
A step-by-step guide to transforming a template single-coil import into a humbucker-equipped firebreather with neck-and-bridge-pickup coil-splitting.
Modding a guitar yourself doesn’t need to be scary. Even if you don’t have any experience working on your instrument, taking things step by step can yield some amazing results.
What you’ll need for this project:
Parts and Supplies
- Three Seymour Duncan JB Jr. pickups
- Pure Tone Multi-Contact Output Jack
- .022MFD orange drop capacitor
- Two 500k CTS potentiometers
- One push-pull pot DPDT on/on switch assembly
- 60/40 rosin core solder
- 22 AWG non-shielded PVC-insulated circuit wire
- Heat shrink tubing
- Small zip ties
- Guitar string set
Tools
- Soldering Station
- Small clippers
- Small round-nosed pliers
- Phillips screwdriver
- 1/2" nut driver
- Strip of painter's or masking tape
- A small jar with a lid
For example, I’m going to show you how a hardtail Squier Bullet Strat, which you can pick up for less than $200 street, can be transformed into a more versatile tone machine by non-invasively replacing its stock single-coil pickups with humbuckers and installing a push-pull pot for coil-splitting the neck and the bridge pickups—where many of the sweet sounds live. While I’m at it, I’ll explain how to install a more durable and efficient jack. Even a beginner can conceivably do all of this over a weekend, and the result will be a very playable guitar with a wide selection of sounds that you can enjoy for many years.
One thing I’ll ask you to do first is brush up on your soldering skills. Unless you’re already on top of those, you should check out “Soldering 101: A Step-by-Step Guide” at premierguitar.com. If you don’t have a good soldering iron—one that’s got controllable temperature settings and speedy thermal recovery—you should get one. I prefer to use a Hakko Soldering Station ($115 street) with digital readouts, and keep the temperature set at 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Here it is, in Photo 1.
Photo 1
Keep in mind that any iron you use should be at least 40 to 60 watts or it will not get the solder or metal points hot enough. (Twenty-five-watt irons are common, but don’t use them for this job. They are for delicate circuit-board soldering and not point-to-point work.)
I also recommend Kester 60/40 rosin core solder, which is 60 percent tin and 40 percent lead, in .062" thickness. It’s perfect for electronics. (Note: Wear a face mask, like an N95, or work in a very well-ventilated area when soldering.)From Single-Coils to Humbuckers
The first step occurs before the guitar reaches the workbench. We ordered three Seymour Duncan JB Jr. Strat pickups ($99 each), in Photo 2, which are single-coil-slot-sized humbuckers that, after being swapped in, will bump the upper mids and overall output the Squier Bullet Strat produces considerably.
Photo 2
For this mod, you’ll also need two 500k pots (we chose the CTS brand), and one 500k push-pull pot/DPDT switch—all easy to find online and displayed along with the clippers and pliers needed for this project in Photo 3.
Photo 3
Now, let’s get to started!
1) Detune the guitar to avoid flying-string accidents. Then, using a small wire cutter, clip the strings and remove them from the guitar. Remove the pickguard screws to release the pickguard. Put the screws in a small jar with a lid and put them aside, clear of the work area. You don’t want to be on your hands and knees looking for these later.
As you lift the pickguard, you’ll need to slide it slightly out from around the neck to pull it clear. Then, turn the pickguard over so you can see the wiring harness for the electronics.
2) Next, you’ll want to clip the ground wire that runs from the bridge to the volume pot (this wire looks like it’s coming out of the body of the guitar), as well as the white output-jack ground wire, which runs between the volume pot and an output-jack lug or pin—the small horn-like protrusion from the jack designed to accept wires. Then, clip the red, or “hot,” wire, which carries the signal to the output jack, from the center pin of the volume pot. Now, the pickguard is separated from the guitar and can be placed on an open, convenient spot on your workbench, for the next steps.
3) It’s time to strip the pickguard. After clipping the wires that run from the pickups to the volume pot casing switch, you’ll need to unscrew the pickups from the pickguard and pop them out.
