original Gibbo pickups is going to help. I took the pickups from my Gibson ES345 and dropped them into a Strat. They work very well there, as it happens!
Tried a bunch of the boutique stuff, the only one I like better than the Seth Lovers are the Fralin Pure Pafs! But indeed, Seth Lovers are amazing!
yep, did the same on my 335: seth lovers, and 500k pots. so much better now.
I have never felt such camaraderie and fellowship with a TH-cam video... years of thinking we're all built different, but I felt every second of that... been there sooooo many times! Collected/fashioned 20 something pokey/grabby tools yet still you just struggle through... I also have the same project for a 335 in mind which I'm now going to research for a further six months - then pay someone else to do.
HUGE difference. Much more air to my ears, sounds great Mick. Sincerely hope it was worth the pain!
An old fable about a young man, in his search for that perfect tone, visits his local guitar shop and trades in his amp for a new one. A couple of months later he goes into the shop to buy some strings and hears someone playing in the back of the store. He runs to the back declaring that is the tone I am looking for only to find someone playing the amp he traded in. The search is endless.
There was a point in this video where I thought.... This 335 is going to be an acoustic guitar for the rest of its life....
Ya we feel you, we've been there! and those who haven't yet will be at some point! Enjoy the peace hero, it sounds great
I did this to my bandmate's and my 335 back to back all with lock washers. Instead of tubing, I used long pieces of neon green sewing thread tied to each pot shaft and a nut on the back side of the jack. Somewhat easier
Waxed dental floss is what I've used in past jobs. I found it stronger & less likely to slip than plain thread...
I seem to remember I used malleable thin green gardening wire. It definitely needs that method from the get go. Knobs off, attach the wire, fishing line, whatever to the pot necks then undo the nuts and pull the harness out, making sure you don’t pull the guide wires through… doh!
I'm glad that we were spared the eight hours of footage of Mick crying into his dog's fur and regretting his life choices.
I can't tell you how many times I've been glad that my grandfather was a watchmaker. He left me so many ultra-fine tweezers and magnifying loups.
A purring cat always helps
As soon as I saw the thumbnail & title I knew what to expect. Sat down with a mug of tea and some biscuits and thought 'let the fun begin'. Wasn't disappointed. From 7:00 I just grinned all the way. Over time, I've swapped out three looms & pickups from 2 '335's and a 339 - custom wound Wizz Paf replica's, Bareknuckle Mules and SD Pearly Gates, if anyone is interested. You seriously almost have to be in a zen state of calmness to attempt this job. But the end result is what its all about. I now have three hollow body's with three seperate sound colours. Was it worth it? 100%. The biggest suprise was the Mules. Hadn't heard them in a '335 but they just kicked the package up a level more than the others. Won't be doing it again, though.
They call them F-holes for the word you say a lot whilst rewiring a guitar with them.
Has to be one of my favourite TPS videos. Have so often found myself at the point of wanting to smash whatever guitar related thing I've been toiling with, it's hugely refreshing seeing another highlight the struggle. Red light fever's bad enough tracking guitars for recording let alone taking them apart for nightmare service jobs on camera - top job!
I heard they made people do ES wirings and pick up swaps in Guantanamo.
Oooof!
Mick: on first watch I felt immense, indescribable gratitude.
Days later, on rewatch, what I'm thankful for is something like reassurance. And maybe permission. Guitars have been my constant companions for over four decades, but it wasn't until a few years ago -- three? five? -- that your Strat journey reminded me: they're wood and wire and solder. It's going to be okay if you poke around under the hood.
Note: I'm NOT saying "If Mick can do it without mucking things up too bad..." I'm saying it was the visual, the auditory, the discussion, the experience of being there under the hood with you that opened these doors. They remain open, thanks very kindly -- in part owing to the reinforcement of videos like this one.
Thanks.
Thanks so much Kurtis - I love the sentiment, yeah man it will be fine! I wish you hours of discovery and falling in love with these things even more deeply than we ever thought possible!
Now we know why it’s called an F-Hole
Hahahah!
Oh, mate. This is where so many of us live trying to get it done. But, speaking of where people live: wtf. Your place is extraordinary. I need a TPS tour of that castle. Wow. Good on you.
Liked the old ones
I was screaming encouraging words at the screen, following the suspense and then you do an edit leaving out those moments of triumph as the control pots fall into place. Would really like to have seen those moments, but cheers for perseverance!
I can’t hold the camera and two pairs of tweezers! And screw nuts on and and and and and.
Ha ha this brought back some uncomfortable memories Mick! 😱🤣well done for persevering against all odds and getting the job done without an access hole... sorry to have given you false hope, we now know for sure that not all 335's are created equal and that Matt's earth wiring is very pretty but a complete 🤬
Ha! And thanks for the video. It gave me hope. Hahaaha!
Mick, small tip, try some reverse tweezers. They grip until you press on them. Any small increment of making things easier can be helpful.
MrDblStp Forceps.
