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Rewinding Kubicki pickups? Or replace?

#21
Perfectly relaxed and ergonomic. Because the elbow pivots, the wrist and thumb do not pronate, but stay parallel to the frets for no-stress playing, instead of conventional P-style basses where you kind of have to duck your elbow under to do patterns on the upper frets. Thanks.
 
#26
dmusic148 said:
Whoa whoa whoa.......hold on a sec. Did you at least notice a difference? If not, you did it wrong. What you are describing is CLASSIC, TEXTBOOK pickup phase error.
Click to expand...

Yep, when i reversed the polarity if the bridge pickup, the difference changed from lack of output on the lower two strings, to lack of output on the upper two strings.
Also the diminished over all output as the pickups are blended remained.
 
#27
If I'm not mistaken, the stock Kubicki pickups are split coil.
So that would suggest the one side of the bridge pickup is out of phase, or reversed polarity, internally.
Unfortunately the Kubicki pickups are completely sealed/encased in resin,
So there really is no way for me to examine them further.
 
#28
Polarity? Do you mean switching the leads of the pickups, or physically removing the pickup and flipping it around so that the side that used to be under the E string is now under the G string, and vice-versa?

If the pickups are sealed in epoxy, then it's time for a new pickup. Oh - I forgot to add above - add to the "organic" feel: GHS Precision Flats strings.
 
#29
iiipopes said:
Polarity? Do you mean switching the leads of the pickups, or physically removing the pickup and flipping it around so that the side that used to be under the E string is now under the G string, and vice-versa?

If the pickups are sealed in epoxy, then it's time for a new pickup. Oh - I forgot to add above - add to the "organic" feel: GHS Precision Flats strings.
Click to expand...

By polarity I am meaning switching the leads to the pickups.

Yep, I have reached that conclusion as well, that the pickups need to be replaced.
Currently there are no replacements available.
So that leads me to the following choice:
1) I can have a custom set made for me. The advantages are that I would not have to butcher the bass by routing the body. And I could have the custom pickups "voiced" to
My choosing.
However if one of these custom pickups ever goes bad, I would experience the same servicability issues I have now.

Or I could router the body for a more standard pickup chassis.
I already know my favorite pickup, and servicability us easy peasy.
However I would damage the resale value of what is becoming an increasingly rare and valuable axe.
 
#30
autofile said:
So that would suggest the one side of the bridge pickup is out of phase, or reversed polarity, internally.
.
Click to expand...

And that can't happen. Absolutely can't. The only way it could be done is if the pickups have more than two wires each, and they were mixed up somehow.
I really think you oughta have a tech look at this bass. Or at least hit everything with a meter. Something stinks here.
 
#31
dmusic148 said:
And that can't happen. Absolutely can't. The only way it could be done is if the pickups have more than two wires each, and they were mixed up somehow.
I really think you oughta have a tech look at this bass. Or at least hit everything with a meter. Something stinks here.
Click to expand...

In speaking with several technicians from several pickup manufacturers yesterday, my understanding is that in a split coil design, each side has two wires.
And although very rare, it is possible that one side was wired with reverse polarity.


Anyway, I am at the point where I am no longer concerned with what has gone wrong with the old stock pickups.
Because they are sealed up with resin, they are unrepairable anyway.

I just want pickups that function properly and sound the way I want them to.
 
#34
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1377873133.975830.jpg

This is what the offending pickup looks like from behind.
Totally encased in resin, making it unrepairable unfortunately
 
#37
Measure the outside physical dimensions of the dead pickup. With all the different pickups that are now available, there may be something in that size or slightly smaller that gets the tone you want that would be able to be mounted without routing out the body any further. Bartolini, especially, has many pickups in many different physical sizes.

Please post your pickup's physical dimensions, like Seymour Duncan does. Someone on TB might recognize a pickup that will fit and have the tone you're after. Alternatively, a pickup you like might be able to have its cover removed, be mounted in another cover, and filled like your old one.

Don't worry about that aspect. Pickups usually last a lifetime plus. It's rare that a pickup goes down.
 
#38
iiipopes said:
Measure the outside physical dimensions of the dead pickup. With all the different pickups that are now available, there may be something in that size or slightly smaller that gets the tone you want that would be able to be mounted without routing out the body any further. Bartolini, especially, has many pickups in many different physical sizes.

Please post your pickup's physical dimensions, like Seymour Duncan does. Someone on TB might recognize a pickup that will fit and have the tone you're after. Alternatively, a pickup you like might be able to have its cover removed, be mounted in another cover, and filled like your old one.

Don't worry about that aspect. Pickups usually last a lifetime plus. It's rare that a pickup goes down.
Click to expand...

The Kubicki pickups measure 3 3/8" x 1 1/2"
 
#39
autofile said:
The Kubicki pickups measure 3 3/8" x 1 1/2"
Click to expand...
Wow! That's tough! Because "everybody" makes some sort of a soapbar that is 3 1/2 by 1 1/2. How tight is the fit? Would taking as little as nothing, if the stock pickup is a loose fit, to no more than a 1/16 off each end edge, if it is a tight fit, help with getting somebody's "35" soapbar fitted in?
 
#40
iiipopes said:
Wow! That's tough! Because "everybody" makes some sort of a soapbar that is 3 1/2 by 1 1/2. How tight is the fit? Would taking as little as nothing, if the stock pickup is a loose fit, to no more than a 1/16 off each end edge, if it is a tight fit, help with getting somebody's "35" soapbar fitted in?
Click to expand...

LOL! Yeah. Believe me I have come to realize this! LOL!

I didn't start this thread out of laziness, I have been working on this ad nauseum, before pestering the forum about it :^)

I wouldn't describe the fit as "tight" or "loose", I'd describe the fit as "correct".
 

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