Questions about mounting the GK-3 Pickup to my Jackson guitar

[KyleJJJ123]

Hi all, I'm a fairly new guitar person, and I just wanted to ask some simple questions about the process of mounting the GK-3 Pickup to my Jackson JS32Q Dinky guitar. I am very interested in setting up my guitar myself, so I would like to avoid taking it in to a luthier unless absolutely necessary. Attached I have a picture of me holding the GK-3 Pickup in front of the bridge for reference, so here are my questions:

1. There is not enough space between the bridge and the bridge pickup ring to fit the pickup. However, could I fix that myself by removing the bottom two screws and cutting the bottom lip off of the pickup ring? I think it's only hard plastic, so could I just like take a box cutter and go at it? Is there a better tool that I could use? Or does anyone know any reliable methods to do so? I'm pretty sure that if I cut the ring, there would totally be enough room to fit the pickup under the strings. Does anyone have any experience with a simple modification like this? (I'd like to not have to solder anything)

2. The GK-3 manual says that you have to set the pickup to match the neck radius of the guitar, but my Dinky has a compound radius meaning that it is a different radius at the nut than at the bottom of the fretboard. Will the GK-3 still work? I didn't consider this before I bought it, so is my guitar just incompatible? I hope not, I haven't seen anyone say that online but I haven't seen anyone say that it does work either. It should still be able to line up with the strings at the bridge, but will the compound radius change anything?

3. Will my Floyd Rose bridge collide with the GK-3 Pickup when I whammy down? I don't think it will, I have looked at it several times while doing divebombs and it doesn't really extend past the bridge area. But does anyone know this and just know "oh yeah, that wouldn't fit"?

4. I plan on attaching the GK-3 Pickup within the same process as me doing a complete set up of my guitar. I've never done it before, but I've researched a heck ton, and I'm gonna clean it, set the action, neck relief, all that stuff, and put new strings on there. The thing is, I'm not quite sure what order I should do everything in. There are Elixir 10s on there now, and I'm gonna replace them with Ernie Ball 9s. But because I have a Floyd Rose that means I have to go through a whole process and set the action and intonation and everything from scratch because I'm changing the string gauge. But the GK-3 Pickup says to first set it with the strings on (and fully tuned?), then take them off, mount the GK-3 pickup (I'm going to use the double sided tape) and put new strings on there and retune. But the action on the strings is too low right now for the pickup, so that means I want to raise it, but with only one set of new strings to work with... I just don't quite know what the sequence of events should be. Is it:
Destring the 10s -> Clean guitar -> Adjust action, intonation, etc. and string with 9s -> Tune until I have a fully set up guitar -> Mark position for GK-3 -> Remove strings (can I put these same strings back on? Ik this is more a Floyd Rose question, but does anyone know if that's fine?) -> Mount the GK-3 with double sided tape -> Restring the 9s
I think from what I understand the way I described should work, I'd just like some confirmation from someone on here.

Those are my questions, sorry for lot of text. Really I have an idea of what to do already, but I feel unguided and would appreciate anyone who feels willing to help out and advise me on what to do here. Thanks a lot!

[admin]

Post a pic of guitar

[KyleJJJ123]

Post a pic of guitar

Sorry, realized I forgot to attach the picture right after I uploaded. Here's the full guitar as well:

[admin]

On above pic is a Jackson with a GK-KIT-GT3 Internal kit (Andertons UK ( $140 w/ shipping to USA)

GK Hex Pickup is installed reverse mounted   (preferred method for most),
and they snuck GK PU wire thru the side hole in the Bridge pickup ring to connect with the internal GK-KIT Preamp.   

#1 ) Remove the 4 bridge PU ring mount screws

#2 )  Slide Bridge PU 1/8" towards Neck PU ( creates space for Step #3)

#3 ) Install GK-3 per instructions for a Fender Strat
https://www.roland.com/V-Guitar/howto_st.html

http://roland.com/V-Guitar/about.html

[KyleJJJ123]

On above pic is a Jackson with a GK-KIT-GT3 Internal kit (Andertons UK ( $140 w/ shipping to USA)

GK Hex Pickup is installed reverse mounted   (preferred method for most),
and they snuck GK PU wire thru the side hole in the Bridge pickup ring to connect with the internal GK-KIT Preamp.   

#1 ) Remove the 4 bridge PU ring mount screws

#2 )  Slide Bridge PU 1/8" towards Neck PU ( creates space for Step #3)

#3 ) Install GK-3 per instructions for a Fender Strat
https://www.roland.com/V-Guitar/howto_st.html

http://roland.com/V-Guitar/about.html

Uhm, well, thanks for responding, although I still don't have the answers to my questions that I asked. But in terms of this, I was gonna just attach the external GK pickup that came with my GP-10. But can you explain more? This sounds like I would have to solder stuff and maybe drill stuff into the body, which I do not feel qualified to do. Again I'd like to be able to do this all myself, and it would be a lot to shell out an extra $140 + whatever tools I need to work with the inner wiring

[admin]

Uhm, well, thanks for responding, although I still don't have the answers to my questions that I asked. But in terms of this, I was gonna just attach the external GK pickup that came with my GP-10. But can you explain more? This sounds like I would have to solder stuff and maybe drill stuff into the body, which I do not feel qualified to do. Again I'd like to be able to do this all myself, and it would be a lot to shell out an extra $140 + whatever tools I need to work with the inner wiring

Read threads here
GK Mag Hex (GK-2A,GK-3)
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=11.0

Internal KIT installs are not for everyone
( read more here)
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=133.0

[aliensporebomb]

This is how I set up my SL2 (the neckthru version of the dinky). 

Your mileage may vary.   I've got it set-up so that I can revert to stock in just minutes. 

1.  There is enough room between the trem and the bridge pickup for the hex pickup.  It's tight but doable.  In my case what
I did with the bridge pickup on another soloist is unscrew the mini screws holding the pickup ring in place and pushed the ring
up as far as it would go.  Then I re-screwed in the new position.   It was just enough, a couple of millimeters to give me enough room for the GK.  But when I tested it out for these pics I just set those screws aside to make sure there was enough
room and I taped the GK to the surface of the guitar with clear tape.



2.  Don't worry about radius - I didn't have to mess with it at all.  I've used a Jackson Soloist as my main gigging guitar
for at least the last five years of gigs with a GK3 attached.

3.  It fits.  If you whammy until the strings are slack the magnetic pull of the GK might pull the strings onto the polepieces
but I don't think it caused a lot of problems myself.  I just made sure the trem was up a little higher so that dropping the
pitch significantly didn't cause too much of a problem.

4.  You don't have to change string gauge to make the GK work, if you want to be running .009s (my preferred gauge)
Then change that before you install the GK3 pickup.  I'd wait until you have that sorted before installing the GK.

Anymore questions?  Just ask.