Pickups on 1973 Emmons Push Pull

Chuck Hamilton · Post by **Chuck Hamilton** » 5 Oct 2023 11:51 am

The pick up on the E9 neck of my 1976 Emmons push pull has gone microphonic. It appears to be the original single coil pick up. I would like to replace it with something that will keep that great Emmons sound. My friend Henry Matthews said a single coil pick up at about 16.5 ohms might be good but other than that I don’t know where to start to decide what to buy or where to buy it. I’d appreciate any thoughts y’all might have. Thanks!

David Higginbotham · Post by **David Higginbotham** » 5 Oct 2023 1:00 pm

Wax the windings and re-install the pickup should resolve your issue. I’ve done several in years past with great results.
Dave

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 5 Oct 2023 1:43 pm

Potting the pickup might do the trick. Other than that you could buy a pickup from the new Emmons guys or any number of pickup builders.

Jason Putnam · Post by **Jason Putnam** » 5 Oct 2023 5:32 pm

I put a 15k Clay Alden pickup in mine and it’s great. Check out his site he has several different windings available.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 5 Oct 2023 6:28 pm

Clay builds the new Emmons pickups ! So there you have it.

I have had pickups made by Scott at

https://www.steeltronics.com/

he does a great job.

Also Nick at

http://fryerguitarpickups.com/

is now offering wide mount pickups for Emmons steels. He makes pickups for Sho Pro.

Chuck Hamilton · Post by **Chuck Hamilton** » 9 Oct 2023 8:39 pm

Thank you for your suggestions!

What does it mean to "wax" the windings and how does one go about doing it?

Also, what does potting the pickup mean?

I would like to keep the original pickups if possible but will also look into the new ones you recommended.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge!

Dave Campbell · Post by **Dave Campbell** » 10 Oct 2023 2:03 am

waxing and potting the pickup are two terms for the same thing. microphonics are caused by air in between the windings allowing the windings to pickup vibrations. to fill the gaps, pickup makers will submerge the pickup in pot of liquid wax.

David Higginbotham · Post by **David Higginbotham** » 10 Oct 2023 6:36 am

Chuck, Dave’s explanation is essentially correct. But completely submerging isn’t necessary. Carefully remove the covering around the windings and use a candle to drip melted wax onto the wound wire. The wax will quickly solidify and stop any loose windings from moving, which is what’s causing the microphonic noise you’re hearing. A loose winding will pickup and amplify any vibrations. Carefully use a quality electrical tape to recover the windings after the wax dries completely and you should be good to go.

Dave

Dave Magram · Post by **Dave Magram** » 10 Oct 2023 10:03 pm

It's amazing how much info one can find on YouTube!

I've never done this so I can't recommend any of these videos, but perhaps someone who has re-waxed a guitar pickup can comment on these three examples...

How To Wax Pot A Guitar Pickup At Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t60NN13Grf0

How To Wax Pot Guitar Pickups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE0pZ4_jxO0

Guitar Pickup Potting - How To - DIY - Eliminate Microphonics & Squealing - Easy Effective -wax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFEyQaMflcI

- Dave