Hey there, folks!
As I've been asked a question or two about wax potting pickups since I've been on here, I wanted to go over the tips and tricks that I've learned over the years as to the most effective way to do this process. The perfect opportunity has recently presented itself because I just took in 3 vintage cream 1970s DiMarzio "Dual Sound" pickups in a trade for some guitar work. While these pickups DO sound amazing, they were never potted, so since I had to do this process three times in a row, I figured it would be fun to document my work and share it with the Forum.
First, a word on why this needs to be done. In the olden days, pickups were never potted (largely because amps had FAR less gain in the 50s and 60s then they do now), so almost all really old pickups are microphonic. Conversely, almost ALL mid to high priced modern pickups are potted at the factory. How can you tell if your pickup is microphonic? Have you ever had a guitar or pickup that had a high-pitched squeal or noise when you turn up the amp? I'm not talking of good, musical feedback that swells from your notes. I'm speaking of a shrill, ear-piercing noise like when a microphone is too close to the PA speakers/monitors. This is caused by sound waves from the amp/PA penetrating the pickup and vibrating the coil windings themselves causing this HIGHLY unpleasant noise. In the following process, we will immerse the pickup in melted wax (namely paraffin) to stabilize the coil as well as all other elements of the pickup. This should make it impervious to microphonic feedback, and you can then mute your strings at high volume without that annoying squeal.
First, here are the tools I use:
This is my wax melter. I got it on eBay for around 50 bucks. It was designed for spas and salons, although I have no clue what THEY use it for. It keeps the wax melted at a nice and stable 150-160 degrees Farenheit, which is the ideal temperature for our needs. If you get the wax much hotter, you can melt the actual pickup bobbins, and if you have the wax too cold, it won't properly penetrate the coils and you won't solve the problem. If 50 bucks is too steep, you can also do what I did during my college days: use a Rival Hot Pot like you get at a drug store. Basically, you NEED a double boiler, because you don't want hot, molten wax anywhere NEAR an open flame for reasons that I hope are obvious. In those days, I filled an old, cleaned-out tuna fish can with wax and put it in the hot pot with boiling water around it. If you use this method, take care not to over-heat the water, as the turbulence caused by the boiling can shake your tuna can and water can splash into it, which would be unfortunate at best. As to the paraffin, you can get it cheaply at any online hobby store and a lot of drug stores. Get unscented PURE paraffin ONLY, or you will wind up with lavender or patchouli scented pickups, which might suck.
Also, some mix beeswax with the paraffin, but I have never done that and so can't speak for it's effectiveness or not. Straight paraffin has always done the trick for me.
This is a look inside the pot of the wax melter. The wax is pre-melted here, and note the blue marbles at the bottom. These standard size flat style marbles (round ones would work just as well) keep the pickup from making any direct contact with the hot metal bottom of the pot and provide a bit of over-heating insurance.
This is my thermometer for measuring the temperature of the wax while I work. It's a standard meat thermometer that you can buy at any grocery store for a couple of dollars or so.
This picture shows the thermometer in action. It's just over 160 deg F here, which is a BIT hot, but the relatively cold room-temperature pickup going in will drag it down a bit, so we should be fine.
Here is our guest of honor - a 70s DiMarzio Dual Sound that squeals like a pig when the Marshall is turned up. Not for long...
We have all the tools we need now, so let's get to work!
Here the pickup has just been placed into the wax. Note the tiny air bubbles on the surface. That's what you want to see. The air in those bubbles coming from the pickup are being displaced by the hot wax, and they mean that the process is working and is under way. You want to let the pickup soak in the hot wax (while monitoring the temperature) for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. This is because the entire pickup needs to warm up to the temperature of the wax, thus allowing the wax to fully saturate the entirety of both coils. Some people like to put rubber bands around the pickup to keep the black cloth tape around the edges from unravelling, but I have never done this for two reasons. One, the tape has never unravelled on me, and two, the rubber bands leave unsightly "scars" in the wax when the pickup is dry, and I don't like to leave ANY kind of marks on anything I work on.
