Pickup Installation - FOAM

[maturanesa]

I recently install new pickups on my Jazz Bass. I use foam in the cavity.

The bridge pickup is higher than the neck´s.

So if you push down the bridge pickup, it goes down a little and then go up again, like a "spring" effect.

The neck pu seems to be more tight (you cant push it down at least you adjust the screws).

Is that a normal movement or is the bridge PU foam wrong installed?

thnx

[Ric5]

add more foam or add springs.

[electracoyote]

If you put the same amount of foam in both cavities, the exact same way, and the screws are the same, you should have the same amount of movement up and down. Unless one of the pickup covers is getting hung up on the cavity somewhere.

[Bocete]

Bridge pickups tend to be put higher than neck pickups in order to pick up the slighter vibrations of the strings near the bridge. I say, more foam and don't worry.

[Chasarms]

It sounds like it is fine as it is. It's not going to move unless you move it. As long as the PU remains at the desired height, don't mess with it.

[carlos840]

Originally Posted by Bocete

Bridge pickups tend to be put higher than neck pickups in order to pick up the slighter vibrations of the strings near the bridge. I say, more foam and don't worry.

Bridge pickups usually are closer to the strings than neck pickups, which means that with the same amount of foam under both the bridge pickup will be looser...
Just add some more foam or use a denser foam.

[dmc again]

One of the screws could be going in diagonally thus making the neck pickup difficult to move up or down. I had this problem on one of my basses. So at least make sure that the screws are all going down STRAIGHT.

[Stinsok]

Mouse pad!

[darkstorm]

As long as the springs or foam pushes pup up against the adjustment screws there is no wrong amount of foam. Pups that are higher will of course have a little less spring upward then those noticeably lower. As long as the pup pushes up on its own against the adjustment screws all is good. There is no such thing as "optimum spring or foam tension". There have been a couple times when I put too much foam in resulting in haveing to thin it a bit for best pup height without haveing to get heavy handed with screwdriver. Lol. Normally the fairly soft springy gray and black foam thats typically around 1/4 inch thick has worked excellent when useing two layers of it. To allow for rasing pups a good deal without loosing spring, and retaining ability to have pups fairly low as well. Overall I prefer springs on the pup adjustment screws instead. But it seems most mfg have eliminated springs and foam both to save themself a tint bit in mfg costs.