Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

[louloomis]

Hi. I hope someone out there can help.

When I'm playing, I am hearing some type of buzzing or static (it sounds electronic and not like fret buzz).

Here are the important details:

1. I am using a P/J bass. It is a Yamaha BB1200 (something like that) from the '80s. Passive pickups and the J pickup has a single blade pole piece.

2. The buzzing only exists when I have the J pickup soloed or when it is the P/J setting. If I just have the P soloed, the buzzing is not there.

3. The buzzing/static sound is most prominent on the D string, but also exists elsewhere. It has gotten louder over the last few days.

4. This buzzing/static sound only exists with this one bass and exists whether through my amp or my mixing board.

5. I cleaned the pots and retouched the solder joints.

6. I held all the tuners to see if there was some tuner vibration or sympathetic vibration causing this and it wasn't.

7. I'm plugged into a 3 prong grounded outlet and turned off my PC monitor to reduce interference.


SO....


Can this be the result of a microphonic pickup or something
Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
LL

 

[louloomis]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

I checked it out with the multimeter and the ohms reading is strong for this pickup. So, no problem there.

However, if I press down on the single blade polepiece, the static gets much worse.

Is there some kind of intermittent short involving the ground inside the pickup? Would potting it fix it?

Thanks,
LL

 

[louloomis]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

bump

 

[jeremy]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

can you talk thru the pup? does it feedback at high volumes? if yes then its microphonic. if its just a weird hum then it could be other things

 

[Crazy_Guitar]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

Tipically, P-style pickups are hum-cancelling, whereas J-style are not.

Would this be the problem?

 

[louloomis]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

Tipically, P-style pickups are hum-cancelling, whereas J-style are not.

Would this be the problem?

No, definitely not. It's not hum I'm hearing...it's static. Almost as if everytime I play a note someone is turning a filthy pot. It's stratchy, not a humming sound.

LL

 

[louloomis]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

Someone asked if I could sing through the pickup than that would indicate that it is microphonic. I tried, but no sound came out of the speaker (no vocal sound).

I also disassembled the pickup from the mounting ring, checking the springs and other possible issues and resoldered the leads that go from the base plate of the pickup to the control cavity - clipping, stripping and resoldering one lead that seemed frail.

Still, the issue persists, unfortunately.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
LL

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

I had funny static lately - it was the crappy output jack.
I would also suspect the volume pot, every thing thats connected to J alone.

 

[louloomis]

Re: Is this a Microphonic/Broken Pickup?

Hi. I believe I already checked these things, no?

The only thing that is connected to the J pickup alone is its volume pot. I cleaned it and resoldered the connections to it.

The only way, I suppose to verify that the pot is the problem I suppose is to wire the J pickup directly to a cable and see if that fixes the problem.

However, if it was the pot, why then would the static increase when I press down on the blade pole piece?

Thanks.

LL