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Winter Build Off 2022 - The Crook
- Thread starter Beej
- Start date
So I've mostly been working on the neck in the last while, but now that it's nearly wrapped up, I installed the magnets for the control cover and pickup cover. First I drilled a 3/8" hole deep enough to glue a magnet in the bottom, and fit another magnet from the top (glued to the cover). But with enough space so they don't quite touch. Here the body magnets are glued into the body.
Then to glue them in the right location on the cover itself, I stacked up some little squares of cardboard over the magnet in the hole and then put another magnet on top. This made the cover magnets now sit a little proud of the holes, but still allows me to place the cover on and glue them down in the correct location. A little dab of CA glue on each magnet, set down the cover and go.
Next is something I've been toying with, which is height-adjustable magnetic pickup covers. I wondered if the magnets would change the magnetic field of the pickup and affect the sound, so I tested that on another bass, but could not tell any difference.
The cover has little blocks in it glued to the sides that have a cap head screw mounted in each. These can be threaded in or out and sit over the magnet holding the pickup cover in place. No more screws visible from the top or back. 
I have no idea why I didn't take a pic, but I'll get one shortly.
Next is something I've been toying with, which is height-adjustable magnetic pickup covers. I wondered if the magnets would change the magnetic field of the pickup and affect the sound, so I tested that on another bass, but could not tell any difference.
I have no idea why I didn't take a pic, but I'll get one shortly.
Next is something I've been toying with, which is height-adjustable magnetic pickup covers. I wondered if the magnets would change the magnetic field of the pickup and affect the sound, so I tested that on another bass, but could not tell any difference.
The cover has little blocks in it glued to the sides that have a cap head screw mounted in each. These can be threaded in or out and sit over the magnet holding the pickup cover in place. No more screws visible from the top or back.
That's clever, I might steal that!
That's nuts! I was just thinking about this like 2 days ago!
I was wondering the same thing about the fields.
I doubt I'm the first person to do this so use at your own riskToo late, it's already in the public domain! Steal away
!
It makes sense to do this with oversized wooden covers, and I was quite surprised that google turned up nothing. I'm sure there are examples out there but I couldn't find any. I automatically presumed I couldn't find examples due to magnetic field changes and changes to the sound, so that's why I decided to do a couple of quick tests.
I put some of the same magnets down in a wooden pickup cavity in about the same location on another bass and played it without the wooden covers with and without magnets. I then tried it on another bass with no covers with the magnets on the top of the body at about the same distance from the pickup and there was a slight tonal change but really subtle. Enough that it didn't matter. It's another EMG setup and there is much more tonal change with a small move of the tone knob. So it's good enough for me to give it a shot.
I've also thought that if this didn't work - instead of a magnet, I could even put a small velcro pad in it's place and another small one on the head of the cap bolt or fab up a small spacer. With the frequency that pickup heights need adjustment, it would be worth the screwlessness. A bigger cover is needed for all of this crap though, so there are tradeoffs.
In my particular situation, I planned on making the cover wider anyway, to put the mounting screws on the sides, rather than top and bottom. So, it would just be a matter of installing little magnets in place of where the screws would be.
Also, this pickup has adjustable poles and I planned on just mounting the whole structure solidly. For a few minutes I thought about how cool it would be to just mount it with magnets, because then there would be no screw heads on top,....but then I assumed that they would interfere with the fields of the pup, so I dismissed it as likey a bad idea and moved on.
It's so cool that you're doing it and posted this.
And the Velcro might work too, especially since I don't need to adjust the cover at all.
Also, this pickup has adjustable poles and I planned on just mounting the whole structure solidly. For a few minutes I thought about how cool it would be to just mount it with magnets, because then there would be no screw heads on top,....but then I assumed that they would interfere with the fields of the pup, so I dismissed it as likey a bad idea and moved on.
It's so cool that you're doing it and posted this.
And the Velcro might work too, especially since I don't need to adjust the cover at all.
