bass guitar pickups

[lazybones]

why are the poles underneath the A and D string raised on my pickups.its a mim fender

[Ou7shined]

To follow the curved profile of the board and the strings.

[Geek99]

So the poles are the same distance from the strings on all strings so that volume is similar from each string. Look at the board, it has a radius, your strings should follow it.

[lazybones]

saw one in a shop today and the pickups were smooth and the strings keep catching on mine making a nasty scratchy noise are all jazz picks the same

[Conan]

[quote name='lazybones' timestamp='1380481198' post='2225984'] are all jazz picks the same
[/quote]

No. But then on some Jazz and jazz-type basses the relative volume of the A and D strings is less than that of the E and G...

And Fender make a number of necks with different fingerboard radii... which further complicates the matter!

[url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/guitar-neck-radius/"]http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/guitar-neck-radius/[/url]

Edited September 29, 2013 by Conan

[TRBboy]

My old jazz used to have raised poles, and The strings used to "clack" against them sometimes. I swapped them out in favour of Seymour Duncan quarter pounders, because the poles were recessed. Didn't think they sounded quite how I wanted, so I got some Dimarzio Ultra Jazz. Now they were AWESOME pickups! Hum cancelling too and no clacking on the strings.

[Prime_BASS]

Put some thick electrical insulation tape over them. It stops the nasty clacks and pops when the strings touch the pole pieces.

Also I would look at the overall pickup height, I find on J basses that unless you are plucking right over the neck pickup and ragging it the strings have a hard time touching the pickups at all. if they are set to fenders spec at least.

[lazybones]

great advice guys much appreciated,,,

[Conan]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1380483206' post='2226019']
Put some thick electrical insulation tape over them. It stops the nasty clacks and pops when the strings touch the pole pieces.
[/quote]

Good tip. I'd forgotten about that. It has the added advantage of making them look (a bit) like EMGs!

[Geek99]

[quote name='lazybones' timestamp='1380481198' post='2225984']
saw one in a shop today and the pickups were smooth and the strings keep catching on mine making a nasty scratchy noise are all jazz picks the same
[/quote]
I would suggest if you're hitting strings on pole pieces, that the pickups are probably way too high.

[lazybones]

got some lovely black tape over the magnetic poles on the pickups .....sorted thanks guys

[Fat Rich]

Some people put clear nail varnish over the poles to stop the scratchy noises, one of mine had thick goooey silver paint which looked horrible.

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1380483810' post='2226037']


Good tip. I'd forgotten about that. It has the added advantage of making them look (a bit) like EMGs!
[/quote]

Used to do it with every bass when I played with fingers as I was going for that snappy pop noise that Doug John's gets on his pedulla.

Bad side is that people get a bit prissy about the tape she. It comes to moving it on.