72 deluxe MIM issue

[LennyEdwards]

just picked up my 72 deluxe, walnut & black guard finish, beautiful to look at, insanely comfortable and the neck is great for a MIM, however on the neck pickup one polepiece screw seems tucked under the pickup cover and 3 of the 4 screws holding the pickup in place are loose to the point of falling right out if you turn it upside down....

anybody with similar build issues?

apart from that the guitar is magic, I really want to keep it, but its a bit of a major flaw for the neck pickup to be collapsed in due to this, any idea what it would cost to fix myself?

see pics for what I mean.



and



cheers

[superbadj]

All that's happened is that those screws were screwed out too far, trying to lower the pickup.

Those screws adjust the height of the body of the pickup. Tighten them, and it raises the pickup. Loosen, and it lowers. It only will go so far down before it falls right off the end of the screw!


So all you have to do is tighten, slightly, the one that's left, and try to work the pickup and turn the screws until they grab the threads, then raise it just a hair. If you can't get it to work with the strings and pickguard on, take 'em off and you'll be fine. No big problem, no cost problem, ASSUMING the threads in the holes for the screws (or the screws themselves) aren't stripped.


As for the alignment issue between the pickup cover and the pole pieces, sadly, it's not uncommon. But it's not a huge deal. Cosmetic, not functional problems there.

[LennyEdwards]

Cheers, I tried the screws but it seems there is no 'bite' for them, so its like the pickup has collapsed, I spoke to the dealer and back it goes, means a bit of a delay on it (extra week or two) but aside that I loved the guitar, the feel was nice, the neck and balance were really good and I was falling in love by the second, had I been able to resolve the issue it was a keeper but I cant see underneath without dismantling everything and voiding the warranty should there be any deeper issue lurking.....

[LennyEdwards]

small update, it seems all 4 screws on the neck pickup are not attached to anything, so essentially the neck pickup is just sitting in, trying to coax the screws to bite something get no response. Anybody know if I fully have to dismantle the bridge pickup to get the guard off?

[Telenator]

You have to lift the pickguard. No way around it. I hope the screw holes aren't stripped.

[superbadj]

yeah, they're just screws. If they are stripped, still probably pretty easily fixable. And that shouldn't void the warranty I wouldn't think!

[superbadj]

no, you don't dismantle the pickup to get the guard off. YOu should need to mess with the pickup itself.

1: remove the guard.
2: flip it over (cover your guitar face)
3: the pickup should be loose now.
4: pull it up, careful of the strings, and see if the screws "bite" their holes. Are the screws stripped?
5: if need be, go to a local hardware store and buy new screws of the same size.

Should be a relatively easy fix.

[Mark F]

If the screws are stripped, it'll need new screws, if the screw holes are stripped, they would need tapping, and new screws (but that should be warranty), but imo the chances are that the screws have been removed entirely from the pickup (as per superbadj above) and it just needs a 'lift' while you locate and start the screws (up to you if you take the pickguard off to check)

[Telenator]

It needs more than a "lift." There are springs that go on the screws and rest between the pickguard and the leg of the pickup. It's a pain in the butt to get all 4 springs on all 4 screws! I have done this countless times and it's still a drag! LOL!