I have an old bass...

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

It’s an incredibly terrible bass, someone put a short scale epiphone neck and bridge on a les Paul body and put god knows what pickup on it. Anyways part of the outermost wires on the coil have been clearly knicked and are coming undone. Will it survive? I paid 60 dollars for this at a garage sale

 

[Ghastly]

Is this the nonsensical sequel to the last thread of similar title?

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Is this the nonsensical sequel to the last thread of similar title?

I am willing to share picks of this bass, I lost the bridge and am trying to find a replacement but also am genuinely wondering if the pickup will die either sooner or later

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Here it is, you can sorta see the gnarly wire that’s coming loose there

 

[Ghastly]

Can't go too wrong for $60.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

I know right? Bought it in 2004

 

[Ghastly]

You gonna fix it up?

 

[Flaked Beans]

I have some old basses as well. What's the problem? That Epiphone bass is not old at all.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

The pickup wire seems frayed, like it’s not tight around the bobbin anymore you can sorta see it in the picture, there isn’t really a break or anything as far as I can tell and last I checked it worked like that, but was wondering how much damage is required to just kill the pickup entirely or if it’s as bad off as it’s ever gonna be

 

[elgranluis]

If you can see a broken winding , then the pickup is gone.

if this is a guitar body , then you may be out of luck as it will probably not give you enough length to mount the bridge In the correct location.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

If you can see a broken winding , then the pickup is gone.

if this is a guitar body , then you may be out of luck as it will probably not give you enough length to mount the bridge In the correct location.

so it had a bass bridge long ago but I lost the bridge. I don’t see any broken wires necessarily but loose, spread apart ones. So a single broken wire will end the pickup if I understand correctly?

 

[elgranluis]

so it had a bass bridge long ago but I lost the bridge. I don’t see any broken wires necessarily but loose, spread apart ones. So a single broken wire will end the pickup if I understand correctly?

yeah , a single broken wire is all it takes. But also , the windings shouldn’t be loose, and it’s not like you can just pull on the wire to tighten it. Unless it’s an uncommon design, I wouldn’t have any hope of the pickup actually working.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

yeah , a single broken wire is all it takes. But also , the windings shouldn’t be loose, and it’s not like you can just pull on the wire to tighten it. Unless it’s an uncommon design, I wouldn’t have any hope of the pickup actually working.

I remember it working last time I tried it but it might be dead now. RIP. Could always plug it in and tap on a pole piece though, maybe I’ll try that

 

[Element Zero]

Is this the nonsensical sequel to the last thread of similar title?

I hope so.

 

[tpaul]

The traditional way to protect those tiny pickup winding wires is to wrap the pickup with tape and/or cover it with a plastic pickup cover. If it does work at present, it's not going to work for long if the wires remain exposed like that.

You can also pot the pickup (dip it in hot wax) which both protects the wires and reduces microphonics.

 

[Gunga Din]

Me, when I saw the thread title....

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

This thread... Did not deliver.

(Apologies to the OP)

 

[two fingers]

It’s an incredibly terrible bass, someone put a short scale epiphone neck and bridge on a les Paul body and put god knows what pickup on it. Anyways part of the outermost wires on the coil have been clearly knicked and are coming undone. Will it survive? I paid 60 dollars for this at a garage sale

Forgive my friends. Recently, someone started a thread with a very similar title. That person was not appreciative of the kinds of advice he got. Things got out of hand a little if I recall.

Yes, plug it in and tap the magnets with a screwdriver. That will tell you instantly if the pickup is working. You'll need to figure out what scale length the neck was designed for. Once you do that, you will know where to place the replacement bridge. Do you recall what style the bridge was?

Also, some closer pics in good light would help us help you.

 

[Stewie]

I like it, go to a music store with a tape measure and see if the bridge holes are the same as an Epiphone EBO. If the neck is straight, it ought to be a great shortie

 

[Andy Marshman]

Looks like a fun project. The world is full of bass pickups.
I agree with an earlier post - determine if you can install a replacement bridge that meets your needs for a 30" scale. Also check to see if the truss rod is seized. Not much point of going further if that's defective.
Measure the body's pickup routing then see who makes a pickup that would fit. Don't cheap out on a PUP at this point.
If your old PUP's wires were damaged, likely the routing wasn't big enough and they rubbed on the sides of the body.