Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

[Lee_M.]

To all ~

Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

I'm getting some bad squeal from my MJ pickups (through high-gain) and am going to send them back to her for potting with the Antiquity Covers ON.

Any thoughts on how this will affect the existing tone (which is absolutely phenomenal)? The squealing is too much for me to handle.

Thanks,
Lee Moore

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

Just make sure it's not the cover squealing against the bobbin top. That's an easy fix, either with a dab of wax or even double sided tape between the bobbins and the cover. It'd be a shame to dip the whole thing if you didn't have to. So either take the cover off and see if you're still feeding back, or get the pickup to feedback and start touching/holding the cover. Without hearing your feedback I can't tell you what you're experiencing, but a truly non-potted AND covered pickup has a lot that can contribute, and a lot that can be done to remedy it besides potting the actual coils. With all your attention to detail I would imagine you'd notice a difference in the potted sound. Many players do. It doesn't make it worse, though, just different.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

Potting them may tighten them up just a little but it won't kill your tone.

Squeal is a horrible thing. I don't get it with my Antiquities through my Mesa rig but if I did they'd get potted in a heartbeat.

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

Potting them may tighten them up just a little but it won't kill your tone.

Squeal is a horrible thing. I don't get it with my Antiquities through my Mesa rig but if I did they'd get potted in a heartbeat.

The squeal is pretty bad through my Blockhead....which is my primary amp. I think potting them may solve the problem, altogether, but I'm worried the tone will diminish. They sound darn good right now and get a great PAF tone (maybe the best I've heard for old ABB tone).

I suppose I could have MJ recreate the set, potted, and try those. I'll likely put the same set in my next Les Paul, so it wouldn't hurt to have another go-to set.

If you had the money, would you try that versus potentially ruining a great set, now?

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

The squeal is pretty bad through my Blockhead....which is my primary amp. I think potting them may solve the problem, altogether, but I'm worried the tone will diminish. They sound darn good right now and get a great PAF tone (maybe the best I've heard for old ABB tone).

I suppose I could have MJ recreate the set, potted, and try those. I'll likely put the same set in my next Les Paul, so it wouldn't hurt to have another go-to set.

If you had the money, would you try that versus potentially ruining a great set, now?

With Ants. and my 78 I don't have any squeal issues outside the norm, but I'm pretty handy with a volume knob. :laugh2:

I'm personally not the biggest fan of potting the pups, I think without the wax they do sound a bit different. The pup seems a bit more, 3D without potting.

In the end it all comes down to personal preference. If you don't want to take the covers off you might would be best off potting them. If you can afford another set, and/or would eventually GET another set I say do so. Run one open, and one covered even.

Luke

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

Nope, I'd get the exsisting pickups potted. I can guarantee that potting the pickups will not ruin the tone. If that were the case then no one would pot pickups.

Purists go for unpotted pickups for that 50s vibe but your amp is far from a vintage rig. Since you are probably using far more gain than a vintage amp would have, you'll have a hard time hearing the little stuff that potting might remove.

But hey, if you can afford two sets and you want an un-potted set for clean stuff and a potted set for gained stuff, go for it. It's my guess though that you'll be hard pressed to hear the difference. You'll most likely hear the differences in the guitars than in the pickups.

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Will Potting my Custom Shop PAFs Ruin the harmonics and Overtones?

Nope, I'd get the exsisting pickups potted. I can guarantee that potting the pickups will not ruin the tone. If that were the case then no one would pot pickups.

Purists go for unpotted pickups for that 50s vibe but your amp is far from a vintage rig. Since you are probably using far more gain than a vintage amp would have, you'll have a hard time hearing the little stuff that potting might remove.

But hey, if you can afford two sets and you want an un-potted set for clean stuff and a potted set for gained stuff, go for it. It's my guess though that you'll be hard pressed to hear the difference. You'll most likely hear the differences in the guitars than in the pickups.

Cool. I'll get them potted. With the gain, I won't be able to tell the difference. The guitar is really contributing to the tone, so I suppose potting them won't hurt at all.

Thanks, Robert!