Trying to fix a worthless Bass

[Matt Liebenau]

Oh, that's clever. It would cover over the holes that aren't right and drill through the ones that are. That does seem much simpler than swapping coils. I can get a sheet of black/white/black and cut the truss rod cover from it too. I guess I use the existing trim ring to make an MDF template then cut it out with my trim router? I don't have a router table. Double sided tape the template to the work surface then double sided tape the material to the template?

I actually had to skim through my thread to remember. I think I cut out the pickguard material and shaped the outside on the RoboSander with it taped to the template then cut the inside with the scroll saw and shaped it to size with files and sandpaper. The sides on a standard humbucker pickup ring are pretty thin and that would be getting the ol’ phalanges a little too close to the router but.

I suppose you could make a template with the outside of one pickup ring and the inside of the other to get it to all match up.

 

[Markshan]

I actually had to skim through my thread to remember. I think I cut out the pickguard material and shaped the outside on the RoboSander with it taped to the template then cut the inside with the scroll saw and shaped it to size with files and sandpaper. The sides on a standard humbucker pickup ring are pretty thin and that would be getting the ol’ phalanges a little too close to the router but.

What I mean is to trace the ring onto MDF, cut it out, check it for fit then use it for the routing. I'm thinking maybe I could use a 45 on the outer edge and a straight bit on the inside.
I can trace the outside from the large rings and the inside from the small ones.

 

[Markshan]

I slept on it and I decided that I would rather swap the coils because that will be unseen rather than doing anything to the retainer rings or The Wood and having to look at it for the rest of my life. I've managed to do one of them and if you'll see from the meter it doesn't appear that I screwed it up. It was a little tight, I should do more filing on the next one. Overall though this should be fine.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

What I mean is to trace the ring onto MDF, cut it out, check it for fit then use it for the routing. I'm thinking maybe I could use a 45 on the outer edge and a straight bit on the inside.
I can trace the outside from the large rings and the inside from the small ones.

I’m glad the mix and match pickups seem to be working.

What I was trying to express is that I use my RoboSander when I make things like pickup rings, output jack plates, or truss rod covers with a template because those are tiny parts and your fingers will be closer to the router bit then I’m comfortable with. It’s up to you if you’d be ok with that just be very cautious and think it all the way through before you turn the power switch on.

 

[Markshan]

I’m glad the mix and match pickups seem to be working.

.

It will be a while before I get to hear how they sound though. All the meter tells me is that even though that was tight enough to crack the bobbin I didn't crack the actual coil.

 

[Markshan]

just be very cautious and think it all the way through before you turn the power switch on.

You don't want to have to call me Django.

 

[StereoPlayer]

@Markshan …great job on the thread. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it so far! Thanks!

 

[Markshan]

@Markshan …great job on the thread. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it so far! Thanks!

Thank you. Hopefully I end up with a playable instrument at the end of it.

Can you imagine how much an actual luthier would charge to do all this crap I've done so far? I'll bet you it's $1,000 at least, and that's only if I could find one who was even willing to touch it.

 

[Markshan]

I know these wires live inside the instrument and the idea that they will get tugged on is very unlikely, but it just bothers me to have wires without any kind of strain relief, so I melted some hot glue where these pass through the holes.

 

[sissy kathy]

I know these wires live inside the instrument and the idea that they will get tugged on is very unlikely, but it just bothers me to have wires without any kind of strain relief, so I melted some hot glue where these pass through the holes.
View attachment 5217923

Okay but do it right; put the glue on both sides of the hole.

 

[Markshan]

Okay but do it right; put the glue on both sides of the hole.

I literally showed the top of one pickup and the bottom of the other so that it could be clearly seen that I put glue on both sides of the hole, lol.

 

[sissy kathy]

I literally showed the top of one pickup and the bottom of the other so that it could be clearly seen that I put glue on both sides of the hole, lol.

I guess I shud'a known; you don't seem to be doin' anything in half measures.

 

[Markshan]

I guess I shud'a known; you don't seem to be doin' anything in half measures.

Now I'm thinking that I'm going to dip the pickups again. Because that second pole piece was just the dummy pool piece that coil has lateral movement. At first I thought I should shoot a little hot glue into each edge but then I thought about the fact that the hot glue is 100° hotter than the melted wax and I didn't want to melt coil windings so it seems like the wax would be a better way to go.

 

[sissy kathy]

Now I'm thinking that I'm going to dip the pickups again. Because that second pole piece was just the dummy pool piece that coil has lateral movement. At first I thought I should shoot a little hot glue into each edge but then I thought about the fact that the hot glue is 100° hotter than the melted wax and I didn't want to melt coil windings so it seems like the wax would be a better way to go.

Rollup a little piece of paper and put in the space THEN dip it. If you just pot it without the paper the wax may not fill the voids. Paper will help with filling those voids.

 

[Markshan]

Rollup a little piece of paper and put in the space THEN dip it. If you just pot it without the paper the wax may not fill the voids. Paper will help with filling those voids.

Great idea. If I put the paper in do I even need to dip it again? I guess it won't hurt anything at the very least.

 

[sissy kathy]

Great idea. If I put the paper in do I even need to dip it again? I guess it won't hurt anything at the very least.

Yeah I'd still dip it. You don't want the paper to fill the void, there is a possibility of a tight fitting paper cracking/stripping the insulation of the coils. You just want enough paper in there so the wax has more surface area to grab.

 

[Markshan]

So I remember hearing about potting pickups back in the '90s. Lately I've read about different wax mixtures. One person saying that you should just use paraffin another person saying you should just choose beeswax, another person saying 80/20.
The idea that a coil can be microphonic due to air gaps makes perfect sense to me. However, the idea that somebody can hear the difference between one type of wax and another only proofs to me that expectation bias is real. So it's in that spirit that I reveal my potting system. A Yankee candle in a pot of water.

Apple pie spice. I figure that even if my playing stinks at least the bass will smell good.

 

[Markshan]

Old metal, new humbucking coils. Reassembled and fully functional. I touched them to a guitar cable and held them over the strings of another bass. Sounded good.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Old metal, new humbucking coils. Reassembled and fully functional. I touched them to a guitar cable and held them over the strings of another bass. Sounded good.
View attachment 5218940

I like that the pole screws are lined up…I’m the same way…

The bottom left screw is off a bit…

 

[sissy kathy]

I like that the pole screws are lined up…I’m the same way…

The bottom left screw is off a bit…

Electricians do it too. All the switch and receptacle cover plate screws get lined up vertically in a new house; or new work in an old house.