I occasionally tap the pickup with a chopstick or jiggle it by it's cable while in the wax to jar any trapped air loose. I usually do this every couple of minutes or so. When you can do this consistently and NO air bubbles come up to the surface from the pickup, you're done.
Here I am lifting the pickup out of the wax and letting the majority of the excess drip back into the pot to avoid a big mess at cleanup. When the drips stop, it's time for the next step:
Here I am tapping the pickup onto a paper towel to shake out additional excess wax.
Now, I take a piece of paper towel and wipe the outsides, top, and back of the pickup clean from excess wax WHILE THE PICKUP IS STILL HOT. That's important because once the paraffin dries and hardens, it's a PAIN to clean off.
All done and cooling on the towel. In about 45 minutes or so, this pickup will be ready to rock any high gain amp (or arena!) in a noise-free manner.
Some notes on other pickup types:
For standard single coils like Strat pickups, the process is much the same...just set the plastic covers aside - do NOT immerse them with the pickup!
For chrome/nickel covered pickups (like a lot of humbuckers and Tele neck pickups), LEAVE THE COVER ON. Any attempt to remove it may damage the coil windings if you're not careful or do not FULLY understand what you're doing. Plus, you want the wax to fill the cover and fully encase the coils. If not, the air between the coils and the cover can create a mini reverb chamber for the sound waves and the whole operation could prove futile. I actually tape over the pole piece holes in the covers to allow the maximum amount of wax to dry inside the pickups for just this reason.
Anyway, I hope this long winded thesis hasn't bored you and that you were able to glean a thing or two from it. Pickup potting is actually fun to do, and the results are undeniable. Enjoy yourselves and have fun with it. Feel free to respond with any questions or rants about this post and I (or any of the other techs around here) will, as always, do our best to answer them!
Cheers!
-Lane
As I've been asked a question or two about wax potting pickups since I've been on here, I wanted to go over the tips and tricks that I've learned over the years as to the most effective way to do this process. The perfect opportunity has recently presented itself because I just took in 3 vintage cream 1970s DiMarzio "Dual Sound" pickups in a trade for some guitar work. While these pickups DO sound amazing, they were never potted, so since I had to do this process three times in a row, I figured it would be fun to document my work and share it with the Forum.
First, a word on why this needs to be done. In the olden days, pickups were never potted (largely because amps had FAR less gain in the 50s and 60s then they do now), so almost all really old pickups are microphonic. Conversely, almost ALL mid to high priced modern pickups are potted at the factory. How can you tell if your pickup is microphonic? Have you ever had a guitar or pickup that had a high-pitched squeal or noise when you turn up the amp? I'm not talking of good, musical feedback that swells from your notes. I'm speaking of a shrill, ear-piercing noise like when a microphone is too close to the PA speakers/monitors. This is caused by sound waves from the amp/PA penetrating the pickup and vibrating the coil windings themselves causing this HIGHLY unpleasant noise. In the following process, we will immerse the pickup in melted wax (namely paraffin) to stabilize the coil as well as all other elements of the pickup. This should make it impervious to microphonic feedback, and you can then mute your strings at high volume without that annoying squeal.
First, here are the tools I use:
This is my wax melter. I got it on eBay for around 50 bucks. It was designed for spas and salons, although I have no clue what THEY use it for. It keeps the wax melted at a nice and stable 150-160 degrees Farenheit, which is the ideal temperature for our needs. If you get the wax much hotter, you can melt the actual pickup bobbins, and if you have the wax too cold, it won't properly penetrate the coils and you won't solve the problem. If 50 bucks is too steep, you can also do what I did during my college days: use a Rival Hot Pot like you get at a drug store. Basically, you NEED a double boiler, because you don't want hot, molten wax anywhere NEAR an open flame for reasons that I hope are obvious. In those days, I filled an old, cleaned-out tuna fish can with wax and put it in the hot pot with boiling water around it. If you use this method, take care not to over-heat the water, as the turbulence caused by the boiling can shake your tuna can and water can splash into it, which would be unfortunate at best. As to the paraffin, you can get it cheaply at any online hobby store and a lot of drug stores. Get unscented PURE paraffin ONLY, or you will wind up with lavender or patchouli scented pickups, which might suck.
