pickup screws and surgical tubing

[sgosnell]

I've used all sorts of things to dampen pickup vibrations. One thing that works is to use both springs and tubing. Get tubing that has an inside diameter about that of the outside diameter of the springs, and put the springs inside the tubing. That works a little better for me than just tubing. Judicious choice of spring diameter and stiffness helps. Silicone tubing does not degenerate quickly, so it should last for a long time. Latex or rubber, OTOH, degrades rather quickly. You can also wedge things between the pickup ring and the pickup, such as foam, guitar picks, sax/clarinet reeds, or whatever you have. I find that foam earplugs do a pretty good job, but they tend to be very bright in color, and are pretty obvious if you can see them at all, and you usually can. That's a cosmetic issue, though, and may or may not be relevant to anyone else.

[Max405]

On my Tal Farlow, I thought the rattling was coming from the springs that hold/adjust the pickup height. So I removed the pickups and replaced the springs with surgical tubing. When I put everything back together, I played the guitar and the same buzz (like a distortion) was present.
So, reached into the bottom f-hole because I thought I heard the noise coming from the pickup selector switch (on a Tal The pickup switch under the bridge, right next to the PickGuard). Sure enough, there was nut inside the body that sort of pinches that assembly together that was loose and rattling full time. It was like a built in fuzz box Gibson added in at no additional charge. I tightened it with my fingers and the buzz went away and never came back.
Then I went back in and replaced the springs. what a pain is the ass that was! I should have left the tubing in place..
JD

[sgosnell]

Stew-Mac sells a tool for holding things together while mounting pickup rings to pickups. It's pricy, but might be worth the money if you do a lot of that. I tend to just cut the springs sometimes if they're too long and too difficult to install. If you're not very careful, the springs end up on the other side of the room, underneath something. Yeah, they're a PITA.

[Gabor]

- About the gas: Even the case that the specific sponge releases gas, when the guitar is in open air (in a room, and not in a closed case) the chances of damage in the next 10 years are minimal.

- The springs are still there so the pickup height can be adjusted.