Then, remove the screws—which go into your jar—on the 5-position pickup selector switch and gently remove its plastic top by pulling up on it. Now, you can pull the 5-way switch out of the bottom of the pickguard and save it for the rewiring process. You could leave the 5-way in place instead, but removing it gives you more space to work on the rest of the pickguard electronics assembly.
To remove the pots, gently pull up on the knobs and they will lift off the face of the pickguard. If they resist, consider using a cereal spoon to pry the dials up, and perhaps place a thin piece of cloth, like part of a t-shirt, under the spoon to keep the pickguard scratch-free. This method is less hazardous to the pickguard than using a flathead screwdriver.
Next, unscrew the nuts on the front of the pickguard that hold the pot assemblies in place. (They were revealed after you lifted the dials up.) You’ll probably need a pair of pliers to loosen them a bit, but, again, be careful not to scratch the pickguard. Turn the pickguard over again and clip the wires from the pots, which—reminder—we’re replacing, so don’t worry about saving them. (Standard CTS pots sell for about $7—cheap.) Then, the pots should pop right out. In Photo 4, from a bit later in the process, the pots, DPDT switch, and pickups have already been reinserted, but you can use this photo to view the nuts around the tone and volume control spindles.
Photo 4
4) Now, it’s easy to install the JB Jr.’s on the pickguard. Simply pop them through the pickup slots and screw them in place. Make sure the top of the letters reading “Seymour Duncan” face the neck for all three pickups, as in Photo 4. Use two small zip ties to keep all three four-conductor wires from the pickups together, and a piece of painter’s tape to temporarily hold the loose ends of those wires to the pickguard after the pickups are screwed in tight, to prevent the pickup wires from getting in your way as you work on other steps.
5) Time to install the new pots in the volume and first tone control positions, and then to install the push-pull DPDT switch in the tone control position closest to the guitar’s heel—the one farthest from the strings. While 250k pots are good for single-coil pickups, we’re using the 500k pots that are best for humbuckers here. And don’t forget the 5-way switch!
Let’s start by placing both pots and the push-pull in their places, sliding the shafts through the pickguard openings, and then screwing down the nuts to hold them in place—essentially reversing the process we used to remove the originals. (The 1/2" nut driver that you’ll use for the jack replacement we’ll do next also works for screwing down the nuts.)
Likewise, to reinstall the 5-way pickup selector, simply find your two screws and reverse how you removed it.
6) Basic Strat-style wiring—mostly—is the next step. A good standard Strat wiring guide, like the one on the Seymour Duncan website, may be a helpful visual aid. Wire the volume and tone pots to the switch exactly as on the diagram.
Duncan’s JB Jr.’s come with about 10 inches of four-conductor circuit wire already attached. Strip off about 3" of that wire’s outer casing. Then, you’ll see red, white, black, green, and ground wires. Peel about 1/2" of casing from the tips of each of those smaller, color-coded wires.
For the neck pickup, the green and bare wire are tied together and attached to ground—soldered to the top of the middle (tone) pot. You can see the secured pickup leads, ground soldering location, and overall layout in Photo 5.Photo 5
The red and white go to the center right pin (looking from the smooth rear of the push-pull pot) of the on/on DPDT switch atop the push-pull pot. The black wire goes to the corresponding pin on the 5-way switch—the third lug from the front. (Reminder: Always tin your solder points!) You can get a good look at the DPDT and push-pull pot assembly in Photo 6.
Photo 6
For the middle pickup, the red and white wire are soldered together and bent back over the lead wire. You should use a piece of heat shrink tubing to mask it off. (Heat shrink tubing for guitar and bass wiring can be purchased via a number of online sources.) The green and bare wires also go to ground atop the tone pot, and the black wire goes to the number two lug on the 5-way switch.
And finally, the bridge pickup. The green and bare are tied together and, once again, soldered to ground on the top of the tone pot, while the red and white go to the left middle pin on the DPDT switch atop the push-pull pot, and the black wire goes to the corresponding pin—the front slot—on the 5-way switch. That provides coil-splitting, activated for the neck and bridge pickups, by pulling the rearmost knob up.
