Grabber pickup replacement

[Hopkins]

I am working on a guys 1979 Grabber, it had a broken headstock at the scarf joint. I got it repaired and set up and when I plugged it in, the pickup was very noisy, low output, and microphonic. Its epoxy potted, so it cant be rewound, and I am having a hard time finding a replacement

Does anyone know if anyone makes a replacement pickup for this bass.

Thanks in advance,
Paul

 

[dhsierra1]

this is the closest I'm aware of, a replacement for the Ripper.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/bass-2/ripper_bass_rep/

 

[Hopkins]

this is the closest I'm aware of, a replacement for the Ripper.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/bass-2/ripper_bass_rep/

Yeah that's not really close.

 

[Asomodai]

I had the same issue, best conclusion I came to was to buy a genuine one when it came up on Ebay. Which I now have safely in my drawer ready to go in if my current Grabbers pup screws up. (Yes I am that worried!)

Closest soundwise I would say is a Dimarzio Model one/woofer, But will take some modification to be used with the slide.

 

[Gabeja15]

So far as I know, no one makes a drop in replacement or anything close. You would probably have much better luck sending it to a builder like Curtis Novak, who could either rewind/pot the original or wind up a custom replacement

 

[Hopkins]

So far as I know, no one makes a drop in replacement or anything close. You would probably have much better luck sending it to a builder like Curtis Novak, who could either rewind/pot the original or wind up a custom replacement

I could rewind it if it wasn't epoxy potted. This one is unrepairable. I will probably end up just building him a pickup for it.

 

[SoLongJake]

A darkstar is a no mod replacement option for a grabber, I did it on the one I had when the pickup died on it. It sounded still like a grabber, but much much more full. It also looked awesome!

 

[Hopkins]

A darkstar is a no mod replacement option for a grabber, I did it on the one I had when the pickup died on it. It sounded still like a grabber, but much much more full. It also looked awesome!

Really? I never would have guessed that would just drop in. But sadly, I doubt the owner of this bass would want to spend the cash for a Darkstar. Especially after the repair I had to do.

The guy that had it before him dropped it, and it broke at the scarf joint. Which would have been no problem, the glue joint just broke loose. But the idiot decided to fix it by screwing it back together all the way through the fret board behind the first fret at an angle. So I had to dig those two screws out, glue it back together, drill the chewed up wood out with a 1/2" forstner bit, then cut plugs out of some maple to fill the back of the neck and the fretboard.

So the value of the bass is completely shot now, even though it is a solid repair, and completely stable now, it is completely visible. I told him to keep an eye out on Ebay for a new neck.

 

[Curtis Novak]

Please excuse the obviously stupid question, but are you sure it is the pickup that is the problem. The fact that it is epoxied says it is not the pickup that is microphonic, but rather the mounting of the pickup. Invalid Link Removed I assume you tried wiring the pickup directly to the jack to bypass all the electronics. If it is actually the pickup that is microphonic often you can get into an epoxied pickup with a razor because the epoxy did not bond well wth the cover and you can with a razor gradually break the bond.
Sorry for the obvious info...
curtis

 

[Hopkins]

Please excuse the obviously stupid question, but are you sure it is the pickup that is the problem. The fact that it is epoxied says it is not the pickup that is microphonic, but rather the mounting of the pickup. Invalid Link Removed I assume you tried wiring the pickup directly to the jack to bypass all the electronics. If it is actually the pickup that is microphonic often you can get into an epoxied pickup with a razor because the epoxy did not bond well wth the cover and you can with a razor gradually break the bond.
Sorry for the obvious info...
curtis

It has all the symptoms of a microphonic pickup. Its extreemely noisy, has very little output, makes noise when you touch it, and I can hear my voice through my amp when I talk into it.

 

[MPU]

It has all the symptoms of a microphonic pickup. Its extreemely noisy, has very little output, makes noise when you touch it, and I can hear my voice through my amp when I talk into it.

Sounds like you have nothing to lose. Try open the pickup and remove the epoxy before rewind.

 

[Hopkins]

Sounds like you have nothing to lose. Try open the pickup and remove the epoxy before rewind.

I may just build him a new pickup from scratch. The owner has all of the original parts that have gone bad over the years, so I don't want to take a chance on destroying his original pickup, even though its no good.

 

[mpdd]

my grabber had microphonic properties, but still had really hi output and no noise, not sure it that means anything

 

[Curtis Novak]

Sorry for wasting your time.... you migh try reading my post. your reply makes me feel you did not.
curtis

 

[dhsierra1]

Yeah that's not really close.

sonically yes they're pretty close, those were all designed by Bill Lawrence for the Ripper and Grabber.

But as a luthier you'd have to figure out how to mount it in the sliding mechanism

 

[Hopkins]

Sorry for wasting your time.... you migh try reading my post. your reply makes me feel you did not.
curtis

Yes sir, I read your post. It is definitely the pickup, I bypassed the circuit, and the same problems persist. I may try and get the cover off, it just depends on what the owner wants to do.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Hopkins]

sonically yes they're pretty close, those were all designed by Bill Lawrence for the Ripper and Grabber.

But as a luthier you'd have to figure out how to mount it in the sliding mechanism

I was talking about how they mount. The grabber pickup mounts like a Gibson humbucker would to a ring. I don't know how the Ripper pickup would work.

 

[dhsierra1]

I was talking about how they mount. The grabber pickup mounts like a Gibson humbucker would to a ring. I don't know how the Ripper pickup would work.

probably a cross piece under the pick up mounted to the sliding "platform" as the Ripper humbuckers mounted directly to the body through the pickup body, unlike typical humbuckers.

 

[Hopkins]

probably a cross piece under the pick up mounted to the sliding "platform" as the Ripper humbuckers mounted directly to the body through the pickup body, unlike typical humbuckers.

I thought about that, but I have a feeling that the pickup would be to tall, unless I routed the cavity a bit deeper. The pickup cavity is pretty shallow.

 

[dhsierra1]

I thought about that, but I have a feeling that the pickup would be to tall, unless I routed the cavity a bit deeper. The pickup cavity is pretty shallow.

IIRC the Ripper pickup has a fair amount of empty (unpotted) "skirt" so you could trim off a fair amount of the bottom, thus making it shorter.

Ping Seymour Duncan about the measurements and see if they can give you a pic of the underside. I'd gladly do that myself but the bass that has that pickup is at my friend's house about 3 hours from here.

You could of course route......