Silo: SSH pickguard on a HSH Silo

[dfung]

Anybody know if you can mount a SSH pickguard on a 24 fret HSH silo? I'd like to move to a single coil neck pickup and think the deeper 24 fret may not allow for the 22 fret based SSH pickguard to fit. Without actually having one, it's hard to tell.

Where can I buy pickguards?

 

[DrKev]

You are correct, the 22 fret and 24 fret pickguards are not interchangeable. Contact customer service, they might have something useful in stock but there are a few companies online that do custom pickguards and you can order whatever you need from them. I'm sure a few of the other regulars around here will chime in with their experiences.

 

[meanMRmustard]

I am on the same page as DrKev. I'd call customer service first they are extremely helPful and knowledgeable. If they can't hook you up there's tonnes of good pickguard manufacturers out there as well with a solution for ya.

 

[petel]

Interesting info here...

dfung started this thread in a different direction than I thought when I read the title... BUT... may I ask if it is possible to swap out pickguards with different pickup configurations?

I guess what I'm asking is, does the Silhouette (non-special) have a "swimming pool" route for pickups to allow easy swapping of H and S combos?

Thanks!

 

[John C]

Interesting info here...

dfung started this thread in a different direction than I thought when I read the title... BUT... may I ask if it is possible to swap out pickguards with different pickup configurations?

I guess what I'm asking is, does the Silhouette (non-special) have a "swimming pool" route for pickups to allow easy swapping of H and S combos?

Thanks!

It's pretty much a swimming pool route; there used to be some photos of both a Silhouette and a Silo Special on the forum showing the routes. The Silo route is kind of odd - it's like a cross between a standard smoothed out swimming pool and an HHH route. It's completely open in the center, but the sides kind of have 3 "extended" routes to accomodate the adjustment screws for humbuckers. The bottom line is you won't have any issues swapping things around on a Silo - remember the guitar was originally designed so you could swap pickguards and EBMM sold loaded pickguards in the HSH, HH, HSS, and SSS configurations. I believe they converted the Silo to HSH only sometime in the middle 1990s; it was at least a couple of years after the Silo Special came out (which was 1995 if I'm remembering correctly).

The Silo Specials are all routed for HSS.

 

[petel]

Alright, thanks for the info!

 

[jamminjim]

What's "under the hood" of a Silo ............. (NOT a Special)

Basically there is a swimming pool rout under the pickguard of a Silhouette. I don't think a regular size hummer will fit in the middle position, but maybe it would.

You can give Customer Service a call and order a SSH pickguard for a Silo, or you can order from Chandler, ie Pickguard Heaven.

 

[John C]

Basically there is a swimming pool rout under the pickguard of a Silhouette. I don't think a regular size hummer will fit in the middle position, but maybe it would.

You can give Customer Service a call and order a SSH pickguard for a Silo, or you can order from Chandler, ie Pickguard Heaven.

jamminjim - thanks for posting the photo. The Silo's routing is hard to describe verbally because it's like a 95% swimming pool route - almost 100% open but there are those wood parts on either side that aren't completly cleared out that "frame" the neck and middle pickups.

 

[petel]

Yeah ok that visual helps a lot, thanks!

 

[dfung]

Thanks guys. I'll see what customer service has to say.

Ideally, I'd like single coil neck tones as the PAF PRO in the neck isn't as clear as I'd like. I may try a coil split or look for one of those humbuckers that are actually 2 single coils packaged together, but in the end, a SSH pickguard would be fine with me.

Perhaps I'll start another thread on people's experience and preferences with coil splitting the PAF PRO or whatever neck humbucker they're using.

 

[jamminjim]

I'm really diggin' my Sub 1 neck hummer. For that matter the lead hummer isn't shabby either.
The Sub 1 pups have a spirit all their own.
But you can't really replicate a single coil in the neck unless it's a single coil, IMO.