Exposed Pole pieces, yes or no?

[Lincoln]

Hi gang,
What sound properties do exposed pole pieces give versus covered ones? I find that aesthetically, they look great on a jazz bass, but don't look so hot with a ramp ( which I have ).

Sound first, beauty second— so what is the major ( if any ) difference in sound?

[Jumbotron]

Isn't it merely aesthetic?

[FunkMetalBass]

The difference is so moot that it's purely aesthetics.

Pole pieces look aggressive.
No-show pole pieces look sleek.

[Stealth]

They're not completely aesthetic - having open pole-pieces runs the risk of clicks should a string ever hit a pole-piece and ground itself through it.

All of my basses are open-poled, however, I taped the pickups on one of my basses as an experiment and the pole-piece clack is gone.

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Stealth

They're not completely aesthetic - having open pole-pieces runs the risk of clicks should a string ever hit a pole-piece and ground itself through it.

All of my basses are open-poled, however, I taped the pickups on one of my basses as an experiment and the pole-piece clack is gone.

Sounds like you need a technique adjustment or to lower your pickups.

[SpamBot]

In addition to the clicks, nickel, chrome and gold pickup covers (On the pickups themselves, not vintage Fender style) will affect the high end response of the pickup. However these are very uncommon for bass.

[stflbn]

A single string of black electrical tape will fix any problems. As will a small dab of clear nail polish, or a dab of black nail polish.

[line6man]

It depends on the pickups in question.

Some covered pickups have blade style pole pieces.

[stflbn]

And personally, I tend to prefer blade style pickups.

[The Artist]

Wouldn't taping the pole pieces change the responce of the pickup?

I started playing closer to the bridge to avoid the clicks seeing as there is less leverage there, so the sting can't move to close when I play too hard. Plus I also lowered them a bit.

[Lincoln]

Sooooooooo,

a pickup designer, such as Nordstrand is then making a conscious decision to show his pole pieces I suspect to show off his unique pole placement, then.

I guess what I'm really wondering is, would Carey place his pickups in a covered casing if i ordered them from him as such?

Of course this is hypothetical here, unless Carey or Stew happen to be reading this thread...

[bassandbeyond]

To put the question another way, is there ANY advantage to having exposed pole pieces? I can't think of any, other than for looks. And no matter how low you set your pickups, there's still an increased chance of unwanted clacks and such with exposed pole pieces (especially on the neck pickup).

[line6man]

Originally Posted by The Artist

Wouldn't taping the pole pieces change the responce of the pickup?

Tape does not affect the magnetic field, so no.

[Lincoln]

sent an email to Nordstrand, I'll let you know what I find out

[natw42]

I kinda thought the one advantage for exposed pole pieces is that some manufacturers allow you to adjust the heights of individual poles so you can balance the sound from string to string.

But I think that applies more to guitar rather than bass from what I've seen...

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Lincoln

Sooooooooo,

a pickup designer, such as Nordstrand is then making a conscious decision to show his pole pieces I suspect to show off his unique pole placement, then.

I guess what I'm really wondering is, would Carey place his pickups in a covered casing if i ordered them from him as such?

Of course this is hypothetical here, unless Carey or Stew happen to be reading this thread...

I imagine, beyond slight, nearly inaudible subtleties, it's mostly aesthetic. Nordstrand has a sort of vintage appeal to them, and I'm pretty sure most of their pickups have exposed pole pieces.

Some companies (can't think of specifics right now, SD maybe?) use exposed pole pieces for only 4- and 5-string pickups, whereas 6-string pickups (of the same model) are covered, and yet there is probably no distinguishable difference.

Exposed pole pieces could also be for string spacing according to a bass' design. Obviously, there is specific, ideal placement for strings in regards to pickup poles, put that requires taking into account the bridge as well.

They may have some reason, and it could be something as small as a 1dB increase above 17.5kHz (just a random, hardly noticeable tonal adjustment), but I'd say it's mostly for aesthetic reasons.

[PrivateHigh]

When I touch the poles on fender pickups, it makes static noise, but bill lawrence p46 doesnt make any noise when I touch the pole pieces. How can I get rid of the noise on my fender pickups?

[line6man]

Originally Posted by PrivateHigh

When I touch the poles on fender pickups, it makes static noise, but bill lawrence p46 doesnt make any noise when I touch the pole pieces. How can I get rid of the noise on my fender pickups?

Ground the pole pieces or put nailpolish on them.

[slyjoe]

Originally Posted by natw42

I kinda thought the one advantage for exposed pole pieces is that some manufacturers allow you to adjust the heights of individual poles so you can balance the sound from string to string.

But I think that applies more to guitar rather than bass from what I've seen...

DiMarzio Model Js have this, and I've found it extremely useful. In my opinion, adjustable pole pieces ARE an advantage. Much more precise volume balancing between strings.

[eastcoasteddie]

Originally Posted by stflbn

A single string of black electrical tape will fix any problems. As will a small dab of clear nail polish, or a dab of black nail polish.

I used clear nail polish on pickup pole pieces. I still got the click when a string touched it....it shouldn't, but it did. I even tried several layers of dabs to no avail