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Post subject: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:01 am
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As noted in another thread, I have something of an issue with the pole pieces on my Mk2 HW1.

The E Pole pieces on the neck PUP project through the top of the cover by around 4mm. This is really annoying when finger picking as I keep catching the edge of my thumb on the pole piece.

So I came up with a cunning plan and I will let you know how it goes. I have 3D printed some shims to go between the top PUP plate and the underside of the cover to lift the cover higher up the pole pieces. So far I have just made 2mm thick plates to see how it turns out.

Obviously, by this method, the whole PUP cover will be higher . I don't know yet if this will be more or less obstructive than just the pole piece. My assumption is it should be better as catching the shell with my thumb will be less painful than catching the pole piece. Also, being a larger obstruction it may be easier to avoid the PUP cover than the stealthy sticky up sharp edged post.

I am anticipating that it wont work as, it seems such an obvious thing to do, I don't understand why I haven't seen it previously. Also, as you set the PUP heights to the E strings PUP's with flush poles will sit about the same height as the shells of my shimmed PUPs with tall outer poles.

I also accept that this might just be pertinent to MK2 HW1's as their PUPS have unusually high outer poles where a lot of PUPS have higher poles towards the middle.

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:34 pm
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Why don't you lower the offending pole pieces?
On cheap Vox pickups in the 60's (similar to a tele neck pickup with a chrome cover), we got "Second string overpowering tendancy", which was not present on Fenders
A friend of mine lowered all his with no noticeable difference to volume or tone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D31TGgcBPo

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:58 pm
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I am assuming they are the height they are for a reason as otherwise all pole pieces would be level. Perhaps the effect of changing the height of the pole on your friends Vox was reduced by the chrome cover generating a larger magnetic field?

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 4:32 am
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You misunderstand me John

I used a Vox pickup on 2 builds and like a lot of cheap pickups in the 60s, they made the second string sound a lot louder than all the rest

Image

This was a feature of these cheap pickups which Fender pickups didn't have
My friend had a real Sratocaster with staggered polepieces which he kept catching when playing , so pushed them all down so as to be like the non staggered polepieces on some Fenders today, with no apparent difference in either volume or tone

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 5:21 am
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It is possible, but there is a risk of breaking the windings.
Personally, I wouldn't do it unless I were financially and mentally prepared to replace the pickup.

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 8:45 am
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CB91710 wrote:
It is possible, but there is a risk of breaking the windings.
Personally, I wouldn't do it unless I were financially and mentally prepared to replace the pickup.


Yes, I wasn't over enamoured with the thought of hammering the pole pieces up or down. It struck me as an "It will go one of two ways" solution and I have spent so much on guitar parts recently I don't want to be buying replacement PUPs as well.

The shims have cost me next to nothing so I think it is worth a try. I may put on my luthier hat later and see how it goes.

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:44 am
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Wouldn't it be easier to move your hand to a different location to pick?
Or reduce you attack depth as to not hit the pickup?

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:09 am
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Image

Before:-

Image

After:-

Image

Image

Once I got into it it would seem that the PUP's had been set a bit high - this is what happens when you buy a guitar that has been "professionally set up". I hadn't queried it at the time as I didn't want to waste the added value of a Pro set up.

Either way it is still quite obvious how high the poles were above the cover.

It was perhaps the only thing I didn't like about the guitar and now resolved. Well worth half an hour of fettling.

Obviously you don't need a 3D printed shim and could use a piece of cardboard. The advantage of the shim is if keeps the recesses that the low poles sit in looking tidy.

In an ideal world I should have printed corresponding collars for the mounting bolts but that may be a job for another day.

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:20 am
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What material are the pickup bobbins made from?

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:21 am
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If yours are the original pickups, they should be moulded plastic bobbins not fibre and pushing the pole pieces down/up should be risk free.
According to the 2005 service diagram they are the same pickups as the Classic 70s and the recent Hendrix Monteray and from examples on the web it looks as though 4mm E is considerably higher than average.


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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:18 pm
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64Galaxie wrote:
If yours are the original pickups, they should be moulded plastic bobbins....


They are. As I noted previously, I am assuming the pole pieces are various heights for a reason.

I guess, if you have limited options on material and windings the only way they can then voice a PUP is by virtue of the height of the pole pieces.

Moving them up and down will no doubt work but (I assume) may or may not be different. I not unhappy with how the PUPs sound. Granted I might not like them as much as my hand wound 60's replicas or the CS Fat 50's but, otherwise they are fine.

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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:44 pm
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As a dedicated pole-pusher, some will - easily - others not. As CB says, you need to be prepared to buy new ones!

Having said that, I only move the 'middle' pole pieces and haven't had any problems so far. I only use a bit of scrap plastic to push them - but I know this is a contentious subject.

The only ones I haven't touched are Fat 50's - I've found them too stiff to seriously attempt. Pity really - I'd like the sound but dislike staggered poles.

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 12:53 am
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John Sims wrote:
Image

I'm relying on way old memory traces (& interweb pics from quick googling) here, but that stagger does not look like factory stock Fender 0054594000 (sometimes 005-459-4000) pickup stagger. Is it possible some earlier owner felt the highE sounded weak, and did the pole pushing trick?


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Post subject: Re: Pickup Cover Shim Plates
Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 2:28 am
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I photographed the back of the PUPs while the guard was loose. The guard was assembled 29th Jan 07 by CN and soldered by ES-HC, according to the label. The screws didn't feel like they had been removed since.

I bought the guitar from a guy who bought it new but, playing accoustic and classic, almost never played it. There was no fret wear and almost no wear in the thin coat nitro finish on the body which has changed notably since I have had the guitar.

All the poles at the rear, with the exception of the high E, are flush with the back plate. The high Es are pushed below the back plate by about 1mm judging by the photo. I am assuming this was done at the factory as, considering the use, I doubt it was done by the previous owner based on use or rather lack of use.

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