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The way a P bass should be

#222
Slevage said:
Since part of my daily job included measuring magnetic fields and their effect on surrounding materials, my statements are not opinions. You can verify the effect of the fields of pickups by getting the pickup too close to the string, causing a worble in the notes, then increase the distance between the pickup and the string to make the effect go away.
As others have said, if the pickup covers make a difference in sound, we'd see more covers from major manufacturers.
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Verifying the effect of magnetism by getting the pickups too close? You don't need to do that to verify magnetism because plucking a string already accomplishes that. I literally learned to play on basses with the covers so they are no impediment to me whatsoever. Why did James Jameson leave them on? It wasn't for looks and he said more than once they affected his tone positively. It does the same for me, but as I said I don't have hearing loss.
 
#223
Perfessor said:
Verifying the effect of magnetism by getting the pickups too close? You don't need to do that to verify magnetism because plucking a string already accomplishes that. I literally learned to play on basses with the covers so they are no impediment to me whatsoever. Why did James Jameson leave them on? It wasn't for looks and he said more than once they affected his tone positively. It does the same for me, but as I said I don't have hearing loss.
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My suggestion of changing the distance of the string to the pickup was to identify the relationship between distance and field strength.
Whatever works for you. I leave the cover off my P basses because where and how I pluck has a greater influence on my tone than any accessories.
 
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#228
micguy said:
They do, and pickup makers use specific metals to minimize/control their effects. Les Paul pickups use a rather expensive metal to minimize the effects , but still provide some electrostatic shielding. A lot of Bartolini’s pickups have brass in them - you don’t need brass at all to make a pickup work, but it’s a good material for putting controlled eddy current damping into them. I designed phonograph pickups early in my career, and we made structures out of brass that were used in our designs for that very purpose.
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So you are talking about the covers on the pickups. Not the hand rest over the pick up or bridge cover.
That is what is being refer to.
These...
download (2).jpeg


Not this...
Classic-Output-Humbucker-Pickups-11102-87-Nc.png


Those humbucker covers are grounded to the pick up backplate.

:)
 
#230
Perfessor said:
and he said more than once they affected his tone positively.
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Well there's all the proof needed; an anecdote.

Perfessor said:
It does the same for me, but as I said I don't have hearing loss.
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So you say, but nonetheless it's a pejorative designed to demean any counter argument before it's been expressed.

Please also learn how EM actually works as you clearly don't understand it. Same with doing useful testing as the example given earlier of spectra from a YT video with zero controls would get you laughed at at any sort of professional engineering group like AES.
 
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#236
Snert said:
Well there's all the proof needed; an anecdote.

So you say, but nonetheless it's a pejorative designed to demean any counter argument before it's been expressed.

Please also learn how EM actually works as you clearly don't understand it. Same with doing useful testing as the example given earlier of spectra from a YT video with zero controls would get you laughed at at any sort of professional engineering group like AES.
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Gee willickers.....I wish you wouldn't use such big words.
 
#237
Perfessor said:
I just did a spectrum analysis on a YouTube video wherein a guy plays the exact same thing with first no ashtray covering the pickup and then with the cover on. The spectrum with the higher, and brighter, trend lines is without the cover. The spectrum with the cover shows the mellowing of the tone.View attachment 5246024View attachment 5246025
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If a cover makes a difference, it ain’t gonna make that much difference. You have performed an experiment without controlling variables - that’s not science.
 
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#238
Hey. There is somewhere an article regard using diferent materials for pickups covers. It's effect in noise and in tone, Guitar Pickup Theory #7: Effect of pickup cover material on tone and noise
From my part I did kind of "research" using different materials for the classic pickups cover in p basses. Definitely the idea the pickup cover is pure decorative part is wrong. The pickups cover did nothing as time is not tied to nowhere. In the moment it is tied to ground its effect is evident in term of noise even the geetar is properly shielded. And yes, using steel sheet for cover will affect the tone. Not for aluminium or brass. The pickups tone will be unaffected but have the last word in term of noise reduction, very effective. I like to use brass. Are you a brass man ?
20231213_023513.jpg
A 20"x10" brass sheet 1/32 thick is quite enough to build a precision pickguard and covers need.
 
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#239
catalin gramada said:
Hey. There is somewhere an article regard using diferent materials for pickups covers. It's effect in noise and in tone, Guitar Pickup Theory #7: Effect of pickup cover material on tone and noise
From my part I did kind of "research" using different materials for the classic pickups cover in p basses. Definitely the idea the pickup cover is pure decorative part is wrong. The pickups cover did nothing as time is not tied to nowhere. In the moment it is tied to ground its effect is evident in term of noise even the geetar is properly shielded. And yes, using steel sheet for cover will affect the tone. Not for aluminium or brass. The pickups tone will be unaffected but have the last word in term of noise reduction, very effective. I like to use brass. Are you a brass man ?
View attachment 5281275
Click to expand...
The article is speaking about the covers on the pick-up itself...
cover.jpg

Not these...
099-2087-000.jpg

Yes if they are grounded or tied into the system they can add to it. If they are not, screwed into wood, I still contend they do not affect the system.

:)
 
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