Pickup Wax Potting: Pros/Cons?

[bblooz]

I have a 1959 Guild T-100D with dual P-90 type pickups (made by Frantz for Guild). This is a hollow-body (think ES-125TDC), and the pickups sound real good at low volume, and seem to be really responsive and articulate, but as soon as I turn it up a bit to get some crunch, it howls like a banshee. I just am not that knowledgeable about pickups, but have heard dipping these pickups in wax will reduce the microphonics. I am just concerned about changing the sound of these 55 year old pickups. Any thoughts from the forum on my dilemma?

 

[Walter Broes]

I wouldn't be surprised if most people who actually use their old Franz pickups have potted them. I know I have, and forum member Billy D.Light has too. You don't have to go crazy potting them, I've potted mine myself in a wax pot suspended in a pot of hot water, just hang them in the wax until the bubbles stop coming up.

I haven't noticed any adverse effect on sound - and what good are they if they sound unbelievable, but you can't use them?

 

[Harpymorgan]

How about trying a tone post. Seemed to have an effect on my bluesbird.

 

[bblooz]

How about trying a tone post. Seemed to have an effect on my bluesbird.

I don't think the post will help much. I believe it's the windings. The guitar doesn't feedback with a solid-state amp, just my old analog tube amps! I know some of the old Blues guys in Detroit used to stuff foam pieces into the F-holes on some of their archtops.

 

[bblooz]

I wouldn't be surprised if most people who actually use their old Franz pickups have potted them. I know I have, and forum member Billy D.Light has too. You don't have to go crazy potting them, I've potted mine myself in a wax pot suspended in a pot of hot water, just hang them in the wax until the bubbles stop coming up.

I haven't noticed any adverse effect on sound - and what good are they if they sound unbelievable, but you can't use them?

I see you have several oldies with the Franz PUs. What kind of wax did you use?

 

[Walter Broes]

a mix of unscented paraffin wax, and pure beeswax. There's more paraffin in the mixture than beeswax. Heat it up in a double boiler (---> suspend your wax pot in a pot of hot water) because it's a little dangerous straight on the stove : the wax catches flame a lot earlier than you think it will. Never had anything go wrong with the double boiler method, it's really very easy actually.

When the wax is all liquid, suspend pickup underneath the surface on a piece of string until no air bubbles come up, take out, wipe the larger surfaces free of wax, let set for half an hour, and you're done.

 

[bblooz]

Walter:

Thanks for the potting instructions. I will try it and let you guys know how it works out!