pickups bobbin color??

[LoveRocksRule]

hi guys and gals,

i want to know if there is any quick way of finding out which color the bobbins are on my love rock pickups...

as most of u already know i have a 2004 LS85Q.. i am thinking about taking the covers off.. but i am unsure as to what colour the bobbins are and i only wish to take it off if they are either all white or all black... i dont want zebra p/ups...

By the way my guitar has the PAF vintage MK2 pups...


thanks in advance...


From Dave

 

[Skybone]

I guess the only way to find out is to take the covers off...

I personally like zebra coils (my LS-70F has a pair of Bare Knuckle's reverse zebra pickups (inner coils are cream)), where my LS-60 has chrome covered BKP's.

 

[LoveRocksRule]

I guess the only way to find out is to take the covers off..

**** i thought there would ahve been some other way that i could find out without having to remove the covers.....

 

[mike martin]

i took of my last 4 loverocs covers annd every one had black bobbins and also were wax potted and were all ovwer the bobbins almost impossible to clean off so i just got new ones, i prefer the zebras. you should see them on my quilt top

 

[LoveRocksRule]

yeah the p/ups in my axe are wax potted i know this as i gave one of the p/up adjustable poles a couple of turns and i could see some wax come out of the screw hole...

so this is not advisable to remove the covers then??


also i thought wax potting was supposed to stop microphonic feedback??

coz these pups still sqeaul horribly at me if my amp is cranked!!!

i think i am just gonna whip some EMG's or Dimarzio's into her at some point...

although these stock ones will do me for just now....

 

[jonny73]

Guess the question is are you happy with the sound you get from your stock pickups or is it time to upgrade? I took the metal covers of my Epi LP custom and then tried to live with the wax issue> it just wasnt going to happen. Replaced them with JB in the bridge and 59 special in the neck. Transformed the guitar completely.

Out of interest though, i really didnt think that removing the covers sorted out the squealing, mine carried on squealing until i put decent p-ups in!!

 

[LoveRocksRule]

Guess the question is are you happy with the sound you get from your stock pickups or is it time to upgrade? I took the metal covers of my Epi LP custom and then tried to live with the wax issue> it just wasnt going to happen. Replaced them with JB in the bridge and 59 special in the neck. Transformed the guitar completely.

Out of interest though, i really didnt think that removing the covers sorted out the squealing, mine carried on squealing until i put decent p-ups in!!

removing the covers doesnt stop the squeling i said WAX POTTING is supposed to stop microphonic feedback.....

i just thought that the bobbins might have been all black or all white so that i could take the covers off them both so that my p/ups were exposed that was all.... i prefer exposed pickups....

 

[jonny73]

Yup they look so much better, i love the Zebra ones. My epi ones were actually clear plastic, which was weird, but would have been cool if the wax wasnt such a **** to get off!

 

[LoveRocksRule]

i read on this guide http://www.guitarnuts.com/technical/electrical/index.php that to wax pot a covered p/up u just leave the covers on, heat up the wax to a specific temp (150degrees Farenheit i think) then just have the pickup hanging thru the mounting holes with wire, and then stick it into the hot wax...

and just move the p/up around and sit it at different angles in the wax until the air bubbles stop rising ( takes about 15 to 20 mins for each p/up) once all the bubbles stop then take the pickup out of the wax and let it cool naturally...

while its still cooling Wipe off only the outside of a metal humbucking cover and not around the bottom or sides

i dont think these pickups i have have been potted like this.. because when i took them out of the guitar last time i restrung it there was no signs of wax on the underside of the pickup....

the only place i found wax was when i adjusted the pickup poles... when turning the screw slightly i could see some wax cracking out of the screw hole as i turned the screw.....

i think i will maybe give it a bash at potting them the way this site tells me... as my old epiphone LP standard was potted like this site said... i clearly remember the underside of my epi p/ups being covered in wax.. the only bit that never had wax on was the face of the cover....

and they never used to squeal at all... and its the same amp i am using now that i had with my epiphone....

so ima give this a bash before i do decide to change the p/ups because i really do like the sound i get from them... its just the microphonic feedback that i dont like......

 

[Skybone]

It might not be the pickups causing the feedback if they're potted.

When you say "my amp is cranked", you could just be using a bit too much gain and not enough volume, hence the squealing feedback due to overloading the pre-amp. Crank the volume and then add some gain...

Are you using any pedals?

My JCM800 squeals like a stuck pig when I stop playing, but when I switch my RAT off, it stops. I might be using a little too much gain...

Are you using a valve/toob amp, solid state or hybrid?

If you're using a valve amp, when did you last have it serviced? You could just need to get some new valves in there, another cause of microphonic feedback (especially at volume!). If your amp feeds back at lower volumes/gain levels, it could well be the valves need changing.

If it's a hybrid, then change the pre-amp valve yourself.

If it's a solid state amp... ???

 

[bruceboomstick]

Zebra pickups are funny - the only guitars they really seem to suit is Love Rocks or those overpriced Gibson replicas. I swing between liking them or not being bothered.

The debate about waxing is interesting, my SG screams horriby on a high gain settings (can't get near 11) - it's an epiphone and I would stake any reputation I have that it's not potted or has been potted by a chimp. I've always had the view that if P/ups annoy me I'll whip 'em out an bung some Seymours in (incidently anyone know what ones Slash likes - Alnico II I think???).

Anyway I might give it a go on the ole SG.

IMO it's just not possible to confuse pickup squeal for anything else, nothing can sound that horrid (apart from maybe Westlife)

 

[bruceboomstick]

Skybone's suggestion about pedals is worth investigating - this sounds odd, but I found the order mine were connected was a real factor.

I found that using an effects loop on the amp made for a better sound with my gear - although most people I know tend to prefer tend to run effects before the pre-amp, I found I could get a better squeal free sound (that was from a strat though)

 

[Skybone]

But don't forget that any OD/Distortion pedals (and I'd add Boosters to that as well) should really go BETWEEN the guitar and amp, not in the FX loop (if you have one!).

 

[jonmar]

I've always had the view that if P/ups annoy me I'll whip 'em out an bung some Seymours in (incidently anyone know what ones Slash likes - Alnico II I think???).

you're correct... Slash puts Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II's on all his new Paul's but I believe he keeps his older guitars stock.

 

[bruceboomstick]

That's what I found - I'm currently using the crunch channel on the amp take care of fuzz - which I guess is why the loop works well - all the modulation and other stuff is the other side of the fuzz - so the dirty tone get chorused, phased, delayed and generally messed with. I reckon every player out there had plugged them in the other way - once and once only

Thanks Jon - I thought that was the case, but sometimes things get a little blurry.

 

[ScottA]

Removing the covers will also affect your tone, in addition to feedback characteristics.

I had uncovered WCR's in my R9 initially (he ships them with covers off, generally) and I like the tone much better with the covers on. More "round" and chimy.