Pickup slightly microphonic aftet magnet swap?

[Rex_Rocker]

Has that happened to you?

I just swapped the magnet in my Jazz to A4, and then back to A5, and now it's slightly microphonic. When I tap on any of my other pickups on my guitars, I get a very muted thud sound through the amp. With the Jazz, I get a ping, rather. And it also feeds back more easily and not very musically.

Is there a way to fix it without plain having to repot it? Maybe reheating the baseplate with a hairdrier so that it settles a bit? Or anything else?

Thanks!

 

[freefrog]

It happens (and BTW, I had once the issue with some... RC A4).

In such situations, I just change the mag again. Some RC bars leave micro gaps pushing other components to vibrate anyway.

Yeah molting a bit the wax is a good idea. Adding wax is still doable too.

If it's a problem, any dampening materials can help. The luthier winder for whom I've worked had OEM pickups with a thin cushion of foam under powerful mags and unpotted coils. They didn't squeal.

Some makers recommend to put a bit of soft adhesive tape or a bid of silicon to avoid squealing covers. These materials can be used elsewhere in a pickup. I've somewhere a humbucker whose bar magnet is totally encapsulated in a soft plastic housing.

I've used sometimes plumber teflon tape: it's ugly but can't be seen from outside if judiciously placed and it's efficient when it comes to secure loose components / avoid microphony.

All components must be tightly fastened without any gap between them anyway.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns.

 

[d1dsj]

I’ve always used a hairdryer to warm everything up before clamping/ tightening everything up, it’s always worth a shot.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I'll try the hairdrier, and maybe adding little bits of wax on the baseplate and magnet first.

Oh, and also forgot to mention this is an uncovered pickup.

THanks!

 

[marcello252]

I’ve always used a hairdryer to warm everything up before clamping/ tightening everything up, it’s always worth a shot.

^this

 

[Rex_Rocker]

^this

So maybe I put it back together not as tightly? I'll try to take it apart tonight, heat it up a tad, and then put it back together. Wish me luck.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Yeah, that helped.

It doesn't ping anymore. The tap sound is still louder than on the bridge pickup (JB), but my noise gate takes care of it more easily.

 

[Mincer]

I think it is a bonus! Microphonic pickups tend to be a little more dynamic, so I usually order them without any potting. But I also don't use very high gain.