I've just purchased an old '51 precision RI and I'm loving the feel of the thing unplugged, but the pickup is really uneven from string to string. It's a Duncan Antiquity II with the staggered pole pieces, and the A string is super loud, while the E is almost inaudible. I like the general tone, so I'm wondering if it's okay to file down the pole pieces to even out string-to-string balance.
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Can I file on a pickup?
- Thread starter David Barton
- Start date
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,006
- 1
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- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Certainly possible, but you'll ruin the resale value of the pickup. There are lots of other pickups available on the market, so the smart option to me would be to sell the Duncan here and buy something else that fits your tonal needs and budget.
It is quite possible that you will damage your pickup by trying to grind down the pole pieces.
If it's the original style single coil Tele pickup, from pics on their website, it looks like the coil is wound directly on the poles. Do not try to move them. Grinding, which is what it would take, would probably generate enough heat to melt the insulation on the coil wire or demagnetize the poles. Best answer is to find another pickup.
Try supergluing/it can be sheared off easily an aluminum shim. IT will dull the amount of signal the string makes to the polepiece.
Try several thicknesses before using glue.
Firstly, make sure the strings don't have the same too-loud, and too-soft response with the bass unplugged, and played in a quiet room. A bad string, or poor set up can cause this sort of thing as well. Also try the bass with other amps and other rooms. Standing waves and room resonances can also often make a string or certain notes boom or sound dead.
If you go ahead and try to tweak the pickup, you might want to try to increase the magnetic strength of the quiet pole piece with a small rare earth disk underneath.
If you go ahead and try to tweak the pickup, you might want to try to increase the magnetic strength of the quiet pole piece with a small rare earth disk underneath.
Zoobiedood
Commercial User
- Sep 1, 2015
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- Writer/Ambassador/Artist/Resident Bass Expert for Seymour Duncan
I checked the string balance unplugged and it seems like the pickup is the issue. I promise to not grind the pole piece down, but I will try the magnet trick and see how that helps.
Lollar. I put one in my CIJ '51 P, and it's seriously good. The guy who sold it to me played it, and said if it had sounded that nice, he would have kept it.
yeah, forget trying to mod it, you'll likely just kill the pickup.
the thing to do first is just lower it, that reduces the differences between string outputs. yes, the overall output will be lower, but that's OK, it's why they invented amp volume knobs.
the thing to do first is just lower it, that reduces the differences between string outputs. yes, the overall output will be lower, but that's OK, it's why they invented amp volume knobs.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Sorry, brain wasn't functioning well. Originally, intent was to use shim to dampen/ block the vibration of the string to keep it from being too loud.
I'd delete but it would lose reference for other responses.
MY Apologies.
