MatthewK wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 6:46 pm
If that’s a standard Tele mount you have a high gain pickup hanging from a metal plate with springs in compression. That’s what the microphonics sound like too. Can you use surgical tubing instead of springs? and/or wrap some kind of damping around the pickup under the plate?
It has the rubber tubing instead of springs already.
Not sure how you mean with the second suggestion. But willing to bet you are right
I was thinking maybe stuff foam in the cavity under it, or wrap tape around the pickup-plus-mounting-screws perhaps. I'd also check the edge between the plastic pickguard and the metal plate, it could be slightly touching or something that is sensitive to vibration. Your demo basically sounds like touching the front of a microphone when you touch the pickguard so it's clearly picking that up.
For what it's worth, I've got a Bareknuckle pickup in my Esquire. I've just turned the amp up and put the guitar next to it and it feeds back with almost no provocation.
No that is helpful. I tried the same move with the black jag and it didn't squeal. If I can get through practice and be able to control it then I don't mind some liveliness.
Matthew K I stuck some foam under the bridge pickup and reseated the metal plate under the pickup. I also added some gaff tape strips under the bridge plate to dampen any vibration. I suspect the wax didn't make it all the way through the coils. But obviously only guessing.
When potting last time, the pickup was laying on the top bobbin, metal plate sticking up. The pickup is taped up. So I think the wax hasn't reached inside the coil enough. So I am potting it again. This time for longer and with the top bobbin facing up allowing the wax in the hole that's in the middle of the bobbin.
Potted again for ages still microphonic. Removed from bridge plate, still microphonic, removed brass pickup plate, still microphonic. I am reading that vacuum potting is something needed for some pickups to get the wax deep in the winds? I dunno if the higher gain pickup with more winds is making it harder to pott?
Fuck it I am taking my jazzmaster to practice tonight.
How much of a vacuum does it need to be for vacuum potting? Like, if you half filled a largish jar with wax, popped the pickup in, closed the lid, and then cooled it, would that negative pressure be enough I wonder?
Sounds super frustrating.
Is there another tele pickup knocking around you could drop in just to make sure it isn't something else?
I haven't looked into the process. It shouldn't have to be this hard haha.
I haven't got another Tele pickup unfortunately. I may just buy a cheap but potted one on Amazon and try that. The potting basically worked on the humbucker although it's still quite lively it just doesn't squeal like the bridge does still.
Let me know how you get on with the tele bridge pickup because I am still getting feedback issues which I think is the actual bridge plate rather the pickup.
Waiting on copper tape but I’m having some microphonics with my Firebird bridge pickup from Seymour Duncan. Curtis Novak gave me a good tip when I had feedback from one of his widerange pickups, he recommended using paraffin wax, heating a couple drops at a time onto the back of the pickup, then using a heat gun or hair dryer to melt it into the pickup. Rather than submerging, my guess is that this avoids air pockets and still retains some of the liveliness from the microphonics to give the pickup life.
I haven’t posted my mini hum yet as I suspect I am going to have to disassemble it and flip the magnet anyways as my middle position sounds out of phase (1970’s Gibson p90 in the neck, guessing they didn’t care about reverse winding then).
Couple of pictures of the Jankcaster in use.
I have went for a cheapo nockoff rails pickup which has somewhat cured the microphonic feedback although not fully, so I suspect it has to be the tele plate causing it now. I've also put black plastic bits on the switch and tremolo arm.It now also sports a 60's tremolo unit I took of my bass vi I sold.
