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Post subject: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:07 am
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Hello everyone,

kindly help me on this, why do pickups die or cease to work, when all they do is get the sound from the bass. Humidity? Negligence? Abuse? Ground? Vibrations? Current???
I think manufacturers should put EXPIRY dates on them!
My Quarter Pounder Jazz bridge pickups suddenly went off after 12 - 15 years! and one of my 1972 originals expired after 40 years.
I plan to get Aguilars or Fender custom pickups to replace them, how can we PROLONG the life of our Jazz bass pickups?

Any suggestions , insights?

Thanks very much!

Bon Ruiz
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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 5:55 am
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Humidity -- yeah, you may be on to something. It's possible the pickup pole pieces are corroding internally, and as the rust grows, it eventually shorts the coil windings or causes enough internal stress to open the winding at one point. It's also possible the coil wire itself is corroding, the same way a car battery cable can corrode internally in high humidity environments (I'm talking about 100% rusted out) but still look ok from the outside.

Some people try to adjust the pole pieces of JB pickups to compensate for the ridiculously tight neck radius (two major design flaws on Fender's part, IMO), which will abrade the wire insulation and possibly cause winding failure down the road. I assume you are not doing this.

You should do a post mortem on your pickups to find the cause. At least get a resistance reading.

Next set of pickups you buy, try potting them in something to seal them hermetically. I'm thinking several coats of clear laquer or maybe poly. But I'm not a coatings expert, and there may be other, more suitable options.

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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:20 am
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Small magnets only last for so long. Over time they loose their strength. It's amazing most last as long as they do. I don't believe you really can say how long each magnet will last. I have thought over the years, if the metals the strings are made of can, or will draw power from the magnets, and depleting a magnets power. Nylon strings. 8)

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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:43 am
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Stewart-Macdonald has a PDF guide to winding pickups with their Schatten winder that may help you determine what's going on and how to proceed.

Here: http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/i-2105/i-2105.pdf.

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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:40 pm
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Until recently I did not know magnets could be re-magnetized. I had purchased a 72 jazz where the bridge pup was really weak. I was just going to send it in for a rewind but my tech re-magnetized the pup and brought it back to life. Not full strength, but I can definitely live with it. Learn something knew every day.

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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 4:00 pm
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:) Hello everyone, thank you very much for your valuable insights.
I always learn many things about Fender basses here.
Bon Ruiz


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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:13 pm
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affprod wrote:
Until recently I did not know magnets could be re-magnetized. I had purchased a 72 jazz where the bridge pup was really weak. I was just going to send it in for a rewind but my tech re-magnetized the pup and brought it back to life. Not full strength, but I can definitely live with it. Learn something knew every day.



What??? No S*H*I*T! Wow! That's a new one on me.

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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:06 pm
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I think some of it also it has to do with the type of magnets used as poles. Some materials retain magnetic properties way longer than others.

Also exposure to magnetic fields can be detrimental.

With vintage pickups the primary cause of sudden total failure is broken windings. Breakage of the winding can happen when dirt or even metal filings work their way into the windings and vibrations cause the foreign objects to eventually wear through a strand of the winding. The enameled winding wire is about the thickness of a thread. Metal filings are the worst because the magnetism of the poles pulls it deep into the winding.


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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:01 pm
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That does not sound good . I knew that the steel wool was bad. But I guess it can get inside the covers. I just got a bunch of steel woll dust all over my Jazz pickups==== I did not do it. Someone else did. I will tape up Pu's when I mess with steel wool. I vacuumed the stuff on the surface. Should I take the pickups out of the bass and check underneath or remove the covers and vac? What do you suggest Bro Dave?


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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:40 pm
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I would vacuum as good as possible around a modern Jazz or P-Bass pickup without removing the covers. The covers can keep the metal from getting to the coils. This is more of a problem on first generation P-Bass pickups and Telecaster guitar bridge pickups that don't have covers over the coils other than a waxed twine wrap and a ribbon. Metal filings get around that and it's bye-bye. I would not use DUST OFF or compressed air as that will just blow the filings in deeper.

YES you should completely tape up pickups with masking tape before doing anything that could generate metal filings, such as using steel wool to polish frets. When finished blow compressed air all over it, then tape over the pickups again. Then remove both layers of masking tape like it was one layer. That way you trap any filings that didn't blow off between the two layers of tape and they won't ever be an issue.


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Post subject: Re: Why do Jazz bass pickups die? Do all pickups expire?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:57 pm
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Thanks again Brother Dave!

By the way what's the best way to keep / store jazz bass pickups?
Should they be in separate boxes? w / silica gel bags to prevent moisture?

I am getting some spares from a friend and would like to store them properly.

Have a nice day everyone!

:D


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