did ed tape or dip wax his pickups

[bluemustard]

I heard a story from my cousin.
He dipped wax or tape his pick ups for sustain or overdrive???
Anybody know?

[bluemustard]

I don't want y'all to smear wax on ur guitars LOL
But it was a weird story..is it true?

[jhale667]

He (apparently at the suggestion of Seymour Duncan) dipped his pickups in parafin wax to reduce microphonic feedback... it's now common practice among pickup manufacturers.

[Hardrock69]

I did that in 1982 with a Dimarzio Super Distortion Humbucker.

Played my 1975 Flying V (which I no longer have) through a Marshall Major 200-watt head, turned up to 11.

The pickups did not squeal at all.

However, the slightest touch of hand against string was enough to cause such high volume noise it was ridiculous.

[Nitro Express]

Wayne Charvel on the Waynesguitars.com website claims he was the one who showed Ed how to pot pickups in wax.

I know from old interviews Eddie said he would melt surfboard wax and soak the pickups in it. He said the Dimarzio pickups would melt if you wern't careful. After the pickup was waxed over Eddie would wrap tape around the pickup to protect the windings.

Look at the pickups on a Wolfgang guitar. There's a fabric type of tape protecting the windings since the have no covers or bezel around them. The windings in a pickup are hair fine wire and if you bust it, your pickup won't work so those windings need something around or over them for protection.

[bluemustard]

wow..this all sounds like rocket science..
cool
:D

[bluemustard]

can you use someting else instead of wax?
Like ducktape?
I dont wanna melt my dimazzios or something.
Im poor.If I fuck up with the wax I'll have no guitar.

[Don Corleone]

Originally posted by Nitro Express
I know from old interviews Eddie said he would melt surfboard wax and soak the pickups in it. He said the Dimarzio pickups would melt if you wern't careful.

But an old PAF you could leave to soak up the wax. I've read that one. But from what I hear Ed did wrap tape around the pickup to protect the windings after.

[BrownSound1]

Originally posted by bluemustard
can you use someting else instead of wax?
Like ducktape?
I dont wanna melt my dimazzios or something.
Im poor.If I fuck up with the wax I'll have no guitar.

Tape will not keep a pickup from squeeling. What causes the squeel is that the wires on the bobbins are vibrating from noise, or what have you, and you have to keep them from vibrating. For this you need either to dip them in wax or use an epoxy. Your DiMarzio's are probably already epoxy potted so you'd be wasting your time.

The tape on a pickup bobbin is just there to protect the wire from damage....it's a common practice on most inductors, as is potting them. I can't think of any quality pickup that doesn't have both already, except for the Duncan Antiquity pickups, which aren't potted.

[frets5150]

Originally posted by bluemustard
can you use someting else instead of wax?
Like ducktape?
I dont wanna melt my dimazzios or something.
Im poor.If I fuck up with the wax I'll have no guitar.

Is that what Duck Tape looks like? :D

[bluemustard]

brownsound & frets!
Thanks for the info brownsound.

LOl frets! Yep..thats what ducktape looks like..hahah