Replacement/upgrade P-type pickup for 80s Yamaha

[JapanAxe]

Hi folks

I have a 1984 Yamaha BB400S with a reverse P-type pickup thus:



I am looking to try something else in its place. The fact that it is 'reversed' (i.e. closer to the bridge on the EA portion rather than the DG portion) is not a problem; the issue is the [b]mountings[/b].

A Fender P-type pickup has a single mounting screw either side of each of the 2 parts. The Yamaha has 2 on one side and 1 on the other, and both parts sit in a Z-shaped mounting ring. Also the Yamaha parts have plain rectangular bodies, as against the lugs running almost to the top of the Fender units. It is therefore not possible to fit a Fender P-type pickup without butchery of the [s]ring piece[/s] mounting ring, which I don't want to do. The alternative seems to be to pop the innards out of the plastic cover and swap them over, but this will only work if the innards are the same size. I am going to measure the internal dimensions of the Yamaha covers when I change the strings, but I don't currently have access to a Fender P pickup to get the corresponding measurements.

Does anyone have a Fender or like-for-like replacement P pickup, and the means to take accurate internal measurements of the covers? Or are there technical drawings on the net than can give me this information?

Finally, are BC-ers aware of any after-market P pickups where a gut-swap would be difficult or impossible because of (for example) wax or resin potting?

I remain your humble servant,
JapanAxe

[JapanAxe]

OK, found the specs for the Seymour Duncan SPB3 on their [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/dimensionpages/spb-3.shtml"]website[/url] and the 'body' of each part of the pickup measures 2.25in x 1.09in. The corresponding Yamaha part is 2.20in x 1.09in, so pretty close - the SD is 0.05in (i.e. 1/20in) wider. These are external dimensions of course, so I still don't know whether the SD innards would fit in the Yamaha covers (or indeed whether SDs are that bit fatter than Fender originals on account of the chunky pole pieces).

Also brought up the [url="https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/downloads/dimensions/bass/p_bass.pdf"]Bareknuckle[/url] specs. They give external dimensions of 88.50mm x 25.44mm, which must be wrong as it is 3.48in x 1.00in - I reckon the first figure should be 58.5mm, making the dimensions 2.30in x 1.00in. More usefully, the bobbin dimensions are given - less usefully, these seem wrong too!

[geoffbyrne]

I've had to botch up something like this - the lugs were broken off a pickup which was brought to me.

The underneath of the pickup was flat, so I cut a suitable piece of old pickguard material and used epoxy to glue it onto the base of the pickup. This gave me enough overlap to put the screws though. It worked fine and is functionally invisible.

Since you are most likely keeping the originals in case you want to restore them, I'm assuming that you wouldn't mind grinding the lugs off some after-market pickups and glueing a new base on them.

G.

[Thunderbird]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1396025595' post='2409205']
OK, found the specs for the Seymour Duncan SPB3 on their [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/dimensionpages/spb-3.shtml"]website[/url] and the 'body' of each part of the pickup measures 2.25in x 1.09in. The corresponding Yamaha part is 2.20in x 1.09in, so pretty close - the SD is 0.05in (i.e. 1/20in) wider. These are external dimensions of course, so I still don't know whether the SD innards would fit in the Yamaha covers (or indeed whether SDs are that bit fatter than Fender originals on account of the chunky pole pieces).

Also brought up the [url="https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/downloads/dimensions/bass/p_bass.pdf"]Bareknuckle[/url] specs. They give external dimensions of 88.50mm x 25.44mm, which must be wrong as it is 3.48in x 1.00in - I reckon the first figure should be 58.5mm, making the dimensions 2.30in x 1.00in. More usefully, the bobbin dimensions are given - less usefully, these seem wrong too!
[/quote] Could Bare Knuckle or A N other make you something custom that would not cost the earth ?

Edited March 29, 2014 by Thunderbird

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1396109400' post='2410039']
I've had to botch up something like this - the lugs were broken off a pickup which was brought to me.

The underneath of the pickup was flat, so I cut a suitable piece of old pickguard material and used epoxy to glue it onto the base of the pickup. This gave me enough overlap to put the screws though. It worked fine and is functionally invisible.

Since you are most likely keeping the originals in case you want to restore them, I'm assuming that you wouldn't mind grinding the lugs off some after-market pickups and glueing a new base on them.

G.
[/quote]

Hmm that sounds like a plan! I could always get an ultra-cheap eBay set of coves on which to perpetrate the butchery.