So I've mostly been working on the neck in the last while, but now that it's nearly wrapped up, I installed the magnets for the control cover and pickup cover. First I drilled a 3/8" hole deep enough to glue a magnet in the bottom, and fit another magnet from the top (glued to the cover). But with enough space so they don't quite touch. Here the body magnets are glued into the body.
Then to glue them in the right location on the cover itself, I stacked up some little squares of cardboard over the magnet in the hole and then put another magnet on top. This made the cover magnets now sit a little proud of the holes, but still allows me to place the cover on and glue them down in the correct location. A little dab of CA glue on each magnet, set down the cover and go.
Next is something I've been toying with, which is height-adjustable magnetic pickup covers. I wondered if the magnets would change the magnetic field of the pickup and affect the sound, so I tested that on another bass, but could not tell any difference.
The cover has little blocks in it glued to the sides that have a cap head screw mounted in each. These can be threaded in or out and sit over the magnet holding the pickup cover in place. No more screws visible from the top or back.
That's some impressive innovation my friend!
So far so good on the cover, its outside so I didn't snap a pic this am, but I tried to capture what the fingerboard looks like. I can't get my phone to focus on the right part, and this doesn't really show the shine either.
I filled the grain with epoxy, then sanded it all back to "wood". After that I trued the string paths, and then brought it all up to 4000 grit. It feels very smooth to the touch, but isn't quite glossy, so it still feels like wood. So far so good. 
slowburnaz
Commercial User
The main thing I'd worry about with something like that is if you had a pickup with alnico magnets and the mounting mags were strong neos.. You could potentially degauss or change the polarity in weird ways.
Not so much an issue with ceramic or neo magnets. I guess it could still alter the field around the coils, but whether or not it would make an audible difference... who knows.
Yeah, I'm still not sure how/if I would do it. I have no way to measure any effect it's having or know how far away they would need to be from the pup.
I have really small neo magnets, but they're strong for they're size and the body is already thin, so I wouldn't be able to mount them too deep, to get them far enough away to not have any influence.
And of course, I absolutely don't have time to be thinking or talking about a little design change/side track project at this point.
Good points, the two basses I "tested" with the extra magnets both had EMGs which I think are a ceramic magnet. I have a bass with two jazzes that I think are AlNiCo, so I will avoid a test with it.
Another alternative I thought of is to put the adjustment screws through the body and adjust from the bottom. That would allow quick changes without using magnets and without any screws on the top of the body.
I've done this on a couple of guitars, but it doesn't work well if they also have a vibrato unit. Plus, then you still have screws on the back! I've long ago removed all visible screws from control covers by going to magnets and I'm working on a tapered slot neck joint that requires no fasteners and is held in by force from the strings. All of this to make fasteners invisible. Kind of a stupid goal but once I'm obsessed, there's no turning back.
So, I did a quick sketch, looking at the pups from the bottom/side, or treble side.
What I don't know is if the little neos would have more or less effect if they were at the bottom of the cover, or if I made little ledges and they ended up in the middle.
I was thinking of doing the ledges anyway so I could use shorter mounting screws.
What I don't know is if the little neos would have more or less effect if they were at the bottom of the cover, or if I made little ledges and they ended up in the middle.
I was thinking of doing the ledges anyway so I could use shorter mounting screws.
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I've done this on a couple of guitars, but it doesn't work well if they also have a vibrato unit. Plus, then you still have screws on the back! I've long ago removed all visible screws from control covers by going to magnets and I'm working on a tapered slot neck joint that requires no fasteners and is held in by force from the strings. All of this to make fasteners invisible. Kind of a stupid goal but once I'm obsessed, there's no turning back.
I have thought about building a guitar without metal fasteners as well; it is hard to conceive a neck joint that won't be effected by seasonal wood movement.
It's called a "neck-thru".
Yes, thank you, Tim.
How about a neck-through that is dove-tailed into the body?
