Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:16 pm
[From a post on the G&LDP: Various sources to consider by GPD on June 02, 2009]
On traditional Tele style guitars there are various sources of the squeal. The most obvious is the pickup
itself and on MFD’s it can be the following:
• Pickup adjustment elevator springs. G&L switched to surgical tubing to resolve this and if your ASAT Classic
style models don’t have this feature I’d recommend it...it works well and eliminates this potential source of
microphonic feedback.
• The pickup itself. It could be the coil pack or it could be a loose pole piece insert or it could be the brass
plated steel keeper plate not being glued to the magnet or the magnet not glued to the bottom of the coil
form. Check to make sure the keeper plate and magnet are securely glued in place to the coil form.
Re-glue if you find them loose. The pickup can be re-potted which is simple enough though I’d recommend
having it be done by somebody that has a vacuum potting service. Jason Lollar, Lindy Fralin and a host of
other pickup mfg.’s will gladly handle this for you.
• The bridge plate itself. These are extremely flimsy since they are stamped from a very thin gauge steel.
They distort easily when mounted to the body and often do not sit flush and they’ll vibrate and cause a
terrible microphonic feedback. The solution I’ve had great luck with is to melt a mixture of paraffin & bee’s
wax on the body before mounting the plate and cinching it down. Using some Naptha you can wipe off the
excess that squeezes out and this will solve the problem.
That’s about the only sources there are and the problem lies within one of these three options…a process
of elimination will cure it for sure.
Hope this helps,
Gabe