Microphonic Pickups

[dhodgeh]

I've got this old Strat (a late 60's player - not a collector's piece), and all three pickups have gone microphonic.

The axe sounds great, but the pups pickup the least little noise (hitting the pickguard, moving the pickup selector, etc).

So I'm wondering what, if anything, I should do about it.

Any suggestions are welcome.

D

[donnyjaguar]

I gather many of the older pickups were made with the bobbin sitting in a piece of wax. Over time this wax either shrinks or crumbles and allows the bobbin to rattle around in the cover/can. The solution I heard was to re-melt the wax or remove it entirely and replace with something newer. This would call for careful application of heat.

Not a vintage guitar owner here myself.

Anyone else?

[Jim Collins]

If the microphonics are not really bothering you, you could always leave them the way they are. I happen to like a bit of microphonics in my pickups, but not everyone is like that. If you really like the pickups, you could have them repotted. There are several pickup makers who would do that. Duncan will, and I think Fralin will, too. (You could do it yourself, but it is messy, and not without danger, as the wax is highly flammable.) Of course, that would leave your guitar out of commission, for a while. And, you could always replace the pickups.

[Mike9]

I think some of the older fiber bobbins shrink and pull away from the windings. I have a couple of 60's pickups that are dead and I suspect that is the cause. I could be wrong the wax theory is plausable, but the whole thing rattles like a snakes tail.

[Luke V]

I've had good luck with dipping the pickup, sans cover, in melted parafin wax. No more microphonics.

[Jack Briggs]

If the microphonics are not really bothering you, you could always leave them the way they are. I happen to like a bit of microphonics in my pickups, but not everyone is like that. If you really like the pickups, you could have them repotted. There are several pickup makers who would do that. Duncan will, and I think Fralin will, too. (You could do it yourself, but it is messy, and not without danger, as the wax is highly flammable.) Of course, that would leave your guitar out of commission, for a while. And, you could always replace the pickups.


I'm the same with humbuckers - I like a little microphonics, but I know with Strats the microphony effect is greater, what with them being mounted in a pickguard - makes them even more resonant as an assembly. If it were mine and the pups were squealing to the point of preventing me from playing myself with my guitar (certainly my best role!), I'd send them to someone like Jason Lollar, who knows what he's doing, and have them slightly (or lightly) potted.

[johngti]

A tip in this month's Guitarist magazine (UK) suggests using a bit of silicone sealant of the type used to seal around the edges of a bath. Take the pickup off the guitar, remove the pickup from the cover and cover the holes with tape. Then half fill the pickup cover with silicone and replace the pickup pushing it fully home. Clean off the excess as well as you can then allow it to dry fully (a day or so - silicone can conduct electricity when its wet so the pickup may appear to not work). Once its fully dry you can properly clean off the excess (using methylated spirit I think but I'll check tomorrow) and replace the pickup.

And Bob's your mother's brother - same effect as wax potting but much safer and easier!

[blueguitar]

Most of the time this condition, microphonics that develop over time, is the result of the break down of the coil wires protective coating. That is why the re-potting with wax will work some of the time. It depends on how far this decomposition has been allowed to go on. I don't see silicone as having the penetrating ability to work if this is occurring many wraps down. Lindy will do what he calls hand scrape that removes up to 200 wraps without any noticeable tone or output difference and get you back to better wire. No guarantee obviously and may result in a rewind but nobody I know is better qualified to attempt it. You may wish to discuss this process with him prior to dipping as the impeding new wax may prevent this procedure.

[jetlag]

If they sound great right now, I would save them in case later, your tastes changes and you dig how open and alive microphonic pickups sound. It's really easy today to get great sounding new manufacture stuff that's superb - and non microphonic. Build yourself another guard so you can swap back 'n forth easily. If you pot the pickups they may really change in tone.