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Post subject: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:40 am
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I just picked up a new American Elite Jazz.
The bridge pickup is a bit loose. It can move some .. not during playing (that I can tell), but with my fingers.

Is this normal?


Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:07 am
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I don't know these bass but many Fender guitar's pickups are rubber mount, you can move them with your finger.

Did you have many experience with Fender Bass or guitar ?


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:35 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
I don't know these bass but many Fender guitar's pickups are rubber mount, you can move them with your finger.

Did you have many experience with Fender Bass or guitar ?


No experience at all with Fender ... this is my first!

Thanks for the info though.


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 1:23 am
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Welcome in Fender world, pickup look ok to me.

Go to a store and try other bass if you want.


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 6:53 am
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The pickup has a foam strip under it to allow for height adjustment up and down when you tighten or loosen the pickup mounting screws. If the foam was not there height adjustment would be impossible. Being able to push on the pickup and have it move downward or even being able to "rock" the pickup back and forth a bit with light pressure is normal. You could tighten the mounting screws a bit and see if that helps, but unless it is rattling around in the mount when you move the entire instrument it might be where it needs to be. Keep in mind that moving the pickup farther from the strings by tightening the screws can make it sound weaker. There is a "sweet spot" where a pickup yields maximum output without the magnets in the pickups pulling so much on the strings the magnets deaden the strings killing sustain. This spot will vary based on the strength of the pickup magnets and to a lesser extent the diameter of strings used. With a full setup done by a professional tech or luthier pickup height adjustment is usually the last adjustment if a pickup adjustment is even required. When you do neck adjustments, bridge adjustments, string gauge changes or anything else that impacts how far from the strings are from the pickups then pickup height adjustments are sometimes necessary.


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:28 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
The pickup has a foam strip under it to allow for height adjustment up and down when you tighten or loosen the pickup mounting screws. If the foam was not there height adjustment would be impossible. Being able to push on the pickup and have it move downward or even being able to "rock" the pickup back and forth a bit with light pressure is normal. You could tighten the mounting screws a bit and see if that helps, but unless it is rattling around in the mount when you move the entire instrument it might be where it needs to be. Keep in mind that moving the pickup farther from the strings by tightening the screws can make it sound weaker. There is a "sweet spot" where a pickup yields maximum output without the magnets in the pickups pulling so much on the strings the magnets deaden the strings killing sustain. This spot will vary based on the strength of the pickup magnets and to a lesser extent the diameter of strings used. With a full setup done by a professional tech or luthier pickup height adjustment is usually the last adjustment if a pickup adjustment is even required. When you do neck adjustments, bridge adjustments, string gauge changes or anything else that impacts how far from the strings are from the pickups then pickup height adjustments are sometimes necessary.



Thank you.

It does not rattle around at all ... so I will just leave it alone ... this is my first Fender .. the pickups move much less on my other older basses.


Cheers


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 12:36 am
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Guitar / bass builder may use different foam density or they use rubber / latex mount.


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 11:35 pm
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AL G wrote:
.. the pickups move much less on my other older basses.


Cheers


That is for a couple of reasons. The foam on the really old ones was actually different materials from different sources but usually it came from the Sears store near Fullerton. Sometimes it was harder rubber than others similar to what was used as a mute on the bridge covers. I have seen some pickup foam essentially crumble on CBS era ones that may have endured some wild temperature swings, so sometimes on mid/late 60's CBS instruments it needs to be replaced but instead they just tighten down the pickup mounting screws until the pickup stops rattling.


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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 1:38 am
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AL G wrote:
I just picked up a new American Elite Jazz.
The bridge pickup is a bit loose. It can move some .. not during playing (that I can tell), but with my fingers.

Is this normal?

Thanks!


Just an FYI: I have an American Elite Jazz and my pickups sit rock solid in their cavities. YMMV.

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Post subject: Re: new American Elite Jazz Bass ... loose pickups?
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 5:51 pm
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MGM wrote:

Just an FYI: I have an American Elite Jazz and my pickups sit rock solid in their cavities. YMMV.


Thanks.
I better go take a harder look then ....


AG


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