The Fly Mojo (2003) was the first Fly to be outfitted with Seymour Duncan pickups (Jazz in neck and JB in bridge) though, prior to this, a handful of guitar shops, such as Ed Roman Guitars, offered services to route the pickup cavity of Fly guitars to accommodate non-OEM pickups. Around 2012, all Fly models were available with Seymour Duncan pickups (see "A Summary of Fly changes..." for more info).
One common complaint about Gen 1 pickups and Fly pickups in general are that they are "too cold" or "too hi-fi". Players who are unhappy with their stock pickups should experiment with adjusting the pickup height prior to replacing their pickups as your favorite and familiar pickups will invariably sound different in a Fly given its unique design.
Note: these Fly pickups are not active pickups. However, they are buffered through active components in the piezo preamp, which require 9 volt power. See the electronics section for further information on wiring and ways to allow these passive pickups to bypass the active electronics.
Adjusting pickup height is easy to do: just loosen to hex-head screws in the pickup using the T-Wrench 3/32" Hex Adjustment Tool that came with your Fly. Loosening the screws will allow the pickup to move freely vertically if you pull it up or push it down or remove it completely. Experiment with the height that sounds best to you. Once you find a tone you like by moving the pickup closer or further from the strings, you just re-tighten the hex-head screws.
From the Fly manual: Each DiMarzio humbucking pickup is secured to the body by two hex-head screws. On the coil, closer to the bridge, the mounting screw is the screw under the B string. On the coil, closer to the neck, the mounting screw is the screw under the A string. Turn the screws clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen. To adjust pickup height, unscrew both pickup mounting screws. Raise or lower your pickup to the desired position with your fingers. Retighten both pickup mounting screws flush with top of pickup. Do not over tighten.
On a Fly equipped with Seymour Duncan pickups, the screws to loosen are under the E strings.
The Fly pickups have a thin, soft foam cushion underneath the pickup, which can be removed if you feel that you need to lower the pickups even further.
DiMarzio Pickups — Dimarzio will wind nearly any pickups in their lineup in a baseplate format that can be installed in a Fly including the original Gen 1 or Gen 2 pickups. DiMarzio's internal code for the Gen 1 neck pickup is PHWN1 and PHWB1 for the Gen 1 bridge pickup. DiMarzio's internal code for the Gen 2 neck pickup is PHWP1 and PHWP2 for the Gen 2 bridge pickup.
Seymour Duncan Pickups (for Fly Mojos and most post-2013 Flys) — Seymour Duncan humbuckers will fit any Fly with existing routing for Seymour Duncan pickups, which includes all Fly Mojos and most Flys made after 2013; you will need to carefully remove the mounting tabs from the side. A “trembucker” or “F-spaced” pickup must be used in the bridge position.
Pickup Spacing:
The Fly Deluxe (and other models) DiMarzio Gen 1 and Gen 2 pickups have the same spacing for both neck and bridge pickups.
The Fly Mojo Seymour Duncan pickups have a narrower spacing for the neck pickup and a wider “Trembucker” (which DiMarzio calls “F-spacing”) for the bridge pickup.
Wiring guides and electronics information beyond what is covered in the manual can be found here.
Personal Recommendation: I feel strongly that the most significant timbre change you can make to the Fly or NiteFly is to change the strings to a different brand, material, and/or gauge. The manual suggests D’Addario strings as that’s what Ken used in the Parker Guitars factory and afterward on his archtops. Even within the D’Addario brand, there are many many different lines of strings made of different material: pure nickel, steel, flatwound, etc. For very little money and time invested you can experiment with a variety of starkly different timbres. There are, of course, many other string manufacturers out there besides D’Addario. If you find a string set you like, you can then have the guitar properly set up to accommodate whatever new strings you’ve chosen. Simply, easy, and lots of fun!
If you’re sure that the pickups are a factor you want to adjust, then, as noted, first experiment with adjusting the pickup height. Dimarzio knows what they’re doing with regard to pickups, and the ones in the Fly are no exception! The pickups will respond timbrally to the string depending on how close or far it is from the strings, so if you need more gain, raise it a little higher—a little goes a long way!
See also Modifying Pickup Baseplates about and Replacement Pickup Wiring
#PickupPreferences #PickupIssues
