Single coil microphonic squeal under high gain

[Axeman16]

Hi all,

I have recently installed an old dimarzio fs-1 into the neck position of my 87 Kramer stagemaster. It is a very early fs 1 from pre 78.

I used to have this pickup in the middle position of a Strat. No issues with it in that spot playing anything 60s or 70s.

I generally use the Kramer for 80s rock, metal and higher gain situations. It pretty much squeals uncontrollably with any sort of boost through a 1 watt tube Marshall except when playing without any pauses. My noise suppressor will cut the squeal out at -30db threshold but is not very usable tonally.

If I turn the boosts off it does not squeal while suing my normal classic rock settings on the same 1 watt Marshall. I love the tone of the pickup and would like to attempt to resolve the issue if possible before replacing it with another fs-1, or ssl-5

I am thinking about wax potting this pickup. I have a few questions about this.

Will it completely solve my squealing issue moving forward?
What is the best type of wax or mixture of wax to use?
What temperature should the wax be controlled at and how long should the pickup soak in the wax?

Thanks

 

[jeremy]

potting it should stop the squeal
i use a 60/40 mix of parafin and beeswax but others use different ratios or even just one type
i have my wax at 155-160F
to fully pot the pup, you should keep it submerged till there are no more air bubbles. a few minutes is usually enough

 

[Axeman16]

Thanks for your reply. Is it necessary to remove the protective tape around the coils?

 

[jeremy]

no. i dont remove the tape but i do wrap a rubber band around the tape to keep it in place when potting