Also, some mix beeswax with the paraffin, but I have never done that and so can't speak for it's effectiveness or not. Straight paraffin has always done the trick for me.
This is a look inside the pot of the wax melter. The wax is pre-melted here, and note the blue marbles at the bottom. These standard size flat style marbles (round ones would work just as well) keep the pickup from making any direct contact with the hot metal bottom of the pot and provide a bit of over-heating insurance.
This is my thermometer for measuring the temperature of the wax while I work. It's a standard meat thermometer that you can buy at any grocery store for a couple of dollars or so.
This picture shows the thermometer in action. It's just over 160 deg F here, which is a BIT hot, but the relatively cold room-temperature pickup going in will drag it down a bit, so we should be fine.
Here is our guest of honor - a 70s DiMarzio Dual Sound that squeals like a pig when the Marshall is turned up. Not for long...
We have all the tools we need now, so let's get to work!
Here the pickup has just been placed into the wax. Note the tiny air bubbles on the surface. That's what you want to see. The air in those bubbles coming from the pickup are being displaced by the hot wax, and they mean that the process is working and is under way. You want to let the pickup soak in the hot wax (while monitoring the temperature) for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. This is because the entire pickup needs to warm up to the temperature of the wax, thus allowing the wax to fully saturate the entirety of both coils. Some people like to put rubber bands around the pickup to keep the black cloth tape around the edges from unravelling, but I have never done this for two reasons. One, the tape has never unravelled on me, and two, the rubber bands leave unsightly "scars" in the wax when the pickup is dry, and I don't like to leave ANY kind of marks on anything I work on.
I occasionally tap the pickup with a chopstick or jiggle it by it's cable while in the wax to jar any trapped air loose. I usually do this every couple of minutes or so. When you can do this consistently and NO air bubbles come up to the surface from the pickup, you're done.
Here I am lifting the pickup out of the wax and letting the majority of the excess drip back into the pot to avoid a big mess at cleanup. When the drips stop, it's time for the next step:
Here I am tapping the pickup onto a paper towel to shake out additional excess wax.
Now, I take a piece of paper towel and wipe the outsides, top, and back of the pickup clean from excess wax WHILE THE PICKUP IS STILL HOT. That's important because once the paraffin dries and hardens, it's a PAIN to clean off.
All done and cooling on the towel. In about 45 minutes or so, this pickup will be ready to rock any high gain amp (or arena!) in a noise-free manner.
Some notes on other pickup types:
For standard single coils like Strat pickups, the process is much the same...just set the plastic covers aside - do NOT immerse them with the pickup!
For chrome/nickel covered pickups (like a lot of humbuckers and Tele neck pickups), LEAVE THE COVER ON. Any attempt to remove it may damage the coil windings if you're not careful or do not FULLY understand what you're doing. Plus, you want the wax to fill the cover and fully encase the coils. If not, the air between the coils and the cover can create a mini reverb chamber for the sound waves and the whole operation could prove futile. I actually tape over the pole piece holes in the covers to allow the maximum amount of wax to dry inside the pickups for just this reason.
Anyway, I hope this long winded thesis hasn't bored you and that you were able to glean a thing or two from it. Pickup potting is actually fun to do, and the results are undeniable. Enjoy yourselves and have fun with it. Feel free to respond with any questions or rants about this post and I (or any of the other techs around here) will, as always, do our best to answer them!
Cheers!
-Lane
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I'm not sure if the plastic is just a cover or not. Would I be able to dip them plastic and all. I'd hate to try and take them apart and end up ruining something. 
