P Bass pickup problem

[Meghans Dad]

I have a MIA Fender P. The pole pieces stick up above the black pup casing, and if I'm not careful my fingers will touch them and make a horrific noise out of the amp. Any ideas how to tackle this? Should I just tighten the screws on the sides of the pup and lower them?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Obligatory picture :

View attachment 988455

View attachment 988456

I have a 5 string MIA P bass; I've played it through many different amps, not just my own and don't get any noise when I touch the poles. I tend to agree with some others that it probably is a grounding issue. I wouldn't go putting nail polish or tape on my pickups. Get it checked by a pro if you aren't comfortable with doing it yourself.

 

[JackANSI]

I have a roll of kapton tape I use for just that occurance... if the guts aren't potted in that is.

You just need to mechanically isolate the strings from making contact with poles. When your string makes contact with a pole it is changing the magnetic field drastically, which after going through all your other gear comes out as an audible "pop" or "clunk".

You can try grounding the poles but that doesn't eliminate it completely.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

I have a 5 string MIA P bass; I've played it through many different amps, not just my own and don't get any noise when I touch the poles. I tend to agree with some others that it probably is a grounding issue. I wouldn't go putting nail polish or tape on my pickups. Get it checked by a pro if you aren't comfortable with doing it yourself.

Is this an actual defect or do they not come grounded from the factory?

 

[Meghans Dad]

Is this an actual defect or do they not come grounded from the factory?

Not sure in your case, could be nothing more than a cold solder joint, that is a bad connection.

 

[bdplaid]

some really good ideas in this thread!
personally, I use tape, but I like the nail polish and credit card ideas.
Thanks!

 

[Spidey2112]

I have a MIA Fender P. The pole pieces stick up above the black pup casing, and if I'm not careful my fingers will touch them and make a horrific noise out of the amp. Any ideas how to tackle this? Should I just tighten the screws on the sides of the pup and lower them?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Obligatory picture :

View attachment 988455

View attachment 988456

In the second pic (group photo), the light is shining favorably on a couple of pole pieces, much more so than the others... Is this where you're having the problem?

 

[Spidey2112]

'A' string...

 

[Callused Finger]

Is your amp grounded?

 

[Wolfenstein666]

'A' string...

E A D mostly. It happens when I mute the string with my thumb and it will accidentally contact the pole piece.

Is your amp grounded?

Not sure. It happens on both my ampeg combo and an 8/10 stack I've played on a couple times.

 

[Callused Finger]

E A D mostly. It happens when I mute the string with my thumb and it will accidentally contact the pole piece.
Not sure. It happens on both my ampeg combo and an 8/10 stack I've played on a couple times.

Just thinking that while its common to get some ground noise from a stock fender bass it shouldn't be severe.
Without knowing whether or not an outlet is properly grounded it's hard to determine if its the bass or the amp/outlet but maybe try plugging into a different outlet to see if there is a difference.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

Just thinking that while its common to get some ground noise from a stock fender bass it shouldn't be severe.
Without knowing whether or not an outlet is properly grounded it's hard to determine if its the bass or the amp/outlet but maybe try plugging into a different outlet to see if there is a difference.

It's not the outlet or the amp, it's the bass for sure. Played thru several different amps at different houses.

 

[Callused Finger]

It's not the outlet or the amp, it's the bass for sure. Played thru several different amps at different houses.

Ahh. Understood.
Ground that bass! It's not hard.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

Ahh. Understood.
Ground that bass! It's not hard.

It's not hard.... IF you have any proficiency in fixing bass guitars. I have none.

In all honesty I could probably figure it out, I'm just scared of screwing the pups up and not knowing what I did to them. Set ups are usually about as far as I delve into any bass repair matters.

 

[Spidey2112]

"It's only through common ground that we achieve solutions to our most nagging problems."

Me, just a little bit ago...

 

[Spidey2112]

Not sure when you took the pic... Is it still under warranty?

 

[Wolfenstein666]

Not sure when you took the pic... Is it still under warranty?

Not sure what Sweetwaters warranty policy. It was purchased about 6 months ago.

 

[BaileyMan]

I agree, should be a simple fix that any guitar tech could do. Not worth returning or getting rid of an otherwise great bass. Even if you decided to get the pickups replaced, it's a simple and common mod.

 

[Spidey2112]

Not sure what Sweetwaters warranty policy. It was purchased about 6 months ago.

Back to Sweetwater, it is... I'm going to say it's covered.

 

[Spidey2112]

I wish you could check the grounds on those pots... when I'm troubleshooting at work, I try to disprove/iolsate as much as I can before pulling the trigger, as to a solution. I never touch anything under warranty... always gives them an excuse to bow out, which I tend to agree with, anyways. Good luck, Wolfowitz! Let us know how you make out!

 

[Wolfenstein666]

2 year warranty on all guitars apparently.

I emailed my "sales technician" (I hate that title) and am awaiting a response back. I"m still trying to figure out if they are supposed to come grounded out of the factory, or if something in the bass is now malfunctioning.

Either way, I'm sure I'll get a response soon. If it's covered under warranty, cool. If not, from the information gleaned in this thread it won't be an expensive mod / fix / whaterveryouwannacallit.