sirmuppet Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 (edited) Hi guys. This one has eluded me for a while and I can't come up with a decent solution. Of my basses I have two that both have closed cover pickups. One is a Gibson Thunderbird and the other is a Hybrid bass with a Musicman style pickup by Kent Armstrong. Both basses are passive and both have pickups where the pole pieces are cover by a plastic cover and then sealed with epoxy. So my question is this, when setting up the basses how do you make sure the strings are going over the pole pieces? The only solution I can even remotely think of is getting something magnetic and trying to manually mark out where the poles are and go from there. Surely there must be a better way? Any thoughts? Thanks, Edited November 14, 2017 by sirmuppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Try this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/first4magnets-F4MFP4-1-Medium-Field-Paper/dp/B003N1LZXO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510661746&sr=8-2&keywords=magnetic+field+viewing+film You'll certainly find it cheaper by eBay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 (edited) Those type of pickups don't usually have individual pole pieces for each string, they have a flat bar pole pieces which span all strings. Edited November 14, 2017 by Manton Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirmuppet Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Hellzero said: Try this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/first4magnets-F4MFP4-1-Medium-Field-Paper/dp/B003N1LZXO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510661746&sr=8-2&keywords=magnetic+field+viewing+film You'll certainly find it cheaper by eBay... Perfect. I'll get some of this. Thanks!!! 1 hour ago, Manton Customs said: Those type of pickups don't usually have individual pole pieces for each string, they have a flat bar pole pieces which span all strings. I did wonder but I know the Gibson Thunderbird has had the poles exposed on the new models. Also the Kent Armstrong has a description which states pole pieces. Suppose I could only get the above and try it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Yes, and you'll also see the strength of the magnetic field by the concentration of metal particles. It's an interesting little tool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Below is the description of the MM pickup. I've done quite a few builds with them. CERAMIC / D.C. =13K- Our Music Man Stingray replacement is an answer to may prayers. The Stingray is a modern classic, but until now, finding a suitable replacement has been difficult. With far less magnetic pull than the originals, ours has full length bar magnets to get every bit of string vibration, no matter how hard you play. Having similar output and tone to the original unit, this improved version has enough output to be used passive, without a preamp. For the authentic Stingray however, a low impedance buffer preamp is recommended. We also strongly suggest series/parallel switch or push/pull pot to get two distinctly different tones made available by the widely spaced coils in this pick-up. Includes wiring diagram and mounting screws. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyerseve Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 or place the body flat horizontally and use a metal ball-bearing on top of the pups and see where it rolls to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 On 15/11/2017 at 10:22, dyerseve said: or place the body flat horizontally and use a metal ball-bearing on top of the pups and see where it rolls to? Or a cheap map reading compass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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