Whats this thing called 'potting' for Pickups?

[thebassplaya]

I know this should be for bass but i posted it here anyway because here got more people....loL

anyways I played a bass with neck and bridge humbuckers but when i turn the volume to max then there will be heavy feedback, screeching/whistling noise....and it wont stop until i turn down the volume.

i know it is not the amp's problem since its got no problem with another bass. then someone told me that its possible my pickup needs potting...

anyone knows more about it? do u think potting will solve the problem? how much does it cost

 

[almondx]

edder does potting me thinks.

But first, do check if your pickups are already potted. I'm not sure how you do it for bass pickups. For guitar humbuckers you can usually tell underneathe the pickup itself there will be minor traces of wax.

Potting is actually a process of coating the components of a pickup with wax by dipping it into a mixture of paraffin and beeswax so as to reduce microphonic hum. It's actually quite easy to do with simple equipment, but can be very dangerous if not done right cause the wax is obviously flammable. Can also screw up your pickup if temperature is not managed well.

Hope this helps =)

 

[thebassplaya]

i checked a webby and the intructions dont seem to complicted but i have no idea how to take the PU out...

anyways the PU on the bass has a cover and i dont recall seeing any wax on it...

 

[subversion]

if your bass' pickups has adjustable pole pieces, raise them to see if there's any waz residue.

IMO swap your current pickups with wax potted ones. majority of the contemporary pickups are unless the manufacturer states otherwise. eg: Seymour Duncan Seth Lover model is not wax potted.

 

[puremilk]

different potting material produce variation type of sounding quality.

 

[edder]

edder does potting me thinks.

thanks for the plug but not anymore for the past dunno how many years.

but i still have that bottle of wax... whoo hoo...

 

[gsonique]

edder is the fella for queries on pot, wax , hair removal ...etc

 

[edder]

edder is the fella for queries on pot, wax , hair removal ...etc

merry christmas and a happy new year bro goose bro!

 

[AgingYouth]

I've never tried goose meat b4...