Category Archives:

Depending on the value used, if one side of a capacitor is connected to ground and the others to the hot terminal, the higher frequencies will be cut. If you put one side of a .05 mfd. capacitor to ground and connect the other size to hot, you would reduce the brightness in the pickup…

A ferrous plate is common on the bottom of Telecaster lead pickups. It is used to help ground the bridge plate and strings and is used to adjust the bridge pickup up or down by the use of three 6/32 machine screws. The elevator plate as it is commonly called is made of steel and…

I wouldn’t suggest removing the cover for several reasons. Firstly, the cover is there to protect the fragile coil windings on the pickup and if you accidentally snag the pickup with the string while playing can result in a broken pickup. Secondly, removing the cover can cause the flatwork to get worn and moisture penetrate…

I would not recommend this either because on most single coil pickups with staggered bobbins, the pickups are fabricated with rod magnets, vulcanized fibre flatwork and are friction fit together. Once the bobbins are assembled the coil is wound directly in contact with the rod magnets. Often rod magnets have small casting pits in which…

If you are having microphonic problems without the cover, I would first try to solve the microphonic problem by checking a few things. Make sure both bobbins are firmly secured to the bottom plate. Carefully tighten the 4 bobbin mounting screws. Do not over tighten or strip the mounting holes in the bobbins. Make sure…

By removing the adjustable poles on a humbucker can reduce the output and fullness of the pickup. Removing the adjustable poles keeps the magnetic field from passing through one of the bobbins and to the strings. The magnet magnetizes the adjustable pole piece and directing the magnetic field to the string. The pickup will still…

Typical Gibson, Duncan, DiMarzio have wiring options besides being hooked up in series. Most companies manufacture pickups with 4 conductor wiring. This will enable you to split, phase, parallel, series and many other wiring combinations when used by itself or in combination with other pickups. There are many new switches on the market and some…

Turning over one of the bobbins on a humbucker will make the pickup out of phase with itself. You are electrically changing the direction of the coil and making it incompatible with the system. Depending on what pickup you are using will not look very attractive from the bottom side. The top of the bobbin…

The new pole pieces are metric and will not thread into the older bobbins. The original Gretsch pickup designed by Ray Butts used a ferrous pole piece screw that measures 6/40 x 3/4″. The polepiece screw is a Fillister head, slotted, machine screw and chrome or gold plated. Seth Lover who designed the Gibson Humbucker…

This can happen while the guitar is in the case especially if it falls over and the strings are forced or pushed against the poles. It’s been known that little kids or even heavier animals walking on the case or even exposed guitar can exert enough pressure to force the poles down. If the poles…