@oldasrocks9121 Thanks for this! Are your 338 examples from a first-generation 338 (pointy ears, crown inlays), or from a 2024ish model (mouse ears, abalone-accented inlays)? Curious because I've seen reviews saying that the new models' stock pickups are much improved, less microphonic.
@@oldasrocks9121 Thanks - guess I should stay put with my first-generation FF338. The original owner swapped on some kind of Tonerider pickups, and they're a bit tight, but otherwise quite good.
An HH Tele with 2 point trem, and HSS Strat and 2 FF338s. All the "custom Alnico 5" humbuckers" in those guitars Guitar Gardens descriptions are the same: bobbins made for ceramic magnets with the integral spacer posts, slug lengths for the thicker ceramic magnet, shimmed A5 magnet, steel pole screw keeper floating around. The keeper needs to be trapped between the bobbin bottom and the back plate so it won't vibrate against either. I would bet a paycheck the Les Paul & et al pickups are exactly the same.
@@smooothybuns Maybe. Don't look past how randomly they are put together tho. So, hope against hope... (Bookmark this first: Artec Giovanni GVH-1 pickups are pretty amazing, pound for pound. OnlyPedals might still have some on Reverb. Bootstrap Pickups handwinds humbuckers for around $150 I think, I have his Tele single coils in a couple guitars and his P94 types, if his humbuckers are as good they're the best handwound bargain going. Tone Hatch too but he might wing bridges only, check. Okay then...) I think the easiest rehab thing would be to swap in the thicker ceramic magnets and the correct steel keeper, screw the backplate back on, leave the covers off. That'll probably get you around 18K out of a typical FF bridge. That's just inside Joan Jett territory. I’ve never bought ceramics, I'm pretty sure Philadelphia Luthiers' Supply doesn't have them, maybe Mojotone? I tried the alnico way on one set, cut those integral posts off the bobbin bottoms, filed the bobbin flat, ditched the shim on the magnet, swapped in correct length slugs, good pole screws, nickel steel back plate, maple spacers, known A5 magnets. Not so bad, but they didn't end up happy accidents. Results didn't equal effort and $ spent. Plain, more than a little smeary. Not lively, flat dynamics. Hamfisted with gain. Swapped in A3 magnets, same story. Quit on it. I say ditch them from the go, put efforts and monies into pickups you want to try or know you like or have heard and liked. Upgrade instead of sidegrade. Skip Guitar Madness and GFS and all that stuff, cheap Amazon pickups RUclips chuckleheads say are amazing, blah blah blah. I put a set of post 2013 Epiphone Probuckers 1&2s in the rainbow FF338, $65. More scarce than 2&3s. They're really great, built well. US seller, pulled them out of his new guitar. I skipped the Asian sellers with dozens of sets listed. Put A2 magnets in recent Epi Alnico Classic Pros that came with a push-pull harness, seller pulled them out of his Trad Pro IV Les Paul, put it all in the Lucille ff338. So. Much. Better. Good start.
@oldasrocks9121 Thanks for this! Are your 338 examples from a first-generation 338 (pointy ears, crown inlays), or from a 2024ish model (mouse ears, abalone-accented inlays)? Curious because I've seen reviews saying that the new models' stock pickups are much improved, less microphonic.
@@albionvideo Mouse ears. They're all 2022-23 Firefly's here, HH TL, HSS ST, 338 X2.
@@oldasrocks9121 Thanks - guess I should stay put with my first-generation FF338. The original owner swapped on some kind of Tonerider pickups, and they're a bit tight, but otherwise quite good.
What guitar did you remove these from?
An HH Tele with 2 point trem, and HSS Strat and 2 FF338s. All the "custom Alnico 5" humbuckers" in those guitars Guitar Gardens descriptions are the same: bobbins made for ceramic magnets with the integral spacer posts, slug lengths for the thicker ceramic magnet, shimmed A5 magnet, steel pole screw keeper floating around. The keeper needs to be trapped between the bobbin bottom and the back plate so it won't vibrate against either.
I would bet a paycheck the Les Paul & et al pickups are exactly the same.
@@oldasrocks9121 so the pickups have no redeeming quality/ can’t be saved since you said you can’t wax pot the issue?
@@smooothybuns Maybe. Don't look past how randomly they are put together tho. So, hope against hope...
(Bookmark this first: Artec Giovanni GVH-1 pickups are pretty amazing, pound for pound. OnlyPedals might still have some on Reverb. Bootstrap Pickups handwinds humbuckers for around $150 I think, I have his Tele single coils in a couple guitars and his P94 types, if his humbuckers are as good they're the best handwound bargain going. Tone Hatch too but he might wing bridges only, check. Okay then...)
I think the easiest rehab thing would be to swap in the thicker ceramic magnets and the correct steel keeper, screw the backplate back on, leave the covers off. That'll probably get you around 18K out of a typical FF bridge. That's just inside Joan Jett territory. I’ve never bought ceramics, I'm pretty sure Philadelphia Luthiers' Supply doesn't have them, maybe Mojotone?
I tried the alnico way on one set, cut those integral posts off the bobbin bottoms, filed the bobbin flat, ditched the shim on the magnet, swapped in correct length slugs, good pole screws, nickel steel back plate, maple spacers, known A5 magnets.
Not so bad, but they didn't end up happy accidents. Results didn't equal effort and $ spent. Plain, more than a little smeary. Not lively, flat dynamics. Hamfisted with gain. Swapped in A3 magnets, same story. Quit on it.
I say ditch them from the go, put efforts and monies into pickups you want to try or know you like or have heard and liked. Upgrade instead of sidegrade. Skip Guitar Madness and GFS and all that stuff, cheap Amazon pickups RUclips chuckleheads say are amazing, blah blah blah.
I put a set of post 2013 Epiphone Probuckers 1&2s in the rainbow FF338, $65. More scarce than 2&3s. They're really great, built well. US seller, pulled them out of his new guitar. I skipped the Asian sellers with dozens of sets listed.
Put A2 magnets in recent Epi Alnico Classic Pros that came with a push-pull harness, seller pulled them out of his Trad Pro IV Les Paul, put it all in the Lucille ff338. So. Much. Better. Good start.