Fender Custom shop Tele bridge squeal

[StarryNight]

Gents I've got a Fender custom shop Texas Special tele set in a nice 70's Telecaster on the bench (installed by the customer a fews years back). The neck pickup seems fine but the bridge, according to the customer, has always been overly microphonic. This pickup will squeal with an overdrive pedal and clean it will pickup the slightest tap on the guitar body and sounds like your tapping a microphone when tapping the pickup directly. I've tried replacing the height adjust springs with surgical tubing and check to see the if the baseplate was grounded. It is definately wax potted so other than having a short in the coil I'm not sure what the heck I can do to fix the problem. Any sagely advice welcome!

[the great waldo]

Hi Starrynight

Check that the baseplate is not loose from the bobbin, best to take it off and also see if there is a stripe of thin tape going over the magnets underneath insulating them from the baseplate. I have seen fender pickups that were not well waxed so you might have to rewax it. Don`t forget to check the dc resistance, if the coil is open circuit you´ll have a reading in the mega ohm range and still hear a signal from the pup although weak and hummy and the tone control wont work properly on the pup. (sorry forgot to mention to put the plate back on with some extra wax, warm the plate up with a soldering iron or whatever till the wax starts to melt out and hold it together with a cloth to keep your fingers from cooking)

Good luck

Andrew

[copperheadroads]

I agree with Waldo check that base plate , if its loose it will squeal like a banshee

[StarryNight]

damn I should get you guys to pick my lotto numbers! Removing the pickup revealed the baseplate was just wax potted to the bobbin. My guess is the guitar got left in the sun or in the trunk of a car and the wax broke away. I went a little crazy and cut a wide rubber band, placed in between baseplate and pickup and CA glued the whole thing together with the high viscosity stuff. I also syringed some low viscosity CA glue down the center hole at the top of the pickup. Result: she don't squeal no more! Thanks for the help!

[the great waldo]

Hi StarryNight

I´m glad you sorted out you´re problem. The rubber band might change the tone a bit as usually the baseplate is plated steel and part of the magnetic circuit, but who´s to know maybe it might improve the tone. Guitarists are a conservative bunch who will argue that that changing their worn out frets that make thier old guitar buzz and rattle and sound plain bad will change the tone for the worse, fortunately they usually go away inspired and re educated. Bye the bye if anyone knows where the guys at Heritage guitars get their fretwire from please let me know as it was a great shape and really hard wearing like the stuff from Gibson in the 60´s.

Cheers all

Andrew

[StarryNight]

Hi StarryNight

I´m glad you sorted out you´re problem. The rubber band might change the tone a bit as usually the baseplate is plated steel and part of the magnetic circuit, but who´s to know maybe it might improve the tone. Guitarists are a conservative bunch who will argue that that changing their worn out frets that make thier old guitar buzz and rattle and sound plain bad will change the tone for the worse, fortunately they usually go away inspired and re educated. Bye the bye if anyone knows where the guys at Heritage guitars get their fretwire from please let me know as it was a great shape and really hard wearing like the stuff from Gibson in the 60´s.

Cheers all

Andrew

Cheers Andrew. The gap the rubber band creates is probably about 1/32" so I hope it doesn't alter the sound too much. The baseplate is still well within the magnetic field and is also soldered to ground, but I hear you and I think it's a close match who is more neurotic between tele and Les Paul fanatics! Hopefully I won't be hunted down like the dog that I am.
Tony

[copperheadroads]

You can use silicone instead of potting it again