World's Dumbest Question - How to Install a Pickup to a Pickguard

[agreatheight]

For real, I must be an idiot, but I am just not visualizing how to install a JB humbucker into my almost finished Jazzmaster with pickguard. Not the wiring, I got that, but actually how to physically install the thing, how to mount it. Any advice would be helpful!

Thanks in advance!

 

[-CB-]

if you got the correct pickup routes in the pickguard.... the body of the pickup will fit thru the routed opening, from the lower side of the pickguard..... there will be a hole at each side of the opening for the mounting screw, which is inserted from the top side of the pickguard.... the spring goes between the bottom side of the pickguard and the mounting tab on the pickup - the screw goes thru the middle of it

 

[agreatheight]

OK, that is kinda what I thought, but two questions. The spring pushes the pickup down, but what holds the pickup up from the bottom? Foam? Positive thoughts? Also, my JBs have no holes in the mounting tabs, just indents - what's up with that?

 

[mayfly]

'Tis the screw that holds the pickup up from the bottom.  the screw passes through the pickguard, through the spring, then to the pickup.  The string pushes down, and the screw holds it up.

 

[JaySwear]

what keeps the pickup up would be the screw. the spring makes sure the pickup is held at a distance, then you can shorten the distance by turning the screw clockwise. you could mount a pickup in the pickguard without a spring, but then any time the guitar was turned upside down the pickup would want to fall string-direction. hope this isn't as confusing for you as it is for me while re-reading it :icon_scratch:

ok, i'm literally this bored (the baseball game i wanted to watch isn't on TV) so here's a picture i took with my webcam. sorry for the crappy quality.

1. pickup mounting ring (same thing as your pickguard)
2. spring that keeps the pickup down
3. stew-mac thing that makes putting a pickup on a pickup ring a little easier
4. screw

hope that helps. i feel like it's easier to work out if you can see it all

and if your pickup doesn't have a screw hole in the tab then you got a dud really. the screw HAS to go through to make the thing work. and the tabs are threaded so that the screw doesn't need a nut on the bottom. i'd try to return, it's obviously a defect of some kind. it would be tough to just drill your own hole i think since it needs to be a threaded screw hole

 

[agreatheight]

Thanks all, things are making sense now. I had a set of duds. Returned them for a set of good ones and install was logical and easy, took 5 minutes.

Thanks again!