What Am I Doing Wrong

[Jeff5]

I've done multiple magnet swaps and a few hybrids and once in awhile I'm getting a squealor. Under high gain and volume with my Triaxis it will squeal.

The first swap I did to a C8 did this, and I thought it was due to a bad ground wire. I gave up on that pick up. (Although eventually made it into the hybrids below with the ground repaired and it was fine)

Then I made two Custom/JB hybrids and have swapped out A5s and ceramics in them and they've been fine. I also made a Custom with a big ceramic and that's fine as well. Meaning no squealing.

I bought a TB-5 from a guy on ebay and last night went to put a big ceramic in that as well. I put it in my Jackson and lo and behold...squealing! I took it out, hit it with the hair dryer to get the wax flowing, and it helped a bit but it still does it.

I'm wondering if it is just the wax potting. I think on my hybrids and other big ceramic I really melted them good with the dryer and pressed them together. I'll try that again tonight, meaning loosening the screws, really melting it and pressing it.

So do you guys think it's just the wax? Anyone else experience this with swaps/hybrds with very high gain amps and high gain/high volume playing? Maybe I need to just wax pot them a bit after I make them.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What Am I Doing Wrong

Microphonic squeal is due to a combination of air gaps and mechanical vibration.

Take an edge-ways on look at the offending pickup(s). Are the bobbins sitting hard flush onto the metal baseplate? Are their tops level? Any unevenness suggests that you retightened the bobbin screws wrongly. Slacken them off a little and try again.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: What Am I Doing Wrong

Thanks. I'll take a look at it again. The bobbins may be a bit uneven. Using a big ceramic is a bit tricky (for me) as I have to lay one spacer on it's side and put another under the other bobbin. I'll try that and I'll make sure to heat it up good, press it together and let it dry.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: What Am I Doing Wrong

It really is just the wax. I hit it with the hair dryer and heated it up really good, then pressed it together and let it cool. I think I didn't heat it enough to get the wax going and the coils weren't stuck together (or something wasn't stuck together) and that's what was causing it. At any rate, dead quiet now and the Custom with a big ceramic is fantastic in my Jackson. (As it is in my Hamer....)

 

[LesStrat]

Re: What Am I Doing Wrong

:bigok: