KennysFord Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Hey Folks, A wee conundrum for ye. I've fitted a set of Bartolini Pups and a U-Retro Pre amp in my warwick Thumb today. Whilst this has totally transformed the instrument in every way I'm getting some unwanted noise from the Pups. It's not the usual hum or click, the cavity is pretty well earthed with copper tape etc. What's happening is that when I brush my fingers against either of the pickups or even lightly tap them the brushing sound and tapping is coming out through the amp and it's pretty loud to say the least. any ideas folks ?? The gain on the preamp is at it's lowest setting btw. Thanks in advance for any advise offered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Sounds like microphonic pickups - but Barts are usually sealed in something like epoxy, so I wouldn't expect them to do that, even after many years. Are they new or a few years old? I've had a few J bass pickups do this, but usually "open" (not potted) single coils...and it usually happens after a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 HI Buddy, Thanks for the reply. Both the Barts and Preamp are brand new. I thought microphonic myself but you wouldn't expect both pickups to be faulty from new. Not sure if it makes a difference or not but the pickups are mounted on springs, I'm wondering if I change to foam ?? Can't see it making much of a difference though to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'd try the foam to dampen, but maybe keep the springs too - Warwick use a nice threaded insert and it would be a shame to lose the positive support. My guess is if its that noticeable its going to bug you, so needs sorting out. Make sure the treble isn't boosted - easy to do with a new circuit. It could be a dry joint - these can respond to physical vibrations, but the finger noise does sound like microphonics within the pickup casing to me. Have a coffee, double check the whole circuit again and see if anything else makes noise when it gets waggled. Also turn the preamp gain up to half way - it may be acting strangely at its lowest setting. The only real test is to hot wire a pickup to the jack, and see if it makes microphonic noises? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) Many thanks for the suggestions Bud. I didn't know about hotwiring the pickups so many thanks for that as well, I'll give it a whirl in the morning and see how we go. Thanks again. Edited May 31, 2014 by kennyrodg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I had a delay pedal that went 'microphonic' - turned out it was a dry joint on a capacitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I always find that if pickups are not very firmly supported underneath, then microphonic noise from touching/hitting the pickups is amplified. The firmer they are supported, the more this noise is damped. For this reason I always use really firm foam. I want my pickups to feel almost rigid to a medium "prod". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Cheers guys, I've got some sturdy foam so I'll get it done and report back. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Result !! I took the stock springs out and spent a bit of time cutting some pretty firm foam to fit the cavities exactly and no more noise. I'm totally happy with these upgrades now. The U-retro and Barts are a vast improvement over the stock MEC Pre and Pups. It's a fair wad to throw at the Bass but well worth every penny. Happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Nice one. John East plus USA Barts is a great combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Thanks for the help guys btw, sorry i forgot to say so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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