HSS to SSS

chrisjac2

Is it just as simply as replacing the pup or do you need to fill the cavity and re rout for the single pup? 

Just wondering if it will make any noticeable difference as it turns a 2 min job into a whole different ball game?

Musicwolf

A lot of the Fender bodies are routed for HSS even if they are supplied SSS (my 2009 US Standard was).  I bought a pre-wired scratch plate from Bare Knuckles ('cos I was too lazy to wire my own) with HSS, then it was simply a case or de-soldering and re-soldering the grounding wire.  Very easy to reverse the mod (which, in effect, is what you are looking to do).

The only issue that I had was related to the new scratch plate needing to be fettled slightly as I'd gone for a covered pickup in the bridge and the scratch plate hole was on the tight side.

Funkfingers

chrisjac2 said:

Is it just as simple as replacing the pup

Normally, yes. 

1. Measure the distance from the E strings to the outermost polepieces of the single coil pickups.
2. Strings off. Scratchplate up.
3. Unsolder the humbucker from the control harness. 
4. Unfasten all of the electronical gubbins from the HSS scratchplate. 
5. Fit all of the electronical gubbins onto an SSS plate. 
6. Add your chosen replacement bridge position pickup. 
7. Solder it in.
8. Tap test all three pickups and the controls.
9. String it up.
10. Adjust the pickups to their working distances from the strings.

chrisjac2 said:

do you need to fill the cavity and re-rout for the single pup? 

Only if you are an OCD "purist" of some description. 

As already mentioned by Musicwolf, most modern Fender Stratocasters leave the factory with a fairly generous one-size-fits-all bridge position pickup cavity. It should accept regular humbuckers, Stratocaster single coils (even at the Hendrix "reverse" angle), Telecaster pickups (à la Lowell George) and, possibly, even P90s and Filter'Trons with the aid of a compressible pad.

chrisjac2

Excellent thanks both