My ESP LH-150 melted -- need to replace them.

David HDavid H
Updated
    David H

    I had some work done in my basement a few months ago and I moved my ESP LTD M-100FM to the garage for a few weeks.  The guitar sat in an upright stand and sometimes the temperature would get high... a little too high, aparently.  The LH-150s appear to have leaked wax out of the screws on the faces, as well as out of the side as evidenced by the heavy buildup of white wax underneath them.  Now my guitar sounds extra whiney and feedback...feedbacky?  It just doesn't have a good sound anymore.

    I'm not an expert guitar player and I really only play it with Rocksmith 2014 on the computer... but, it sounds bad and I'm sure I need to switch out my pickups since they bled all over my guitar.  I was looking at the Seymour Duncan's Hot Rodded humbuckers.  I like the versitility in their sound and I feel like this is a good option for me since all I do is play Rocksmith and I have no single style in sight.

    Are humbuckers generally one-size-fits-all?  Is there a resource that shows guitar body/pickup size compatibility?  Need advice before I drop $150 on some new components.

    Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance.

    Dislike (0)
      Share
    Pushead
    Pushead wrote

    The humbuckers are one size fits all, though the spacing of the poles (screw faces) vary.  For your guitar, you'd be looking F-spaced (I think they consider them "Trembucker" size with Seymour Duncan).

    Reply
    Dislike (0)
      David H
      David H wrote

      Thanks for the reply Pushead!

      Based on your information I learned that I should purchase the TB-4 and SH-2n models instead of the SH-4 and SH-2n.  What I find curious is that the only "Trembucker" specific humbucker is the bridge, and that the neck Humbucker doesn't seem to have an 'f-spacing' counterpart.  Is that right?  The Syemour Duncan website even lists them as "Trembucker Bridge" in the search results.

      And for my own personal knowledge -- how did you know (or identify) my guitar is f-spaced?  I went to the ESP LTD product page and I didn't see any classification like that.  Is it because of the Floyd Rose tremulo bridge, the inline tuning posts, something with the neck, etc?

      Reply
      Dislike (0)
        Pushead
        Pushead wrote

        There isn't anywhere that speficically tells you.  The trembuckers (and F-spaced for other brands) work from the idea that guitars with tremolo bridge systems have the strings slightly further apart.  I think even the ESP tune-o-matics are better spaced for F-space pickups as well.  But really, even the extra width of the F-space doesn't always exactly line up with the string path.  I've never found anything exactly perfect from guitar-to-guitar.

        In your situation, and with what/how you play, you might be better served finding a used set of LH-150 pickups on eBay or something.  Not that they'll sound better than the SD set, but you'll probably find them significantly cheaper.  Or, you could take the guitar to a tech at a guitar store (or found near where you live) that could wax pot the set you still have.  It's a simple process, but if you've never done it before, it's probably easier to have someone do it for you.

        Just a thought.

        Reply
        Dislike (0)
          David H
          David H wrote

          Cool!  I just looked up a couple videos on wax potting and that's something I could definitely take care of myself!  I just watched a few videos on the process and read this article at Premiere Guitar.  I did call the guitar shop and they said they'd do it for $40... so, time to melt some wax and give it a try!  

          Thanks for the idea.  If things fall apart, I'll have a better reason for getting a new set of pickups!  

          Reply
          Dislike (0)
            Post to Thread

            Cancel