Loud, undesired sound when popping strings...

[Knavery]

I think this is the right forum to post this because I'm sure I'll be told it has something to do with my setup. I have a Fender American Jazz, and do a lot of slapping and popping. However, when I'm really going nuts in a fast song, I sometimes hear a loud pop and it sounds like my speakers will blow or something. Is that a result of the strings hitting the pickups? They don't appear to be at the moment.

[Mike Miles]

Probably. I once set my Jazz up to Fender specs according to the Mr. Gearhead site, and I got that pop, too. I ended up lowering them considerably, which I think improved the overall tone of the signal.

[embellisher]

Another solution is to coat the polepieces with a couple of layers of clear nail polish. I like my pickups pretty close to my strings, and the nailpolish keeps the strings from coming in direct contact with the polepieces.

[violatedppl]

electrical tape does the trick as well

[BassikLee]

If your pole pieces stick up a bit from the pickup covers, this is what worked for me, way back when. Take off the covers, enlarge the holes slightly. Put two layers of electrical tape over the pickups, and put the covers back on. The tape will form to the poles, and stick up thru the holes in the covers, and keep the strings from hitting the poles. If the poles don't stick up from the covers much/at all, you can do Sheehan's trick of clear epoxy over the pickups. Once it dries, you sand it smooth and all is well. I did that on a PV Dynabass Unity Koa I had in like '89 or so. Worked great. I am still toying with a similar thing on a G&L trib I have. I like the pickups RIGHT under the strings, like the willis ramp. Doing this with the G&L means I hit the poles too. I'd to the epoxy trick, but I think the magnets might be too strong to even run the pickups that close to the strings. I am getting some phantom crap happening with them that high. I suppose one COULD build up the epoxy tall enough to give me the feel I like, while keeping the actual pickup far enough away......