EBO pole block Q.

[stigg]

New to this forum so: Hey e'budy!
I've got an old Gibby EBO pickup that works however
it seems to have lost it's magnetism and I would like to
know how to fix it.

here's a pic.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi, Stigg.

Welcome to TalkBass.

A cool pickup, I'd just love to get my hands on one.

You can re-magnetize the magnet using two strong neodymium magnets.

There's a tutorial or a two in the TB Luthiers Corner.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=335566

Regards
Sam

 

[GlennW]

It looks as though it may have lost its magnets, hard to tell in your pic. Here's a pic, notice the big magnets. Does yours have those?

When you say it "works" do you mean you get a reading with a meter or get sound when amped?

That's David's pic, btw, hope he doesn't mind.

Edit: I just reread your title. The pole block isn't a magnet itself. If you're concerned because it doesn't act like a magnet by itself don't worry, just put it back and it'll probably work (if you have the outside magnets).

 

[stigg]

Thanks Sam: saved the site.

Glenn:

"When you say it "works" do you mean you get a reading with a meter or get sound when amped?"

The pickup works amped on all poles but is weak and thin compared to what I remember. Someone must've taken the outside magnets off before I got it as this pickup would distort any amp if not handled with care.
No other pickup I've ever heard has the mud and thud that these do when
set up properly
The magnets in your pic look like simple bars; what would you recommend?

If I can get this fixed it's going on my fretless.
stigg.

 

[GlennW]

I don't know much about them so I'm not qualified to recommend a magnet. I'm surprised it works if it doesn't have any magnets, is there another one somewhere?

I am pretty sure of two things:

1) it should read about 30K if it hasn't been messed with

2) these are unusual pickups because they are humbuckers with two coils only one row of poles. The magnets should be situated on the pickup so that they repel when put close together, that is both should have either north or south facing the poles (like a P-90).

Maybe Gibson has some, or perhaps you could get a similar Epiphone pickup off ebay and use those magnets. I really don't know.

Edit: a couple bar magnets from cheaper Strat type pickups might work if you can't find anything authentic, the
kind that use steel poles with a ceramic bar on the bottom. They would be charged so the wide sides are north and south, which I think is what you need.

 

[stigg]

Thanks Glenn.
It reads 28.94 on my ohm meter.
I'ts missing the mounting plate and as per your pic
that plate probably has something to do with it.
s.

 

[GlennW]

I think all the baseplate would do is maybe affect the tone a little, I doubt its absence would make a drastic decrease in output.

I'd try a couple of ceramic bar magnets and see what happens. Good luck.

 

[stigg]

Glenn.
Had a couple of junk humbuckers, robbed the magnets,
did the north south thing and WOW this thing came alive.
Thanks again.
s.

 

[GlennW]

I'm glad it's working for you, but I'm surprised. I guess you have them edgeways. Typical HB magnets are made so the long, narrow edges (about 1/8" x 2 7/16") are north and south.

 

[stigg]

These came out of an late 70's early 80's Hondo explorer copy with no covers.
They are 5/16" thick (edge) N/S, 1/2" wide, 2 1/8" long.
Very strong.
Gonna try to make them work!
s.

 

[GlennW]

I think they'll work, and the price is right.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Someone must've taken the outside magnets off before I got it as this pickup would distort any amp if not handled with care.

The only magnets it has are on the outside ends. Normally it's two alnico bar magnets, but in that photo of my pickups I replaced them with ceramics. Actually I think that pickup had two ceramics, and I added two more. It was a NOS I picked up and sounded a bit brighter than the one in my EB-2.

You want the magnets to both face with the same pole toward the steel blade.

They are very grunty sounding pickups, and have a bit of a distorted tone, but that's the normal tone of that pickup.

Glenn, thanks for posting the photo, I don't mind at all.