Who can help with a temperamental pickup diagnosis?

[BadgerDave]

I have a Lollar low wind neck humbucker relic'd by Bill Nash. It was original equipment on a Nash Andy Summers tribute Tele.

The pickup worked fine for about six months of very light use, then started sputtering and dying out intemittantly. Bill Nash sent a replacement gratis and told me to keep the original. (How's that for customer service!)

Anyway, I've mounted the pickup in two subsequent project guitars, and it consistantly exhibits the same progressively deterioration:

1) Works and sounds great initially

2) After a few minutes of playing. starts to sound fuzzy and distorted, especially in the lower register

3) Gradually fades in volume, with intermittant recovery to normal operation

4) Cuts out entirely.

I've checked for cold solder joints and loose connections. I've also verified that everything is wired appropriately and that all other components are good. I have not removed the pickup cover or poked around inside it.

Any thoughts? I've never had a pickup exhibit this behavior.

Thanks,

Dave

[murkat]

magnet de guassed to almost nothing is my guess.

try a another magnet in it if you have a loose one.

If you do not, lmk

[Jeff R]

Are there any evident tears in the cloth on the bobbin, or is any piece of pickguard or plastic rubbing up against the winds on the bobbin? I wouldn't think so knowing the quality of your builds, but I ask ...

That's been the case with the JB Jr. in the bridge of my G&L strat in recent years. The pickguard rout was too tight for the pickup initially and apparently I damaged a coil with it moving in the rout over the years. It was working on/off all the time until recently when I said F-it, routed the coil hole in the guard a little larger and raised the pickup so the damaged part wouldn't butt up against the wall of the guard.

One thing cool about crapped out pickups. They make great magnetic screw holders during repairs. I used to keep a crapped out strat pickup in my work area just for that purpose.

[zenmindbeginner]

Yep, swap the magnet out and if that doesn't work... there's a break in the coils somewhere. There could be a solder joint that is bad between the coils and the lead.

The relicing process could have degaussed the magnet somehow.

Definitely take the cover and tape off and get a look at the coils... discoloration and or oxidation could very well mean that there is some shorting of the signal but that it might also work somewhat intermittently.

Is the cover just reliced or has the whole pickup been reliced?

[BCR Greg]

Heat it with a blow dryer until it's hot to the touch. Let it cool, reinstall. Report.

[atquinn]

If the magent is degaussed, there's no need to replace it. Just get a strong magnet, like a neodynium from Radio Shack and recharge it. Only take a minute to do. But I don't suspect that's the problem.

-

Austin

[crunchee]

Just trivia, in case you're interested...Andy Summers had similar pickup demagnetization/degaussing troubles on his Tele once, he tells about it in his book 'One Train Later: A Memoir', p. 305. I Googled it, you can read it online:

http://books.google.com/books?id=xMDFPefQC...p;q&f=false

Seems that the story that gets repeated, was that it occured while he was riding with his Tele, on a train or on the Tube, very near the engine car. His book says otherwise, that it happened backstage at a venue, when he leaned the Tele against some 'boiler thing' (they looked like boilers or industrial equipment of some kind, he says) before a show.

Odd that something similar is happening to your Nash Andy Summers Tribute Tele!

[carfish7]

Just trivia, in case you're interested...Andy Summers had similar pickup demagnetization/degaussing troubles on his Tele once, he tells about it in his book 'One Train Later: A Memoir', p. 305. I Googled it, you can read it online:

Odd that something similar is happening to your Nash Andy Summers Tribute Tele!

Now THAT's an authentic repro!