7) Let’s do one more thing while we’re here to beef up the tone. Let’s put a .022MFD orange drop capacitor in the tone control’s setup, which will roll off less treble frequencies than a higher value capacitor as the tone knob is turned down. The cap can rest atop the center (tone) pot, and let’s solder one of its bare wires to the back of the same pot’s casing for grounding. We’ll take the other wire and shield it with shrink tubing, and solder it to the outside pin on the tone pot. In Photo 7, you can see the completed wiring for the control set.
Photo 7
8) There’s one more control set wiring move.
The bottom lugs of the push-pull DPDT switch are both jumped to ground. This is what makes the coil-splitting possible, by selecting the ground wire or allowing it to go to output. (Use 22 AWG non-shielded PVC-insulated circuit wire for incidental wiring work like this.)
Then, reattach the red output wire from the output jack to the center pin of the volume pot. Follow that with reattaching the bridge ground wire and output-jack ground wire to the back of the volume pot casing.
(Or, you can wait and do these steps later if you are also doing the jack replacement.) Photo 8 displays all of our handiwork!
Photo 8
9) Lastly, replace the pickguard back onto the guitar with the screws you’ve saved and plug the guitar in to test the connections before screwing it back on. Done!
DIY: Replacing Strat Single-Coils with Stacked Humbuckers
Swapping the Output Jack
Our next job is replacing the standard 1/4" jack that lives behind the chrome boat-style output receptacle with a Pure Tone Multi-Contact Output Jack. It has four points of contact, versus the OEM’s two, and dual tension grounds to hug the cable sleeve in place from both sides, providing more reliable performance and better tone.
1) Start by removing the two jack-plate screws, and then remove the output-jack nut with a 1/2" nut driver. Carefully pull out the jack and boat assembly, (Photo 9) and snip the lead wires—the red is hot output and the white is ground—close to the jack, leaving plenty of wire from the guitar’s harness to work with. Strip the leads of those protruding wires about 1/4", for soldering later.
Photo 9
2) Grab your 60/40 rosin core solder and bring your soldering iron up to 750 degrees. While the iron’s heating up, slide some heat-shrink tubing down the output and ground wires. And when the soldering iron is at temperature, tin the wire leads and pins on the Pure Tone replacement jack.
3) Next, solder the hot (red) output and ground (white) wires to the two pins on the jack, being tinned in this photo (Photo 10).
Photo 10
When you’re done, slide the heat-shrink tubing that you slid onto the wire earlier over the pins and solder points. Then, heat the tubing with either a heat gun, hair dryer, or lighter (Photo 11) to make them shrink.
Photo 11
4) Finally, reattach the new output jack to the jack plate with a locking washer underneath, tighten the output-jack nut with the 1/2" nut driver, and reattach the jack plate to the body with the original jack-plate screws, as in Photo 12.
Photo 12
And now you’re ready to plug in and play!
DIY: How to Wire a Guitar Output Jack
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Just like guitarists, audiophiles are chasing sound. It may be a never-ending quest.
“What you got back home, little sister, to play your fuzzy warbles on? I bet you got, say, pitiful, portable picnic players. Come with uncle and hear all proper. Hear angel trumpets and devil trombones.”—Alexander DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) in the film A Clockwork Orange.
We listen to recorded music for enjoyment and inspiration, but few of us expect recordings to rival the experience of live music. Most guitarists know that the average home sound system, let alone Bluetooth boomboxes, cannot reproduce the weight and depth equal to standing in a room with a full-blown concert guitar rig. Also, classical music lovers recognize that a home system won’t reproduce the visceral envelope of a live orchestra. Still, much like guitarists, audiophiles spend huge amounts of time and money chasing the ultimate “realistic” audio experience. I wonder if sometimes that’s misguided.
My exposure to the audio hobby came early, from my father’s influence. My dad grew up in the revolution of home electronics, and being an amateur musician, he wanted good reproduction of the recordings he cherished. This led him to stock our home with tube components and DIY electrostatic hybrid speakers that rivaled the size and output of vintage Fender 2x12s. I thought this was normal.
