Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

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Lewguitar

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The family is away for 10 days so I've been playing and playing!

I replaced the Fralin Blues Specials in my '54 Tele with an old set of alnico 5 Tele Stocks and the covered neck pickup whistled like crazy when I stood in front of my amp.

Went to the hardware store and bought:

1. several boxes of Gulf Wax for canning, candle making etc.
2. single element hotplate
3. Mr. Coffee glass pot

Cranked the hotplate up, melted a whole coffee pot full of wax and dropped the noisy pickup in: face down. Then I hooked the pickup cable around the side of the pot so it wasn't resting right on the bottem of the pot getting cooked!

Took longer than I'd thought it would before no more air bubbles rose up out of the pickup...about 15 minutes total.

Took it out and sat it on my workbench face down so the all the wax wouldn't pour back out of it and let it cool.

Then I installed it in my Tele and NO MORE SQUEELING!

Works perfectly...so I did another one I had laying around: the original neck pickup that came with my '54 Tele.

This really old one bubbled out a lot of black inky stuff when it was in the pot. I think it was the original black wax Fender dipped these in during the 50's.

Anyways...it was easy and both pickups seem to work flawlessly now, and sound better than ever.

Lew
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

you seem to have alot of time on your hands lew :wink:

at some point i might try that out but atm i don't have any single coils that are giving me any issues
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
Anyways...it was easy and both pickups seem to work flawlessly now, and sound better than ever.

Lew
Click to expand...

The same here. I repotted the baseplate of my fralin blues sp tele lead! Only the baseplate tho! Excellent results, no sq'lin and no change in my tone.

B
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

dr.barlo said:
The same here. I repotted the baseplate of my fralin blues sp tele lead! Only the baseplate tho! Excellent results, no sq'lin and no change in my tone.

B
Click to expand...

The tone of the old Tele Stock neck pickup actually seemed to improve if anything! Maybe just because I can actually use it with confidence and just play better knowing the pickup isn't going to start whistling.

No...I think it actually improved. It seems stronger and more solid.

Could be my imagination.

Lew
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
The tone of the old Tele Stock neck pickup actually seemed to improve if anything! Maybe just because I can actually use it with confidence and just play better knowing the pickup isn't going to start whistling.

No...I think it actually improved. It seems stronger and more solid.

Could be my imagination.

Lew
Click to expand...

Probably not your imagination. If you could shake those windings enough to get feedback when you were close to the amp, you got some more subtle effects when you were farther away. I 'll bet you only heard the difference when you cranked it up a bit.
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

sanrafael said:
Probably not your imagination. If you could shake those windings enough to get feedback when you were close to the amp, you got some more subtle effects when you were farther away. I 'll bet you only heard the difference when you cranked it up a bit.
Click to expand...

It was bad...it'd start whistling at any moderate volume.

But I do think it sounds more solid now.

It Ought To! It probably weighs 20% more with all that wax in it now. :smack: :laugh2:

I think the problem was more with the nickel cover vibrating than loose copper windings...but maybe.

Or some combination of the two.

But it's perfect now...

Lew
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

If I got nothing else from my Gib BBs I learned how to wax pot.

I read Frailins article at Stew Mac and bought everything I needed at AC Moore for under $26.

He introduces bees wax to avoid hardening and cracking of the wax. I followed his example.

In addition I back off the bobbin screws and make sure there is a small gap between the coils and mag for a wax coating there.

Unlike Lew I drain the pickup after removing from the wax. Do not tighten the bobbin screws until after the pickup cools. Can cause striped threads or warped bobbins.

I pulled a pickup out of the trash (there cause of microphonics) as my test subject. That warped bobbin throw away is now in my top 3 of neck pickups.

IMO it is better to wax, cover off and put a thin tape where the cover contacts the pick up before reinstalling (seems to have less effect on the airiness of the pickup).

After waxing 13 HB pickups, I've been 100% successful in eliminating microphonics.

Errors were 1 warped bobbin and not draining. Not trying to take away from what Lew is saying cause he's talking about a tele pickup and this is my experience with HBs.
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

When I install covers on humbuckers, I always put a piece of 1/2" x 2" masking tape inside the cover where the slug polepieces will be. Never have any problems with squeeling but I clamp them on really tight before soldering.