I'll second this, they can be a lifesaver.
Hat's off to Mick for the first part because for me it's like why surgeons don't operate on loved ones brave man
😊You are making my day… by a strange coincidence, last week I decided to change the pots of my over 20 years semi guitar, one pot stopped working… and last night, yes really last night… after spending much time to solder and trying to fit the pots back into my guitar, I decided to stop and take a break before trying again :-) A ground wire broke while moving all the parts around inside the guitar so I will have to start everything all over again… I will wait a few days before I try again… cheers and congrats on your job…
I remember swapping pickups and the loom in one of my semi-hollows. It took a good 7 hours and at the end of it, I told myself I'd save enough and have a professional deal with it for the sake of my mental health. Glad to see I'm not alone.
You really should be calling it "That Pickup Show" for these episodes. Love a good guitar tinker. 👌
Hey Mick, Iain here. I was going to slip a set of those into my Eastman……….just decided it’s easier to convince Mrs V that I must purchase a Gibo VOS 335. Well done sir
Appreciate you taking the time out to highlight the subjectivity of guitar tone, absolutely true.
With that in mind I'm a huge fan of Lollar's too, the guys over there are great folks and the pickups sound insane!
I'm not screaming, I am just feeling so bad about how amazingly entertained I am with this travail. I apologize, Mick. When we meet, you can remember this and say: head or gut? (see The Last Boyscout).
Hahahhaha! It’s all good man. I knew there’d be some laughs on the other side of the lens and I’m glad to be that soldier!
Thanks Mick, unintentional I know but this is such a hilarious video, it deserves 100k views! How many of us can identify with the red mist of guitar maintenance! Brilliant.
Oh, it was partly intentional. Ha!
😅
I'm a luthier from Birmingham and have been fortunate enough to have been mentored and guided be some of brums big hitters ( mentioning no names) Honestly... there's no easy way of doing this. Ballache central. Love you guys!
Here I was thinking this would be a relaxing video 😂 nail biting thriller ensued.
New pickups sound terrific. Love the clarity and sparkle.
This was hilarious! As someone who started a pickup swap on an ES style/F-hole guitar about a year ago, that is still hanging unfinished in my workshop - I can totally relate!
Hi Mick, i hope this make you feels better: if you change pickups and pots in a 345 stereo, you have the extra jack, and 2 bigs and heavy bobbins to install inside the same guitar. I spend 6 or 7 hours in my 345.
Great job, Mickolas. And thanks for your honesty too. Appreciate it.
A big effort it was indeed…What I find peculiar in every pickup change, and this makes no exception, is that the fundamental character of the guitar is still recognizable to my ears
Indeed! That shouldn’t come as any surprise really. The only people who would disagree are those people who think the only thing that determines a guitar’s sound is the pickups. I find that peculiar! :0)
Only halfway through and I just want to give Mick a big hug!
The difference at the end was like night and day to me. Love the new loom and pickups I thought the guitar sounds much clearer now! What a brilliant video Mick, the story of the pure frustration was so completely relatable and genuinely inspiring that you took a day, slept on it and made it to the end!!
I gutted my 2012 LP traditional as soon as I got it. Replaced everything, got rid of the coil taps, and popped in a set of standard wind Imperials from Lollar. Been my #1 ever since. Low winds are sounding nice in the 335, Mick! Nice work!
Nice one Mike!
Hey, Mick! We met once back at Andertons many years ago and I mixed you up with Pete but you still were gracious enough for a selfie. I love your perseverance, you pushed through! Isn’t that a really good example of life in general? It’s all a mess and the pots are too short but, come next day, the cat goes purr and the pots fit and it’s all better. If you push through the stress and misery. Thank you for all the inspiration!
Nice one Andres, Amen to that! Hope you’re doing well buddy!
Hi Mick, I decided to change the pickups myself on my Hagstrom D2F to CreamT afterburners.
After looking at what was actually involved,I chickened out and got a professional to do it for me.
It is a really fiddly job and the man did a fine job for me. I would definitely have got into difficulty trying to do this myself.
Well done on doing a really good job that would have had me blowing my top myself..
Nice one Charles! Hope you’re happy with the result!
Wow Mick! I was relaxed when I started watching … I think I will need a vacation after this! Love the show, cheers to you & Dan!
Mick- I'm impressed that you shared this episode. So many people ion the internet show themselves in only a highly edited way that often gives viewers the impression that their lives are perfect and that they never encounter frustration etc. Of course- just in the narrow world of guitar stuff- we've all experienced these sort of technical frustrations- we've accidentally broken a pot, snapped an important connector, or spent hours swapping pickups, hardware, messing with a truss rod etc that didn't turn out the way we wanted. Anyway- thanks for keeping it real!
Thank you!
I have an older 333. I dropped the pickups and it got magical. Dropped meaning put them lower. I love the show.
Having done a few semi and full hollowbody pickup and loom swaps, I can TOTALLY feel your pain.
