MFD Jumbo Pickups Pickguard Mounting

[sciuri]

I’ve been interested in trying G&L MFD Jumbo pickups. Tonally, how different are they than the Strat-sized S-500 MFD pickups? I've watched a couple of youtube videos but am still looking for more info.

I’m considering trying MFDs with a Reverend USA guitar that has a swimming pool route. The S-500s are pickguard-mounted, so that would be the easier option, but I wonder if I'd be missing what the Jumbos could do (FOMO!). And I have to admit, the Jumbos look cool and unique and have a different mojo that brings up P90 and Mosrite vibes. The Jumbos are designed to be body-mounted, so I'd have to fashion a bracket of some sort to allow pickguard mounting.

Would anyone with the skills and tools be willing to help me build a DIY pickguard bracket for MFD Jumbos?




This would be similar to how Reverend, Ibanez, and Kauer have mounted soapbar P90s to pickguards.










I could try to find a piece of thin but rigid metal, try to borrow a tap and die set (my neighbor is a mechanic), and learn how to do it. Or perhaps try a different material that might be easier to drill through, such as a pickguard?

Thanks for any advice!

[sciuri]

Bump if anyone has advice or ideas!

MFD Jumbos vs. MFD Strat S-500 -- are they tonally different enough to make the extra effort worth it for Jumbos?
Maybe it's a silly question, but I'm wondering is it like the difference between a fender single coil and a P90 (majorly different), or more like a strat bridge vs a tele bridge (distinct but with a fair amount of overlap).

Any ideas for easy materials to work with for a makeshift pickup bracket?

Thanks!

[madlovepickups]

Brass or aluminium strip would work, durable, easy to get hold of and easy to tap & drill. Steel will work too but harder to drill and tap and also there's a chance they will change the tone of the pickups a little.

[ThePearDream]

Something you may not be considering is how long Jumbo MFD pickups are already - about as long as a Jazzmaster pickup, and you want to make it longer. Also, how the cover fits the pickup is not conducive to mounting in the way you want. You would probably even have to expand the swimming pool route under your pickguard. Short of designing and 3D printing alternate pickup covers, your best bet for using the Jumbo MFDs, is to fit them under a Jazzmaster pickup cover.

In addition, the sound differences between different models of MFD is not as great, as the difference between MFDs and traditional single coils is. The S500s can be guard mounted like a Strat or body mounted like a Jag, and are the same general dimensions as a Strat pickup. So, my advice is to get the S500s. If you find yourself liking those, then maybe explore some of the other MFD pickup formats.

[sciuri]

Brass or aluminium strip would work, durable, easy to get hold of and easy to tap & drill. Steel will work too but harder to drill and tap and also there's a chance they will change the tone of the pickups a little.

Thanks for the insight! I started looking at websites that do custom laser cut aluminum, which might be the way to go for me as I have no experience or correct tools for cutting metal.

Something you may not be considering is how long Jumbo MFD pickups are already - about as long as a Jazzmaster pickup, and you want to make it longer. Also, how the cover fits the pickup is not conducive to mounting in the way you want. You would probably even have to expand the swimming pool route under your pickguard. Short of designing and 3D printing alternate pickup covers, your best bet for using the Jumbo MFDs, is to fit them under a Jazzmaster pickup cover.

In addition, the sound differences between different models of MFD is not as great, as the difference between MFDs and traditional single coils is. The S500s can be guard mounted like a Strat or body mounted like a Jag, and are the same general dimensions as a Strat pickup. So, my advice is to get the S500s. If you find yourself liking those, then maybe explore some of the other MFD pickup formats.

Thank you for the advice!

If MFD pickups are pretty similar to one another, it might make sense to try an S-500 set first. I also have a JM that could use different pickups so will think on that...

I'm working on a mockup and should be able to tell soon if the length will fit in my swimming pool route.

Curious, would you elaborate on how the cover fits the pickup and how that might not work with a bracket going underneath?



Thanks!

[ThePearDream]

Curious, would you elaborate on how the cover fits the pickup and how that might not work with a bracket going underneath?



Thanks!

Because, the bottom of the pickup (the copper plate) is not flush with the bottom of the cover. It is recessed slightly. You would probably need to make some kind of spacer, in addition to the mounting brackets. And, of course, the neck and bridge brackets have to be different sizes, because the neck and bridge pickups are different lengths. Even if you found someone to make them, and they would fit on your pickguard or in the body, it would look janky as hell with all those screws.

This idea just seems unnecessarily complicated.

[sciuri]

This idea just seems unnecessarily complicated.

Unnecessarily complicated for someone with very limited skills, the wrong tools, and little time? Sounds like a great idea!

But seriously, thank you for your perspective. Between having a lower demand and easier options that’ll produce close-enough results, there must be a reason why this idea doesn’t seem like a very popular mod to try.

I found a shop where I should be able to try some G&L's with different MFD pickups and decide from there. For my collection, it sounds like it may come down to S500's in a Mustang or Jumbo's/Doheny's in a JM. For Jumbo's though, I'd be way more interested in an Artemis build than an ASAT Special or SC2!

[sciuri]

I got kind of fixated on trying to do this, so... It can be done! All of this is child’s play for real designers, engineers, and machinists, but I got to learn some basic skills and learn a little about materials along the way.

Learned some basic CAD software skills to measure up and design a bracket, and had SendCutSend cut 2mm thick aluminum brackets with pilot holes (I don't have a drill press). My understanding is that aluminum won’t affect the pickup’s magnetic field. It’s also very lightweight, rigid enough, but also soft enough for easier tapping. (I still find it incredible that custom laser cutting and 3D printing is so accessible.)



They don’t do screw tapping for smaller screws, so learned how to tap a screw hole by hand. Not the cleanest job, but they work (some of that is blur from low light and probably leftover cutting lube). Chose 3-48 screws because they’re widely available nickel plated and in different lengths.





Added some locking nuts and foam tape for a snug fit.



Ready to mount to a pickguard!




With extra pickguard mounting screws, maybe it won’t be the prettiest thing but it will at least be a fun experiment. These will go in a USA Reverend, and I’ll update that thread once I get a pickguard cut and have a chance to wire it up. I'm curious if I'll need to ground the brackets?



If anyone has similar interests, I'm happy to share measurements and drawings etc, and after it's done, I may have a spare set of brackets if someone wants them!

[ThePearDream]

[Jonesie]

This is going to look (and hopefully sound) cool as hell. Excited to see the final product!

[sciuri]

The running joke we have at my house for these types of projects is the Parks and Recreation claymation episode...



Parks and Recreation clip

[Jonesie]

The running joke we have at my house for these types of projects is the Parks and Recreation claymation episode...



Parks and Recreation clip

The low-cal-calzone-zone of guitar projects.

[sciuri]

The low-cal-calzone-zone of guitar projects.

Several months, hundreds of thousands of calories, and several late nights later, I proudly present to you...

A piece of metal with 5 holes in it.