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Loose pickup (!)

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4/9/1999 8:01 AM

Loose pickup (!)

This is basically a continuation of the recent thread about improving sustain. My Gordon Smith has a single HB of unknown type or origin which sounds fat and well balanced. The problem with the guitar is its relative lack of sustain. I'm in the process of following up some suggestions made here to improve the hardware side of things (ie., making a pseudo-wraparound bridge using the existing stop tailpiece, re-cutting the nut, etc)but have noticed that the HB is very loosely fitted. I've heard of guys actually fixing the PU to the body cavity and wondered if anyone had an opinion on this . Thanks. Chris.

4/9/1999 10:43 AM

On some HBs, the base tabs where the height adjustment screw threads are tend to be fairly deep in the guitar body, especially if you're trying to keep the neck pickup from being too close to the strings. The springs supplied may be extended pretty far, to where their force exertion capability is minimized. Maybe try some longer springs, or ones made out of larger diameter wire.
I've never seen pickup mounting springs get catalogued as to length or spring constant, but there are many different types & sizes floating around. DiMarzio has pickup mounting ring & spring kits, as do AllParts. You may be able to find some parts hanging on card racks at your local music emporium.

Another thing is that pickups suspended by only one spring on either end will have a natural tendency to rock back & forth. Not much you can do about that except strategically place some (1/4" or 3/8" thick) cut foam strips down inside between the lower sides of the pu and the wood. Gibson & gibson copy pickups have the usual two mounting screws. Some aftermarket pu's like Schaller (look in StewMac catalog) have two screws, rather than a single screw, on one end. This design is for better string-to-polepiece alignment where the string path is angled wrt/ the pu mounting plane, but a tripod mounting system also prevents the rocking.

(enough rambling) Doc

4/12/1999 7:24 AM
Chris	Thanks Doc, I've since replaced the stock HB anyway. The new PU is a Seymour Duncan Custom and came supplied with firmer springs which has resulted in near enough no PU movement and a MASSIVE improvement in tone and sustain! Chris

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