Nice job, Mick! Thanks for posting this. Putting new pickups & wiring, etc in a 335 was the first mod I ever took on. I used a backpacker's wire survival saw to widen the center block window so the new (coil tapping) pots would fit through. My second mod was to a strat and was quite pleased at how simple it was! I probably won't do another 335 but I'm glad I didn't know beforehand just how difficult it would be. Now my only real hesitation to mod guitars is from soldering. It's such a frustrating disappointment to get the thing all back together only to find that it doesn't work. I really wish I could find a way to make my soldering more consistent.
I got a lesson from a couple of people… and also watched some TH-cam vids. The right tip, making sure you clean it, the right solder and practising about 100 joints will get you there! And a good iron of course! Good luck!
Mick... this was great. I really appreciate you showing your struggles.
I bought a 2001 ES-335 Dot about 9 months ago and decided to replace the 57 Classics and harness with a set of Duncan Antiquities and an emerson harness. I spent an entire Saturday, about 8 hours, fiddling with it and it ended up not working. It was the most frustrating guitar work I have ever done. I have replaced pickups on my guitars for the last 12 years and consider myself fairly proficient. I ended up just taking it to a local guitar luthier who has decades of experience and had him do it for me. He charged $70 for the work, but I gave him an even $80 because I know how hard that was to get done.
Now, I love this freaking guitar so much.
Trick for desolding, add some fresh solder on top of the old to let the iron have an easier time getting the old solder to temp, idk exactly why it works that way, but it does.
Good on you for knowing when to take a break and walk away. Frustration is no good to anyone. I’ve done my own wiring and pickup swaps over the years on my Strat Shaped Object (SSO) with all sorts of combinations - phase switches, coil taps, etc. But my last (final?) pickup swap I bought a solderless loom from Obsidian Wire and I so glad I did. Now my soldering iron gathers dust.
This video came just in time. I was in the middle of a pickup swap for a hollow-body Ibanez jazz box. My very first time. I made a wiring loom from scratch, also my first time, and after seeing you test the setup by hitting the polepieces, i did exactly that. And it worked! That way my mind was at ease, because i assumed I had to wait for the guitar to be fully assembled to test it. Thanks!
I must agree that a full hollow body is probably easier to access it seems.
As much as I love your playing, I love when you boys stretch out and get down deep like this. It's just a great way to spend Friday at work, but it is so much better than that!
Oh man, I so so relate … rewiring my ES 137 was a similar drama and it gave me loads of respect for the techs who do these things on a routine basis.
Hi - some serious A/B there - it's appreciated. Have to say I really dig the oldies. They reach'n'hit me just right.
Cheers
ROFL!! THIS is my FAVORITE EPISODE of TPS EVER!!!!! Having done exactly this many times on historic reissue 335s, I can totally relate to the frustration. But honestly the longest I ever took was maybe 2-3 hours. And it's a 45 minute job on a modern USA model with the huge routes.
Some tips. Start from a place of humility. It IS a hard job. You figured out the next tip.....gimmicky tubes and floss and stuff really doesn't work as well as playing the game Operation with small tools and your fingers. Lastly the FIRST time you have to repeat a step because you forgot a washer or put the wrong pot in the wrong hole or such....WALK AWAY! Not for 20 minutes but for hours or a day.
Finally don't feel bad that you couldn't demo the harness (not loom) alone. Unless the potentiometer or/and capacitor VALUES are significantly different there is zero difference in wire sound. Its a ridiculous religious myth amongst ignorant guitar players that didnt get enough science classes in school.
An .047 cap will sound different from a .015. But 2 .047 caps of differing types in a guitar don't sound different, at least to a human listener. Same with pots. If your came with 440kohms and you put in 550 ya it will be brighter and hotter. But if it isn't a good 10-20% change nobody will hear it.
Of course pot taper, wiring style, (50s vs modern) will change how it behaves at different settings, but all the same tones are there at some setting. But heck, you HAD to take out the harness anyway to change pickups so why not put fresh stuff in?
One suggestion. Since you have the stock pickups out intact, next time you want to try new pickups just CUT THE WIRES and splice in the new pickups. No shame in it as long as you restore the originals correctly.
Thank you for this episode! Lol.
At around 11:30 I can't take it anymore! Mick! PLEASE put some painters tape around the F hole before you go dragging the pots out, it would helped prevent scratches to that beautiful guitar.
The new setup sounds great. There's something tighter about it, but without losing bass response. And you seem to have your shimmer. Very nice.
Unbelievably awesome editing, mate!
Hey Buddy, some flux and a small paintbrush will help tremendously in any de-soldering activities. Simply paint a bit of flux on the old joints/back of pots, and the old solder will melt in a split second, and transfer less heat, but also control any splatter.
Re-wiring 335s live in my nightmares…
I feel bad for enjoying this utter frustration so much, but I did. The editing is incredible (Rosie affirmation included) and we all love a happy ending. Kudos for the effort!