How Not to Wax Pot a Vintage 1966 Strat Neck Pickup
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- I thought I would share my mishap so that others don't make the same mistakes. It was a little embarrassing, but hey, you learn from your mistakes. All is well. Aaron will fix it again. It was sounding great before I messed it up. I demo the guitar (minus the neck pickup) using my new Rode Wireless Go II at the end of the video. It still can't handle the volume very well.
I watched several YT videos and had some good instructions from Aaron but none of them emphasized how careful you actually have to be. None of them (except Aaron) mentioned letting the pickup rise to the same temperature as the wax before setting a timer. The normal waxing time is 15-20 minutes but I wanted to keep the potting at a bare minimum and thus the 30 second potting time. But, it may take several minutes for the pickup to rise to the same temperature of the wax or +/- 150 degrees F.
00:00-8:00 Discussion on wax potting videos, my mistake, and the Rode Wireless Go II system
08:00-10:20 Preparing the wax solution with a paraffin/beeswax recipe, discussion on why
10:20-11:00 Using Super Lube grease to cover and protect the handwritten date and signature
11:00-12:30 Discussing reason for aiming for a light potting, soak time, and how it affects tone
12:30-13:42 Dipping the pickup
13:42-15:07 Trying to remove the thick wax from the pickup
15:07-16:15 Pulling out the dreaded chopstick as a last resort to remove the wax
16:15-17:15 Showing how I damaged the pickup
17:15-17:33 Photo of damaged pickup
17:33-18:52 Soundcheck of 1966 Strat using bridge/middle position on some SRV
Guitar - 1966 vintage Strat with a 1962 neck
Amp - original 1964 Fender Super Reverb with original Jensen C10 speakers
Effects- preamps on the Funky-Vibe and Supa-Trem as clean boosts. - Hudba
Love to millstap!
I don't know why we find humor in others pain. But i can't stop chuckling ....😆
Lol, it IS funny. It's just life. All will be good in the end.
@@millstap Years ago i used to have a 3 pickup Gibson SG custom, I bought 3 new lolar pickups for it at some point, When i decided to sell the guitar years later I pulled the lolars out of it & while doing so i noticed the holes in the bobbins had wax in them so i tried to clean it out, While cleaning the wax out i ruin each one of the pickups by breaking the wires , So i know the feeling. I never told this story before, It was to panful & I'm way to smart to do something as dumb as that...But i did it.. PS more time then not you can pull the bottom bobbin down slightly ,Enough to take that broken lead wire and unwrap it once so you have enough lead so it can be laced back through the hole & it can be resoldered
@@gatormcklusky5850 Lol, that is exactly why I almost didn't post this video but I knew it might help someone later, hopefully. I was more concerned about the dent I put in the coil. I'm not sure if that affects its performance so I wanted Aaron to look at it, and pot it because I don't want to try it again, yet. Now that I think about it (and I shouldn't be), I have a set of Texas Specials that I don't like that maybe I can experiment on. I should try my de-potting thing and then re-pot it.
Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure it can be fixed and in the worst case rewound and still sound killer. I can tell you are still a true aviator, sharing your mistakes so we don't repeat them 👏🏼 👍🏼 On the pro side, that Strat has got some middle & bridge pickup mojo going on. So no reason to put it down while the pup is in repair.
As far as I know EVH used to pot his pups so hot that the plastic part shrunk 🤔😅
Youre making me hungry
Thanks for more entertainment millstap
You're welcome.
I got a Rode Mic I plug to my iPhone 12 works nice for acoustic guitars
Yes, the last soundcheck section is done with the Rode Go II through my iPhone. It would sound great with an acoustic but not with super loud amps.
You will fix it. I know. 😉👍
With the type of music we play, I don’t even bother with potting.
The coils just can’t be all loose/sloppy.
That sucks man. Hopefully your buddy can fix it. I'm sure you could've too.. Just tact that wire back on, but that's easier said than done. :)
Yes, I probably could have soldered that wire but I was also concerned about the dent I put in the coil. I'm not sure if that affects the pickup's performance.
Have u ever tried a tonemaster super reverb? How does it compare to its tube brother?
I have not. I just can't get into the digital thing. For around $600 more, you could buy a vintage Super Reverb. They are still cheap in comparison to other vintage amps. I know they are much heavier and require tubes and maintenance, but they tube growl is impossible to immulate with digital circuitry.
weird? I've been making pickups for years never wax potted any of them, even at high gain no squealing. and I do play in bands, so sometimes I'm pretty loud!
Do you use a machine winder? I’ve been told you can wind the wire tighter and that sometimes stops the squeal but Aaron tried that and it didn’t work. I think Fender potted most of their pickups. Do you ever use a fuzz pedal or Tube Screamer or OCD? Those are my pedals that start the squeal.
Hi! This is irrelevant to the video but my strat needs a refret so here goes: Did you ever feel a need to polish the EVO frets on your strats that have them? Stainless apparently requires no care and stays slick for optimal bending. Was just wondering how your experience with EVO wire was after all these years. Would really appreciate your input!
I've only polished the EVO's when I'm cleaning the neck just to see them shine. They are still almost like new after all these years. Incidentally, I just bought a new StewMac Z-File yesterday to recrown my nickel frets that are getting flat now. It is a diamond file and I might check the EVO's in a few spots just to see where the crown is. If anything, the EVO's might get what I would call lumpy or wavy but that isn't a very good description. They will be good forever as far as I can tell and the crowns are still perfect. They bend very nicely and the height is still there.
@@millstap Good to know, I'll go with EVO's too then. Thanks for replying and take care! Looking forward to the next video.
@@millstap BTW, what do you think of the gold shade, does it clash as much as one would imagine with the regular silver colored hardware on the guitars, or is it rather subdued? Does it fade over time? I don't fancy the gold look much to be honest.
@@N0thingIsTrue Depending on the lighting, from a few feet away I don't even notice a difference. I usually have to point it out to someone but then they are usually not guitar players. Don't let the color distract you if you want frets that last forever and sound good.
@@millstap Thanks! That's quite reassuring. Considered stainless for a while but apparently it has an effect on tone. Watched a comparison video from warmoth and could tell that SS was brighter, nickel warmer. I'm sure it could be EQ'd out but I'd rather go with something closer to nickel. EVO sure seems like a happy medium between the two.
I think you might need to raise the volume on the mic audio in your editing software during the speaking parts.
Thanks. I had my mic set in stereo and it was only in the left channel. I fixed it.