why do my pickups pop with Audere preamp???

trjazzluva05 · #1 02-27-2010, 10:01 AM

hey everybody...i have an Audere preamp in my jazz bass with Fender SCN pickups and everytime they come in contact with the poles they create a large pop. i went on Audere's website and their solution was grounding the coils with copper tape on the bottom. my question is does anyone else have this problem with their pickups and preamp??? i mean its an aftermarket preamp that should need no extra maintenence to work properly. i like the tone and feel on the pickups close to the strings but and cannot achieve that with this problem.

joeyl · #2 02-27-2010, 01:02 PM

I had the same pop with my Aeros and Audere preamp. The Aeros have exposed poles also. I think it is due to the preamp being isolated from the ground plane of the pickups or something like that, maybe somebody else who can explain this will chime in

I grounded the poles with copper tape and connected the tape to the cavity ground lug. It was quiet after that but I have since gone to totally encased pickups like the SGD Jazzbucker, because the Aeros were also microphonic.

mech · #3 02-27-2010, 02:40 PM

Anytime a magnetic material hits a pickup, especially an exposed polepiece, there will be a POP. It's making a huge change in the magnetic field of the pickup which creates signal flow to the preamp. This is normal.

Back the PUs off or cover them with a thin piece of foam to prevent contact. Large power spikes created this way can damage speakers. Seen it happen.

Your milage may vary.

mech

M0ses · #4 02-27-2010, 06:20 PM

OP, you didn't actually mention WHAT was coming into contact with the poles, just so you know. Buuuuuut, mech is right. Anything that can be magnetized will do it. With a proper setup, you should never have to worry about the strings hitting the poles, though.

dmusic148 · #5 02-27-2010, 06:33 PM

With the Audere it's an electrical issue, which is solved by grounding as they suggest.

RD · #6 02-27-2010, 07:08 PM

OP,
Try some clear fingernail polish on the ends of the magnets. It worked for me on a Jazz bass.
RD

joeyl · #7 02-27-2010, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0ses

OP, you didn't actually mention WHAT was coming into contact with the poles, just so you know. Buuuuuut, mech is right. Anything that can be magnetized will do it. With a proper setup, you should never have to worry about the strings hitting the poles, though.

I assume OP is talking about his fingers touching the poles, like my problem was

M0ses · #8 02-28-2010, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeyl

I assume OP is talking about his fingers touching the poles, like my problem was

Oh, see, I never would have even thought of that. That's weird

ninefingerbass · #9 02-28-2010, 01:03 AM

I experience the same pop with Nordstrand Signatures, they too are exposed and I thought covering them would solve the problem. Perhaps this method will be much less expensive and work as well, though aesthetically the pick up covers would be great. I'll try this soon.

RD · #10 02-28-2010, 01:46 AM

I can touch the poles on my P and J with my fingers all day, no pop. When I touch the exposed poles with the strings, I'd get sounds through the amp, and pops when playing. The preamp has nothing to do with the pops you're experiencing.
Really, paint the exposed poles with clear acrylic nail polish, or colored nail polish if you like, problem solved. The girl at the drug store checkout may look at you funny, but it's a simple and cheap fix for a problem that nagged me for years. The nail polish won't interfere with the pick-up either. Also, try playing with a lighter touch.
If it doesn't work, you're out a few bucks and can try grounding the preamp
RD

ninefingerbass · #11 03-02-2010, 02:00 PM

I had the same problem with my fingers touching the poles they would pop. The solution, a thin layer of copper shielding tape over the poles on the reserve side, solder to ground and voila!! No more pop and really simple solution. Just don't attach to the pick up common ground, attach to the output jack ground.

dmusic148 · #12 03-02-2010, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RD

The preamp has nothing to do with the pops you're experiencing.

Incorrect, sorry. With the Audere it IS an electrical issue- they have specifically addressed this issue on their website. Correctly grounding the poles is the solution.

SGD Lutherie · #13 03-02-2010, 06:19 PM

The poles/magnets should be grounded, but the ground has to be separate from the common wire on the pickup.

With some pickups the shielding is connected to the ground end (common) of the pickup's coils.

The shield has to be separate from the pickup's ground, which is connected directly to the Audere, and not to ground.

trjazzluva05 · #14 03-02-2010, 09:16 PM

wowo...clear fingernail polish works???thats kind of funny!!! but my problems is when the strings come into contact with the poles, not my fingers. i guess ill try your solutions you offered. anyone know if i could get copper tape from a hardware store???i usually get it from bestbassgear.com but didnt want to have to wait for it in the mail.

Ray man · #15 03-02-2010, 09:56 PM

These guys are correct about grounding the pole pieces.
I didn't see anybody post the link so hear it is.

http://www.audereaudio.com/FAQ_PUMag_Gnd.htm

Ray man · #16 03-02-2010, 09:59 PM

Just make sure the foam underneath is very dense. Beacause the conductivity of the foil tape is dependent on it.

SGD Lutherie · #17 03-02-2010, 10:34 PM

Use the copper foil tape from Stew-Mac. It has conductive adhesive.

Conductive Copper Tape

coronado3 · #18 03-03-2010, 08:16 AM

Billy Sheehan used to cover the tops of his pickups with epoxy.... I guess Epoxy is the cure-all for iconic bass players!

SGD Lutherie · #19 03-03-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coronado3

Billy Sheehan used to cover the tops of his pickups with epoxy.... I guess Epoxy is the cure-all for iconic bass players!

If you magnets are grounded you don't have to worry about any noise when you touch them. But any insulator will do... epoxy, lacquer (nail polish), tape...

Exposed pole pieces are archaic anyway.

bassbenj · #20 03-03-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninefingerbass

I had the same problem with my fingers touching the poles they would pop. The solution, a thin layer of copper shielding tape over the poles on the reserve side, solder to ground and voila!! No more pop and really simple solution. Just don't attach to the pick up common ground, attach to the output jack ground.

I hope you guys noticed there are TWO problems here and TWO fixes! One is that the pole pieces are not grounded and are inducing noise into the pickup coils. The fix is to ground the poles with thin strip of conductive adhesive copper foil. The reference gives the instructions. This is when you get noise when touching poles with your FINGER.

The other problem (which is what I assumed the OP was talking about) is that if you have low action and in playing your STRINGS hit the poles you get pops. Strings are magnetic material hence the loud pops. It's identical to testing a pickup by touching the poles with a small screwdriver blade and getting a pop. The only fix for this one is as noted to put some kind of spacer between the strings an the poles. Like wood, plastic, epoxy, tape or what have you. You can also lower the pickup from the strings unless that reduces your output too much or changes the tone too much.