I put electric tape over my fender custom shop pickup poles.
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EMG GEEZER poles sharp!
- Thread starter climber
- Start date
They aren’t sharp, but they are raised higher than any pickups I’ve had before. I like the bite and breakup the bass gives with with low action. Aggressive playing will make the strings touch the pole pieces occasionally, and that sound is no bueno. I put a couple pieces of electric tape over it. Feels great, sounds great.
Sometimes the struggle is what gives way to art, and builds character.
Mine would be fine if they weren’t sharp. Stephen at EMG said that they don’t polish the pole ends. They just cut them off the bar stock and use as is.
Reading this thread and thinking how yuck electrical tape looks made me think of Plasti-Dip. A light coat or two on the entire shell. If it’s no good, it just peels off. Plasti Dip Can & Spray Supplier - Peelable Rubber Coating
I love a nice and cheap DIY fix, so if EMG can't or won't do an exchange, then I would go with a pack of adhesive vinyl dots. According to this seller, they cost about $2.40 and can be fabricated into a number of sizes and colors.
3/8" Black Dots Round Vinyl Color Code Inventory Label Dot Stickers 3/8 Inch | eBay
Made of High Quality Glossy Indoor Outdoor Vinyl. Garage / Yard Sales. we can make any size shape or color. Inventory / Office color coding. They will work with a pen or a sharpie.
www.ebay.com
1/4" Black Dots Round Vinyl Color Coded Inventory Label 1/4 Inch Dot Stickers | eBay
Made of High Quality Glossy Indoor Outdoor Vinyl. Garage / Yard Sales. we can make any size shape or color. Inventory / Office color coding. They will work with a pen or a sharpie.
www.ebay.com
- If they work, great.
- If they don't work, it's a tiny expense and, more importantly, a non-permanent attempt.
- If they stay in place for a while, but need to be replaced every now and then, you have several replacements. Just wipe off the old adhesive with some cheap eyeglass lens or monitor cleaner, let dry and replace.
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got this from EMG this morning:
A couple of things:
1) ALL of the GVR's have sharp edges! this is not just mine... YIKES
2) they are willing to exchange for the PJVHZ, BUT I have to send mine back first. this means that I won't have the bass available for a coupe of weeks. while I have another bass, this is surely a drag. good CS would be to send me the PJVHZ and I return the GZR. I'd be happy to give them my CC# in case I failed to send back GZR.
I might just pull these out, and sell them and try something else. I have a set of Dimarzio's that I don't like, available here in the classifieds, so maybe try the Nordstrands. I also have a set of the original EMG's from the late 70's laying around. I'm fairly sure I used them as passive when I first put them into a bass I built in '78, but it's been many years so I may be mistaken.
All of the GZR’s do have the hard cut edges on the pole pieces but if you’d like, You can send the set back in here and I can compare them to some in house to see if a replacement would help with what you’re running into. If the rest we have are roughly the same I can also offer to exchange the set for the covered cap PJVHZ set I mentioned before. I would just need a copy of your order receipt to confirm you purchased the set new and within the last year.
A couple of things:
1) ALL of the GVR's have sharp edges! this is not just mine... YIKES
2) they are willing to exchange for the PJVHZ, BUT I have to send mine back first. this means that I won't have the bass available for a coupe of weeks. while I have another bass, this is surely a drag. good CS would be to send me the PJVHZ and I return the GZR. I'd be happy to give them my CC# in case I failed to send back GZR.
I might just pull these out, and sell them and try something else. I have a set of Dimarzio's that I don't like, available here in the classifieds, so maybe try the Nordstrands. I also have a set of the original EMG's from the late 70's laying around. I'm fairly sure I used them as passive when I first put them into a bass I built in '78, but it's been many years so I may be mistaken.
dang. my old GZR set ive had in my number one for about ten years is perfectly flush. that's actually a big reason why i love them. i just checked an unopened box ive had on standby for an upcoming build and sure enough they poke out about .025".
not cool.
not cool.
BTW having to deal with this at all is a major drag. PLUS the customer service portion of this episode is a MAJOR drag. Having to take the bass apart, send the pickup off for evaluation and wait a week or more to either get it or another pup back just doesn’t work. What if that was the only instrument I own? They could easily send me a replacement and first and I am perfectly willing to give them a CC # in case I don’t send the problematic one back. 
