Peavey Predator rebuild thread

I understand how frustrating it can be to do what should be a "simple" upgrade. Sometimes it turns into a rabbit hole, and you end up chasing the ultimate solution. When it's all done, you will have learned a few more things, and you'll have just want you want in a guitar. Hang in there during the frustrating parts.
 
Oh, for fuck's sake. Went to put the bridge pickup in the right place and it was completely dead. Must have had a coil break.

So I bought a new Fender N3 noiseless bridge pickup (for more than the whole guitar cost). Wired it up per the instructions and it is out of phase with the middle and neck.

The 500k volume pot didn't change a damn thing, either.

I'll take it apart and fix it later. This was supposed to be a fun and easy little project and now it's pissing me off. I wanna make strat sounds! :mad:

Fun easy little project.
You're funny.
 
Fun easy little project.
You're funny.

Thanks a lot, Mister Plant The Tree, Chop It Down, And Shape The Neck Using Only The Calluses On My Bare Hands. :)

Seriously, would it have been so hard for Fender to keep the same phase orientation between two generations of pickups?
 
Thanks a lot, Mister Plant The Tree, Chop It Down, And Shape The Neck Using Only The Calluses On My Bare Hands. :)

Seriously, would it have been so hard for Fender to keep the same phase orientation between two generations of pickups?

:poke: I only say that because I am the master of turning a simple job into the Rural Electrification Project. :grin:

As for the latter, I can't say.
That happens between Duncan and Fender all the time, though.
Is it set up where you can switch leads easily?
 
That happens between Duncan and Fender all the time, though.
Is it set up where you can switch leads easily?

Yeah, it's a three-wire setup. I'm guessing if I swap green and red, it will be ok. It's a just a pain to undo everything.

Plus I've decided I don't like how one of the pickguard holes lines up inside the control cavity. I'm going to glue a dowel in there and drill it to give it firm anchor.

Oh, and did I mention I'm browsing for a new neck for it? :facepalm:
 
I don't know if you should have messed with that MIA Predator.

That thing could be worth double or triple what you paid for it someday. Maybe even a four-bagger.

You have now ruined a vintage guitar.
 
I have two that were each acquired for $60 off of CL at different times.

First one is a beat up red that I replaced the tuners with vintage split safety posts, replaced the pickguard assembly with a single humbucker - Kent Armstrong Vintage 12 Open coil, volume/tone, mini switch for series/split/parallel. I still intend to upgrade the tremolo on this one.









On the black one, I dropped in a Fender Atomic humbucker, single 250k volume pot, Wilkinson tremolo, and vintage split safety post tuners.

 
Since it's a cheap project guitar, I can take some risks. I don't like the V-T-T setup of Strats and I don't like where the volume knob lives. I'm going to change that.

WATCH OUT IT'S A TRAP!

(Before you know it you'll be sucked down the rabbit-hole of modification frustration and your pickups will be all out of phase and stuff when all you really want is a strat you can use for stratting out some stratty goodness.)
 
Oh, for fuck's sake. Went to put the bridge pickup in the right place and it was completely dead. Must have had a coil break.

So I bought a new Fender N3 noiseless bridge pickup (for more than the whole guitar cost). Wired it up per the instructions and it is out of phase with the middle and neck.

The 500k volume pot didn't change a damn thing, either.

I'll take it apart and fix it later. This was supposed to be a fun and easy little project and now it's pissing me off. I wanna make strat sounds! :mad:

It would make good Gary Moore/Peter Green sounds though, wouldn't it?
 
I don't know if you should have messed with that MIA Predator.

That thing could be worth double or triple what you paid for it someday. Maybe even a four-bagger.

You have now ruined a vintage guitar.

Only in the world of vintage guitars is making an unplayable guitar playable considered "ruining" it. :)
 
Are you using a linear taper pot, or an audio taper pot?

You should be using audio taper for the volume, and linear for the tone.
 
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