That's a technique I learned from Tom Holmes...the tape thing I mean.

Lew
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
It was bad...it'd start whistling at any moderate volume.

But I do think it sounds more solid now.

It Ought To! It probably weighs 20% more with all that wax in it now. :smack: :laugh2:

I think the problem was more with the nickel cover vibrating than loose copper windings...but maybe.

Or some combination of the two.

But it's perfect now...

Lew
Click to expand...

I think you need to shake the windings in the magnetic field to get feedback; the cover is only like one turn kind of far away. If the nickel were magetic, maybe it would do it, but then you would not use it for a cover!
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
When I install covers on humbuckers, I always put a piece of 1/2" x 2" masking tape inside the cover where the slug polepieces will be. Never have any problems with squeeling but I clamp them on really tight before soldering.

That's a technique I learned from Tom Holmes...the tape thing I mean.

Lew
Click to expand...

A small bead of silicone over the slugs works well too.
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

I potted a pset of old Fernandez tele pickups and they got a lot better. Tighter lows and bigger highs.
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Tweed said:
A small bead of silicone over the slugs works well too.
Click to expand...

I'll bet...but just try to remove the cover someday. :smack:
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
The family is away for 10 days so I've been playing and playing!

I replaced the Fralin Blues Specials in my '54 Tele with an old set of alnico 5 Tele Stocks and the covered neck pickup whistled like crazy when I stood in front of my amp.

Went to the hardware store and bought:

1. several boxes of Gulf Wax for canning, candle making etc.
2. single element hotplate
3. Mr. Coffee glass pot

Cranked the hotplate up, melted a whole coffee pot full of wax and dropped the noisy pickup in: face down. Then I hooked the pickup cable around the side of the pot so it wasn't resting right on the bottem of the pot getting cooked!

Took longer than I'd thought it would before no more air bubbles rose up out of the pickup...about 15 minutes total.

Took it out and sat it on my workbench face down so the all the wax wouldn't pour back out of it and let it cool.

Then I installed it in my Tele and NO MORE SQUEELING!

Works perfectly...so I did another one I had laying around: the original neck pickup that came with my '54 Tele.

This really old one bubbled out a lot of black inky stuff when it was in the pot. I think it was the original black wax Fender dipped these in during the 50's.

Anyways...it was easy and both pickups seem to work flawlessly now, and sound better than ever.

Lew
Click to expand...

Lew....Glad you got your pickups to stop that whistling stuff! :) I use a vanilla wax...Shuts the noise up and makes my pickups smell all nice and purty...LOL
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
I'll bet...but just try to remove the cover someday. :smack:
Click to expand...

It only takes a dab of silicone. I've never had a problem removing covers afterwards. The silicone is easily peeled off as well and leaves no residue. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I know of at least 2 reputable pickup makers who use it. I'm sure tape works just as well.
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

ShredMAN said:
so you can use any kinds of candle wax to pot the pickups?
Click to expand...

You'll have to melt down alot of candles to fill a Mr Coffee Pot. You can buy the plain Gulf Wax in little 1 pound blocks that divide into fourths...much better. Lew
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
You'll have to melt down alot of candles to fill a Mr Coffee Pot. You can buy the plain Gulf Wax in little 1 pound blocks that divide into fourths...much better. Lew
Click to expand...

Not really..Walmart sells large candles in glass containers...I Just heat the glass container up by boiling water in a pot and placing the container in the pot :wink: and keeping a close eye on the melted wax temperatures....Been doing it this way for a long time.. :wink:

John
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

STRATDELUXER97 said:
Not really..Walmart sells large candles in glass containers...I Just heat the glass container up by boiling water in a pot and placing the container in the pot :wink: and keeping a close eye on the melted wax temperatures....Been doing it this way for a long time.. :wink:

John
Click to expand...

But John:

WALMART IS OWNED BY SWINE!!!!

Lew
 
Re: Wax Potting Microphonic Pickups

Lewguitar said:
But John:

WALMART IS OWNED BY SWINE!!!!

Lew
Click to expand...

Lew...I Know buddy....Just don't go there and start more controversy buddy! :newangel: :burnout: Let it go Lew...LOL
 
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