Later, I discovered a small shop in my hometown that specialized in “high end” audiophile gear. They had a policy: No sale is final until you are completely satisfied. I became an almost weekly visitor (and paying customer) and was allowed to take equipment home to audition, which was dangerous for a young man on a low budget. It was through this program I started to understand the ins and outs of building a cohesive system that met my taste. I began to pay much more attention to the nuances of audio reproduction. Some gear revealed a whole new level of accuracy when it came to acoustic or vocal performance, while lacking the kick-ass punch I desired of my rock albums. I was seeking reproduction that would gently caress the sounds on folk, classical, and jazz recordings, but could also slay when the going got heavy. This made me a bit of an odd bird to the guys at the audio shop, but they wanted to please. With their guidance I assembled some decent systems over time, but through the decades, I lost interest in the chase.
Recently, I’ve begun perusing online audiophile boards and they seem oddly familiar, with tube versus solid-state discussions that might feel at home to guitarists—except the prices are now beyond what I’d imagined. For the most part, they mirror the exchanges we see on guitar boards minus the potty-mouth language. Enthusiasts exchange information and opinions (mostly) on what gear presents the widest soundstage or most detailed high-frequency delivery, all in flowery language usually reserved for fine wines.
Speaking of whining, you’ll rethink your idea of expensive cables when you hear folks comparing 18", $1,700 interconnects for their DACs. Some of the systems I’ve seen are more costly than an entire guitar, amplifier, and studio gear collection by a serious margin. Mostly, the banter is cordial and avoids the humble-bragging that might go along with the purchase of a $10,000 set of PAF humbuckers. Still, I have a lack of insight into what exactly most are trying to accomplish.
If you’ve ever worked in a big-time studio, you know that the soundscape blasting out of huge monitors is not what most of us have in our homes. My experience rewiring pro-studio patchbays is that less emphasis is placed on oxygen-free, silver-plated, directional cables than the room treatment. I’ve found myself wondering if the people on those audio boards—who have spent many tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on their home systems—have ever been in a studio control room listening to music as loud as a 28,000 horsepower traffic jam of NASCAR racers. That might be an eye-opener.
One of my takeaways is that even though music recording began as an attempt to reproduce what actually happens in a room, it hasn’t been just that for a long time. With all our effects and sonic wizardry on display, recording is like playing an instrument itself, and much more complex. This is not a new revelation to Beatles fans.
What amazes me is that both audiophiles and guitar fanatics pursue the sounds we hear on recordings for differing reasons and with subjective results. It’s a feedback-loop game, where we chase sounds mostly exclusive to the studio. So, how do we determine if our playback is accurate? Will we ever be satisfied enough to call the sale final?
I’m not convinced, but just the same, I’ll continue my own search for the holy grail of affordable, kick-ass sound that still loves a folk guitar
Kirk Hammett has partnered with Gibson Publishing to release The Collection: Kirk Hammett, a premium hardcover coffee-table photo book where Kirk tells the stories behind his rare and collectible instruments.
“I am thrilled to announce the launch of The Collection: Kirk Hammett. I’ve worked diligently on this curated collection of vintage and modern guitars for the book. I feel the book captures the rich history and artistry behind each of these unique and rare instruments. Every picture tells a story and thanks to Ross Halfin and his exceptional photography, every picture in this book is worth a million words! This book could not be possible without the help of Gibson, so I’d like to thank them for making my passion for Greeny, and guitars a reality. I hope all of you enjoy this journey as much as I did.”
“It’s exciting the time has come to release The Collection: Kirk Hammett by Gibson,” adds Cesar Gueikian, President and CEO of Gibson. “We have been working on this project with Kirk for years now, and I had the opportunity to work closely with Kirk on the composition of the collection for the book. It was a thrill to put this together and it took a village to get it done! I hope everyone appreciates the work that went into this book and enjoys every story behind the guitars.”
The Collection: Kirk Hammett, Custom Edition is limited to just 300 numbered copies signed by KIRK HAMMETT and comes in a huge 19 x 14.5” (490 x 370mm) presentation box featuring custom artwork and an outstanding case candy package. In addition to the large-format 17 x 12” (432 x 310mm) hardcover version of the book with a stunning lenticular cover, the boxset includes a frameable 16 x 11.6” (407 x 295mm) art print of a Ross Halfin portrait of KIRK HAMMETT signed by both Halfin and the Metallica guitarist. Other case candy includes an Axe Heaven miniature replica of Hammett’s 1979 Gibson Flying V with case and stand, an exclusive pick tin complete with six Dunlop® Kirk Hammett signature Jazz III guitar picks, and a Gibson Publishing Certificate of Authenticity.
