Melting away the wax in my old humbuckers.

[fingerace]

A few years ago I had problems with the humbuckers of a 1978 Greco creating loud feedback. It wasn't even in pitch, it was just annoying. They were acting like a microphone. All pickups will do that to some extent, but these ones were near unplayable at above-bedroom volume. The tip I got from the forum was to dip them in wax. It worked - feedback stoped completely. Saddly some of the "openness" and airy tone of those old pups was gone too.

I am revisiting that project now. I want to make the coat of wax as thin as possible, without getting that nasty feedback. I thought of putting them in the oven at low temperature so that the wax barely melts away. I do stupid things like that sometimes and I would like your suggestion on this. Maybe a hair dryer will be a better method?

I know the wax won't all go away, but I think it will help if it's thinner.

Thanks for the input.

Andreas

 

[lemonman]

Re: Melting away the wax in my old humbuckers.

Once the wax gets in the coil, there's nothing you can do to get it back out. I have melted wax out of pups with a hairdryer, and some will come out. But they still don't sound like an unpotted model; the windings are stuck together, and as soon as the wax cools, will be stuck together again.

 

[LReese]

Re: Melting away the wax in my old humbuckers.

Use a hair dryer on low positioned a foot or so away from the pickup. Put the pickup on a pile of paper towels to soak up the wax.