I've been building guitars for a good twenty-four years as of writing, and find that a little bit of microphonics help in instruments that have good wood; not specific types of "tonewood" as such, but those occasional pieces that just have resonance and feel alive. Like when you pick up one of ten Teles and find one that has real responsiveness and character. Pair this with some slightly (or very) microphonic pickups and the whole thing comes to life when working as part of an amplified system with closed loop feedback. Like anything, you can have too much of a good thing. Equally, heavily potted pickups have their own place but are more resistant to mechanical noise and unwanted stray feedback. Potting is just another characteristic you can dial in, not a good/bad absolute.
*UNPOTTED* base + clean 0:48 -- back pup 1:00 ---- both pups 1:09 ---- no base 1:31 --- back pup 1:42 --- base + dist. 2:12 ---- dist. alone 2:55 *POTTED* base + clean 3:54 --- back pup 4:06 --- both pups 4:14 --- no base 4:36 --- back pup 4:47 -- base + dist. 5:18 ----- dist. alone 6:00
It could be confirmation bias but I prefer them unpotted unless I'm playing clean lines with high gain, then the overtones seem to make the attack mushy. I think its like choosing tyres for your car, you have to choose what's appropriate for your conditions and needs. You don't need snow tyres in the tropics, you don't need wax potting at low gain/volume
I have a set of old unpotted GFS KMZ PAFs in an Agile. I definitely like them a lot, but I'm not entirely sure I'd not enjoy them just as much potted. A stock unboosted JCM800 can easily generate enough gain to create microphonic problems, and I tend to use boatloads of gain. The potted sounds in the demo certainly didn't seem to lose much "mojo" - I'd hardly call that ruined, myself. Certainly makes for a more useful instrument, which is why EVH potted his patent number pickup that's in Frankie.
1 B potted 2 A potted 3 B potted 4 B potted listenign through my TV, there's a difference, like rolling the tone pot back a bit and it sounds a bit like there's a very tight and short reverb on one set of pickups, presumably the unpotted ones. I generally don't use unpotted as they do embarassing things with a moderate distortion with a loud band.
Leave it in the baking sun. I live in Phoenix AZ. I bought a pair of Duncan Slash pickups and left them in the car for half a day. Most of the wax came off, but it sounded very cool when I installed them anyway lol.
Warm them to 141° C. let the wax drain out. careful though, you will never be able to play loud again🤣so you are missin g the sound of VOX, Marshall, HiWatt etc........ruclips.net/user/sgaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f923.png
This is a toughie! However very interesting, not a lot of difference at all really, here's my uneducated guesses! Example 1 B I think is potted Example 2 A I think is potted Example 3 B potted Example 4 B potted God knows 😂
The difference in sound, especially in bands, is non-existent, it is a sophistication that cannot determine a choice of potted or unpotted pickup ... and come on !!!!!!
I've been building guitars for a good twenty-four years as of writing, and find that a little bit of microphonics help in instruments that have good wood; not specific types of "tonewood" as such, but those occasional pieces that just have resonance and feel alive. Like when you pick up one of ten Teles and find one that has real responsiveness and character. Pair this with some slightly (or very) microphonic pickups and the whole thing comes to life when working as part of an amplified system with closed loop feedback. Like anything, you can have too much of a good thing. Equally, heavily potted pickups have their own place but are more resistant to mechanical noise and unwanted stray feedback. Potting is just another characteristic you can dial in, not a good/bad absolute.
*UNPOTTED*
base + clean 0:48 -- back pup 1:00 ---- both pups 1:09 ---- no base 1:31 --- back pup 1:42 --- base + dist. 2:12 ---- dist. alone 2:55
*POTTED*
base + clean 3:54 --- back pup 4:06 --- both pups 4:14 --- no base 4:36 --- back pup 4:47 -- base + dist. 5:18 ----- dist. alone 6:00
It could be confirmation bias but I prefer them unpotted unless I'm playing clean lines with high gain, then the overtones seem to make the attack mushy. I think its like choosing tyres for your car, you have to choose what's appropriate for your conditions and needs. You don't need snow tyres in the tropics, you don't need wax potting at low gain/volume
high gain = distortion and squeal, maybe your hi-gain is at a very low volume?
I have a set of old unpotted GFS KMZ PAFs in an Agile. I definitely like them a lot, but I'm not entirely sure I'd not enjoy them just as much potted.
A stock unboosted JCM800 can easily generate enough gain to create microphonic problems, and I tend to use boatloads of gain.
The potted sounds in the demo certainly didn't seem to lose much "mojo" - I'd hardly call that ruined, myself.
Certainly makes for a more useful instrument, which is why EVH potted his patent number pickup that's in Frankie.
Agreed with all your points
Unpotted band mix 0:49
Potted band mix 3:54
Unpotted only guitar 1:31
Potted only guitar 4:36
1 B potted
2 A potted
3 B potted
4 B potted
listenign through my TV, there's a difference, like rolling the tone pot back a bit and it sounds a bit like there's a very tight and short reverb on one set of pickups, presumably the unpotted ones. I generally don't use unpotted as they do embarassing things with a moderate distortion with a loud band.
No 1 A potted, B unpotted
No 2 A unpotted, B potted
No 3 A unpotted B potted
No 4 A potted B unpotted
No. 1 A potted B unpotted
No. 2 A unpotted B potted
No. 3 A potted B unpotted
No. 4 A potted B unpotted
We never got the answer?
We'll be putting a follow up together soon.
Hi, when? 😂
How can I unpot my humbuckers? 😅
Leave it in the baking sun. I live in Phoenix AZ. I bought a pair of Duncan Slash pickups and left them in the car for half a day. Most of the wax came off, but it sounded very cool when I installed them anyway lol.
Warm them to 141° C. let the wax drain out. careful though, you will never be able to play loud again🤣so you are missin g the sound of VOX, Marshall, HiWatt etc........ruclips.net/user/sgaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f923.png
What guitar is that?
This is a toughie! However very interesting, not a lot of difference at all really, here's my uneducated guesses!
Example 1 B I think is potted
Example 2 A I think is potted
Example 3 B potted
Example 4 B potted
God knows 😂
The difference in sound, especially in bands, is non-existent, it is a sophistication that cannot determine a choice of potted or unpotted pickup ... and come on !!!!!!
Unwaxed is way better
You drowned the sound