From TalkBass Wiki
I guess this is somewhat of an instructional, but here goes........
Ok,
heres the deal, I am swapping out my "tone pump" out of my Spector Euro 5-lx for an EMG BQC system.
Tools needed for this include:
1)A soldering iron (25watts or less with a "fine tip" preferably)
2)Electronics-grade solder (60/40, which is 60% tin and 40% lead, I prefer 63/47) If you plan on using "acid core" instead, I'm gonna slap you across the back of your head!
3)A set of jewelers Phillips and flat head screwdrivers
4)Painters tape
5)Newspaper and scissors
6)Small set of needle nose pliers
7)A cordless or corded power drill and a 3/8" drillbit
8)A small crescent wrench, unless you happen to have a socket set or collection of assorted wrenches
9)A steady-ass set of hands
Heres the suspects:
1- Euro 5 lx
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1- EMG BQC System[
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So, it starts.I started by taking the knobs off and unpacking the EMG[/SIZE][/B]
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Heres the "tone pump" in all it's glory. It's actually a good pre, but got me snagged on no midrange control, no boost/cut (boost only) and I really don't care for double volumes.[COLOR="Blue"]On a side note, if you do like the double volume, you could order the BQC control instead, it's slightly cheaper than the "System" version, though it's a teeny bit more complicated than just adding the "system".[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]
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The battery has to go!!
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Removed the Velcro battery holder and foam that it wraps in.
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Time to tape her up and covered with newspaper, I suggest you do it too, if you decide to do this.
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Time to take the pots loose too.
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One more view of it before its removed.
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Here it is removed.
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This is the EMG blend pot (I prefer blends over double volumes), make sure that you add a little bead of solder (red circles) to the contacts for the pups.
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Bridge pup and neck pup soldered in (In Red).
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Red wires from the pups connect on this circuit board (In Red). Also the positive lead for the battery wire goes here too.
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Gotta prep for making the holes bigger to accept the 2 "stacked pots, it is wise to tape before doing so.
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Once done drilling, setting the pots in and securing them,putting the battery strap back in and the battery, this is what I have. Also I had to complete the wiring, by connecting (soldering) the green and black leads on the other circuit board to the input jack.
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Finally, I put the supplied knobs on. I don't really care for them, but they function. I plan on getting some gold plated ones soon, since the rest of my hardware is gold.
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That's about it folks. Did it leisurely in about an hour (From "prep" start to "in the case" finished), took my time for sure.
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Part2:
True to the the legend of Narakasura, I am drunk with power.
Now, time to go 18v with the BQC.
Now, before we get started, here are the gold knobs:
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Now to start with, take off the back cover, remove the battery and remove the Velcro battery holder.
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Alright, now we shall take a look at the neck pickup wires, they will ultimately be "pushed aside" for the two 9v's to sit "flat".
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Here the batteries are staked together, to make sure there will be enough clearance, and the cover is placed back over.
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Next, we want to remove the negative wire, coming from the battery, from the jack.
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Then we want to add the other "battery clip" in the chain. existing negative (black) to the positive (red) of the new battery clip we are adding, the new negative (black) will go to the jack. I suggest when soldering use cardboard please! So you do not mess up a beautiful piece of wood.Also use some "heat shrink" to go over the solder joint and if you can, use a heat gun to shrink it, Lighters/Flames leave a residue.
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I used "rubber tape" to wrap around both leads, keeps it cleaner looking.
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Now, you might be wondering, Why is the hell is he taking a picture of some packaging foam? Ok, well i'll tell ya. One man's trash is another mans treasure, this foam was priceless in this project. I'm not reusing the Velcro battery clip, it was too short, plus it would have ruined the height of the batteries. They would have been a little higher and most likely the cover would not go back on flush either, so this i what i did.
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....And the cover went back on perfect.
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Took me about 25 minutes to do this from start to finish.
So there it is, 9v to 18v.
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Also for anyone looking for a Tonepump wiring diagram, here it is:
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