[darren]

Originally Posted by frank falbo

There are also clip-on nuts (can't remember the nicknames) both with actual nuts built onto them, or with just bent half-circles that conform to multiple thread sizes.

These are called "Tinnerman nuts" and i thank Derek Duncan for informing me not only of their existence, but also what they're called!

He sent me a set of them (along with a new baseplate) after i discovered that the mounting holes on a Custom 7 i bought second-hand had been drilled out for direct-mounting. I now have the option of either replacing the base plate or just using the Tinnerman nuts to mount the pickup using rings.

[HighGain510]

Just curious but with all the threads you've been making about breaking stuff or not being able to do it properly and then having to fix it, why not go visit a local tech and pay him to teach you how to install this stuff yourself the proper way? That's what I did and it was the best $25 I've ever spent on guitar repair.... Just a thought.

[heffergm]

Originally Posted by HighGain510

Just curious but with all the threads you've been making about breaking stuff or not being able to do it properly and then having to fix it, why not go visit a local tech and pay him to teach you how to install this stuff yourself the proper way? That's what I did and it was the best $25 I've ever spent on guitar repair.... Just a thought.

Let's clear a few things up:

- the pickup screw issue: I didn't break it, it came that way
- wiring: I don't consider the way I did it improper, I was just curious what the general feeling was. The responses told me there's plenty of people doing it either way.
- other wiring: the rest of the wiring threads revolve around Carvin/Dimarzio integration, and I've got those issues sorted.

I've also got the UV back together, and I'd say I'm pretty happy with the job I did all things considered. I live in the middle of nowhere (although I work in Dulles). I have a wife and a kid. I don't really have time to find, let alone hang out with, a guitar tech in the area. I've always been more of a "figure it out myself" sorta guy:






... and for the image conscious amongst you, I painted the selector switch knob. It's now white

[HighGain510]

To be fair you said:

Originally Posted by heffergm

It looks like dimarzio doesn't actually thread the pickups, but stuffs the holes with some really thick wax type stuff. Well, that stuff has disappeared, so I've got a neck pickup I can't adjust on one side.

They definitely thread the pickups, it sounds like you wore out the thread on the inside of the ring. They don't just "come that way" out of the box man, that waxy stuff in there is just lubrication I believe and you thread the screw through there. If it's not turning you might have screwed it in at an angle or forced it and stripped the thread. I'm not saying you're incapable of doing it, I'm just saying as a novice to wiring and whatnot it's sometimes easier to get started by having a tech take 20 minutes to show you how to do it right and then it's a skill you have in your arsenal for all future uses. I know you have a kid and whatnot, just saying it can be taught it 20 minutes or less and was just a suggestion. That's the route I went as I wanted to make sure I learned how to do it properly and it's a great way to learn how to do it.