What's the Best Pick-up Shield Material?

[quote author="Gus"]I have read don't use only beeswax

but to use 20% beeswax and 80% paraffin. This was from a Stew mac L.F. article. I use a temp control electric cooking pot with a water bath the 20/80 mix is in a coffee can with a temp probe in the water. Cool thing Michaels sells 4 oz of beeswax then you need to find a store for the 16 oz canning block of paraffin

I believe the 20/80 is so not to break the wires as the pickup goes from cold to hot or hot to cold.[/quote]
Gus, after doing some research on wax, I think this is a myth. Paraffin, as refined, is very soft, but stearic acid is added to raise the hardness/melting point. Beeswax is usually softer than paraffin, but parrafin varies in hardness significantly. Most parrafin isn't marked with the melting point.
I've read not to use beeswax alone because its melting point is too low, and might run out of the pickup if it gets hot (like in a car). This seems unlikely.

Anyway. I don't believe either of these waxes would have properties likely to break the coil-wire over time. I think the 80/20 has become a mojo/BS thing.

-Eric

There is that Q & A over at the Seymour Duncan page with 1000 questions answered.
I bet there are a lot of wax questions answered in there.
And wiring tips.

Eric

You might be right that it is a myth 20%/80%. I use rocks in the bottom of the coffee can and cook the pickup at 150F for a few hours. Some of the cheap steel pole ceramic seem to sound better(less harsh) I guess it is the different dielectic of the wax replacing the air.

Interesting. I used just Beeswax and I have Great results... It didn't melt in the last few gigs I did.... and made it through an NYC summer... but it would be a disaster if I did a summer outdoor gig in JULY :thumb: :green:

So I have worked this out to my satifaction. I ran a home run from the bolt that connects the plates and goes through the magnet to the ground of the connector. The same for the strings, but it didn't change the noise floor. Reenforcing the ground made the shield effective?

The hum is not all gone, but 80% better. The magnets definitely go North/South, but the wiring, I am not sure of. I would have to start with untapeing the coils. I cant just flip it. I ran a sheet of copper connected to ground around the p/u and it made no difference. I think I need to whip out my Pbass and see if I am on my own page.

To All My Friends!
:sam: :guinness: :sam: :guinness:

Babyhead,
Maybe you've misunderstood. The 2 halves of the pickup should be magnetically out of phase. If both pickup halves magnets are all facing the same direction the pickup cannot act as a humbucker. The 2 halves should be magnetically reversed from each other.

Maybe this is what you mean and I have misunderstood.

The magnets are definitely in opposite directions. One side of the p/u attracts a magnet, the other side repulses. I thought there was something to do with the coils running in opposite directions as well, but that might be relative to the poles.

Thanks again...

Yes, the coils must also be out of phase.