Pickup from 1965 - keep the cloth wires?

[Guitarman555]

Hi, I have bought real 1966 jag neck pickup for my jaguar with some fender reissue pickups(quite cheap model).. Do you think it's better to keep its original cloth wires and uninstall the newer thinner black and yellow cloth wires of current jag pickup? Pictures will come in a week.

[GreenKnee]

Yes, definitely worth leaving the original cloth wires on.
When you swap pickups leave the wire connected to the pickups and unsolder from the other end - switch and ground. If you were to try and remove the wire from the pickup it could end in disaster

[Guitarman555]

Yes, definitely worth leaving the original cloth wires on.
When you swap pickups leave the wire connected to the pickups and unsolder from the other end - switch and ground. If you were to try and remove the wire from the pickup it could end in disaster

Many thanks for your response, you confirmed my plan, great. As soon as pickup is installed, I will let you know, also I will inform you in terms of change of sound!

[GilmourD]

Yes, definitely worth leaving the original cloth wires on.
When you swap pickups leave the wire connected to the pickups and unsolder from the other end - switch and ground. If you were to try and remove the wire from the pickup it could end in disaster

Definitely this. Just in general you're much less likely to damage anything by leaving the wire on the pickups and unsoldering from whatever the other end is connected to (potentiometer, switch, ground, etc.). Applying heat to the contacts on the pickup itself could potentially overheat the very thin magnet wire coming from the coil to the lugs that the cloth wire is connected to.

[Guitarman555]

Hey guys, thanks for your thoughs. I swithed the pickup, it went smoothly, black wire was very short (ground) so I put it on the metal shield just next to the pickup. The white wire was replaced smoothly (went on the switch in the rythm circuit). Now my jag has more rounded sound, less piercing than the new pickup,more rounded and full. The change of sound isn´t huge, but helped. I am still wondering that this pickup has black bottom, formware and pencil code May1965, it would more correspond to 64, but probably transiton era was kinda wild and chaotic:)

[Guitarman555]

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[Guitarman555]