Explore The Collection: Kirk Hammett book HERE.
Here’s Chris Martin surrounded by a group of guitars created to commemorate his family’s 192-year history.
The home organ once ruled the world, only to go extinct. Is the acoustic guitar next?
When I was growing up, my Aunt Kate had a home organ in her living room. Back then, home organs were everywhere. They were sold at malls across America, and were a staple of post-WWII households. Brands like Lowrey, Magnus, and Hammond dominated the market. Lowrey, a division of Norlin (which eventually acquired Gibson), was especially massive. In fact, in a year where Gibson generated $19 million in revenue, Lowrey pulled in a staggering $100 million.
But like all booms, the home organ’s success was temporary. By the 1980s, it had gone bust. A huge contributing factor was the entrance of Casio: a more affordable, portable alternative that rendered the home organ obsolete.
Thankfully, the acoustic guitar has always had portability on its side. I’ve witnessed three major acoustic-guitar booms in my lifetime: the folk and folk-rock explosion of the late ’50s through the late ’70s, the MTV Unplugged resurgence, and most recently, the COVID-era surge.
The ’80s, however, were a tough time for acoustic guitar builders. That decade belonged to pointy electric guitars and hair metal. But the acoustic guitar came back. And unlike the home organ, it has not only endured, but thrived.
My great-grandfather capitalized on the demand for mandolins in the early part of the 20th century. We also tried to make and sell banjos. In addition to that, we made archtops, and although they weren’t as popular as some other brands, we did borrow the 14-fret neck.
While we were making 12-fret guitars with steel strings (the real benefit of that era was a dramatic improvement in the quality of steel strings), we discovered that many players wanted more access to the body and a slimmer profile. Starting with a 000-size guitar, we quickly converted many of our models to the new modern neck design, most notably our dreadnought model. The timing was right, as the dreadnought became the go-to guitar for country music. The steel-string flattop would lend itself to a fantastic melding of styles and types of music from around the world (and around the corner), becoming the driving voice of not just country, but also folk and many other genres.
Baby boomers (myself included) grew up with the sound of the acoustic guitar, and playing the music of our youth remains an essential part of any enthusiast’s repertoire. Our generation is not only large but also living longer, thanks to modern medicine and healthier lifestyles. Many of us have accumulated wealth, and for those of us in the business of making and selling guitars, that’s good news.
I mean no disrespect when I say, “Thank goodness I wasn’t born into the world’s most famous accordion-making family.” Accordions had their day, just as the home organ once did. Interestingly, accordions still have a niche following, whereas the home organ is now a historical artifact. While home organs were, for a time, all the rage, I doubt that even at the peak of their popularity anyone owned more than one. Quite a different situation when it comes to guitars and guitar collecting.
I do wish I could share with my ancestors how popular the guitar continues to be.
Every so often, someone writes an article with a headline like, “Is the Guitar Dead?” My answer is simple: no.
As long as we boomers—and everybody else—keep playing.
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Tim Henson Signature Classical Strings
Crafted for dynamic, percussive tonality, these strings pair fluorocarbon trebles with silver-plated copper basses to deliver exceptional response and clarity.
- Gauges: 24, 27, 33, 30, 36, 42
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Tim Henson Signature FretWrap by Gruv Gear
An essential string-dampening tool, the Tim Henson Signature FretWrap is designed for cleaner playing by eliminating unwanted overtones and sympathetic vibrations.
- Features Tim Henson’s custom ‘Cherub Logo’ design
- Size Small, fits 4-string basses, 6-string electric/acoustic guitars, and ukuleles
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The Ernie Ball Tim Henson Accessory Bundle Kit
For players who want the complete Tim Henson experience, the Ernie Ball Tim HensonSignature Bundle Kit includes:
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