Prs Se Bernie/ gibson 57 classic pup swap

[zovanou]

Contemplating installing Gibson 57 classic neck and classic plus bridge,
would appreciate any advice or cautions from any members who have done this installation
Specifically if their were any issues which arose during
the installation process or was it pretty much a staitforward replacement.
Nice forum and am digging my first Prs Se

 

[John Beef]

The only issue you might run into are the long legs that are typical on Gibson humbuckers. The legs light bottom out in the pickup rout. However, I've never disassembled a Bernie.

 

[AP515]

The long screws will bottom out in the pup cavity. 1/8th shorter screws will work but the pup will be almost off the screws when you are the low end of the pup height per spec (which is where I like it). If you like your pups closer to the strings you won't have much of a problem with the shorter screws. You can route a little off the bottom of the cavity if you're good with a router.

 

[wardog]

i have gibson pickups in both my se's and had no issue with legs. i put the 57 and 57+ in my ZM semi hollow and love the sound!!!!

 

[Duffy]

The long screws will bottom out in the pup cavity. 1/8th shorter screws will work but the pup will be almost off the screws when you are the low end of the pup height per spec (which is where I like it). If you like your pups closer to the strings you won't have much of a problem with the shorter screws. You can route a little off the bottom of the cavity if you're good with a router.

Or carefully use drill bits moving up from very small to about a quarter inch bits, so as not to start with a quarter inch drill bit because it might just grab aggressively and bore all the way thru the body. Starting with a very small controllable bit and moving up thru about four larger sizes will just have the larger bits boring out the sides of the bore hole slightly, preventing an aggressive "grab" an complete bore thru.

Even a Dremel tool would be good to carefully grind away a pocket directly below the screws. I don't suppose you would have to go very deep, maybe an eighth of an inch or three sixteenths (approx. 3mm maybe), probably no more. And just enough to allow the end of the screws to have some room to move down into the body slightly more.

The fifty seven and plus models are really nice. I have them in one guitar. Great pickups, as you probably already know. Not that the PRS pickups are anything to scoff at. I have them in my new Santana SE and find them brighter than the fifty seven and plus set I have in another guitar but that isn't a bad thing.

 

[crgtr]

Those are good pups. I have used them on many gtrs and love the tone. When I run into problems with the longer pup screws I just drill a small hole where each pup screw will go. It doesn't take much and it's easier than using a router. You may want to mark the drill bit with a little "White Out" or something so you don't drill too deep.

 

[zovanou]

Thank you to all who offered advice .

 

[zovanou]

installed these with no issues , no routing was required. excellent results from this swap again thanks to all who responded