Rich_S
HomeGrownToneBrewologist
OK, all you CSI wannabes, here's your chance. I have an old tapped 1/4 Pounder that I bought in about 1985. I used it for a while, then stored it away. Twenty years, four kids, and more house moves than I can count later, I dug it out of my parts bin. Before installing it in my MIM Tele, I checked it with a meter. Drat! The coil's open between the black lead and the tap.
Obviously, it's been damp over the years. Not submerged, just "damp basement" humidity. It also been stored in unheated garages and hot attics. Always in its little plastic box, with the foam padding. The poles had a little rust, and there was some dusty green mold on the fiber baseplate, where it was resting on the foam pad. Neither would I consider excessive.
Here's the weird thing - at both ends of the coil, the top fiber plate has been pushed up slightly, enough so the outer-most pole pieces are now recessed into the top plate a bit. You can see the upward curve of the fiber plate if you look at the pickup from the side. What would cause this? Is it possible that the potting on the coil is hygroscopic and swelled with the moisture, forcing the plates apart?
I assume it's not worth fixing, and have ordered a brand new one. Still, I'd like to know what went wrong. There are 40-year-old Fender pickups still going strong, so why not this one?
I guess the next time I store a pickup away, I'll seal it up real well and include a bag of dessicant gel.
Obviously, it's been damp over the years. Not submerged, just "damp basement" humidity. It also been stored in unheated garages and hot attics. Always in its little plastic box, with the foam padding. The poles had a little rust, and there was some dusty green mold on the fiber baseplate, where it was resting on the foam pad. Neither would I consider excessive.
Here's the weird thing - at both ends of the coil, the top fiber plate has been pushed up slightly, enough so the outer-most pole pieces are now recessed into the top plate a bit. You can see the upward curve of the fiber plate if you look at the pickup from the side. What would cause this? Is it possible that the potting on the coil is hygroscopic and swelled with the moisture, forcing the plates apart?
I assume it's not worth fixing, and have ordered a brand new one. Still, I'd like to know what went wrong. There are 40-year-old Fender pickups still going strong, so why not this one?
I guess the next time I store a pickup away, I'll seal it up real well and include a bag of dessicant gel.
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