Musicman rusty pickup poles

[wally8]

Hello all

I have 2 x rusty poles on my MM sterling. The E string ones where i sweat the most

Now before you all tell me "there's loads of posts on this" mine seems a little weirder. Ive tried carefully removing the rust to apply the nail varnish as you all reccomend but it doesnt appear to be any silver colouring under it, just more black.

Now me being a bit of a thicky i assumed it would be silver underneath or is this just a surface coating and goes when the rust does if you dont remove it early days? They havent rusted horrendously but look a bit naff close up.

Be nice to have them all super silver again.

Thanks

Edited September 18, 2012 by wally8

[pietruszka]

I know what you mean, mine are going black around the edges, largely on the A string poles.

Cant help you beyond that, but you're not alone!





Dan

[brensabre79]

Mine went rusty and black years ago. Still works fine. I've never put nail varnish or anything on t. Its what you might call a genuine relic effect. It might seem a strange concept to some but this process of Relic'ing is really straightforward, all you have to do is play the bass for a while and that's what happens!

You could try painting them silver again - I think that's what they do to them. They are magnets at the end of the day so they will be magnet coloured naturally. Look at pictures of any old guitar with exposed pole pieces - they are black. There are even companies that sell pickups that are pre-blackened. One of the reasons the older instruments sound so good is the degrading of the pickups, traditionally from years of playing. It helps the signal break up a bit.

Seriously though, if you want the bass to remain in showroom condition, don't play it.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Does the polepiece material differ from model to model as well as the magnet material? My SR 5 had AlNiCo magnets and didn't rust at all. My Ibanez polepieces rusted like mad, so I reckon not all polepieces are created equal...
Solution? Silver nail varnish ?

[wally8]

Ha - good point brensabre. I like clean new things tho It is sad really as i keep my MM and P bass all snug in their cases to keep em pristine and practice on my MIM Jazz and 5 string fretless which are old dogs in comparison.

[brensabre79]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1347968302' post='1807249']
Does the polepiece material differ from model to model as well as the magnet material? My SR 5 had AlNiCo magnets and didn't rust at all. My Ibanez polepieces rusted like mad, so I reckon not all polepieces are created equal...
Solution? Silver nail varnish ?
[/quote]

Yeah there are all sorts of different magnets. The more traditional ferrous ones have iron in which rusts instantly. The Alnico ones don't rust, ceramic/neo ones don't either. But the old school ones, they rust!

[pietruszka]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1347968302' post='1807249']
so I reckon not all polepieces are created equal...
[/quote]

Are you suggesting there is some form of magnet apartheid?!


Dan

[wally8]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1347971771' post='1807354']
Are you suggesting there is some form of magnet apartheid?!


Dan
[/quote]

Magnets have rights as well - come one come all

[throwoff]

Haha, this is possibly the best thread derailment I have ever read.

Bravo BC

[Panamonte]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1347971771' post='1807354']
Are you suggesting there is some form of magnet apartheid?!


Dan
[/quote]


Unfortunately they'll never be united - they're poles apart

[Fat Rich]

Someone put solder on the tops of the pole pieces on one of my Jazzes, looks nice and shiny but not sure what harm heating up the pickups could do. Mine sounds fine but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Guest]

I have a similar P/up in my 1980 Blazer. I love the black on my magnets, it's a mojo thing for me I guess.
A couple of years back i sent the bass for a service and it came back with the magnets all clean and shiny,
I was not a happy fellow
They're nice and rusty again now tho' so all good, For me it's part of the character of this Bass.

[pietruszka]

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1347972437' post='1807378'] Unfortunately they'll never be united - they're poles apart [/quote]
Jesus christ. Thats on the same level as 'Dad jokes'.





Dan

[Panamonte]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1347974213' post='1807431']
Jesus christ. Thats on the same level as 'Dad jokes'.[/quote]

You think THAT'S bad? You ain't seen nothing yet...

[pietruszka]

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1347988878' post='1807783']


You think THAT'S bad? You ain't seen nothing yet...
[/quote]
I'm sitting with a cuppa, you will be scored out of 10, so make it good.


Dan

[Panamonte]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1347989287' post='1807800']

I'm sitting with a cuppa, you will be scored out of 10, so make it good.


Dan
[/quote]

Ohhhhh-kaaaaaaay. Ahem. Like any thread about pickup pole pieces this one has its pluses and minuses.

*cough* (where's that goddamn tumbleweed emoticon?)

[drTStingray]

I have read that a rubber (pencil/ink eraser type..........no other type of rubber for those with too much knowledge of 1950s UK popular culture!) can sort this out - not tried myself but maybe worth a go.

[pietruszka]

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1348007613' post='1808185']
Ohhhhh-kaaaaaaay. Ahem. Like any thread about pickup pole pieces this one has its pluses and minuses.

*cough* (where's that goddamn tumbleweed emoticon?)
[/quote]

Hahaha! Here all week?



Dan

[Panamonte]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1348046253' post='1808401']


Hahaha! Here all week?
[/quote]

My agent informs me that - for some unaccountable reason - the management are seeking to curtail my engagement. And there's a bloke standing in the wings with a long hooked pole... I'll be back for the summer season next year.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1347972269' post='1807371']
Haha, this is possibly the best thread derailment I have ever read.

Bravo BC
[/quote]

But there aren't any rails.
They're Poles.
But not from Poland.
Yet still you can polish them.

[pietruszka]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1348073683' post='1808939']


But there aren't any rails.
They're Poles.
But not from Poland.
Yet still you can polish them.
[/quote]
Wait a minute, I'm Polish, but not from Poland. Though you wouldn't want to polish me , though I do like trains.


Dan

[rubis]

I hate to get back to the point, but.......the poles on the Duncan MM pickup I put in my Blingray build were like that.
They cleaned up fine with a bit of careful rubbing with wet and dry (used dry) try to follow the grinding marks on the top of the pole

[Lfalex v1.1]

Um.. Yes. Back on topic!

I had a SD MMHB in my Iceni Zoot. That didn't rust/corrode at all.
SOME polepieces seem to be machined rather than ground. Some of mine have borne concentric milling marks.

I wonder, do some manufacturers coat/seal their polepieces to prevent corrosion? If not, why not?