Ibanez PM200, unpotted?

[danstabwoi]

Hey everyone, I'm new here (though have lurked, reading posts for years), so please excuse any potential faux pas in my thread.

I own the Pat Metheny signature 'PM200' from Ibanez, and it is an incredible guitar.

However, I am fairly sure the pickup that came on mine is unpotted. Or was potted incorrectly (I seem to remember a wax-like substance oozing out of pole pieces when it was new).

Can anybody who owns this guitar or knows about the Silent 58 pickup on it confirm this?

I have tried to contact Ibanez directly but unfortunately I get no response from them whatsoever. They just ignore my emails, as do their local distributor. It frankly seems to me like even they don't know...

I have looked in stores everywhere here (in the UK) to play a second copy, to confirm if it's an 'issue' with mine. Keeping in mind, the guitar sounds so good I am actually scared to get the pickup potted. I don't want to change its tone in any way. I only call it an issue as it's incredibly loud whenever my pickup makes any contact with it, and I know this can be corrected with improved technique rather than re-potting the pickup.

If anyone owns one, please reply with your experience! I'm more concerned about acquiring the knowledge on this pickup than anything else.

Cheers,

Dan

[GNAPPI]

Hey Dan, welcome.

I am no expert on pups, but I'm reasonably sure that removing one or more of the poles will pull up and show wax somewhere on the pole screw, or the hole left behind will have wax in it.

The two spare MIJ three screw Super 58's I have do not exhibit a trace of wax on the poles or in the (top / bobbin or bottom mounting plate) holes.

Big Mike is likely to have a definitive answer.

[BigMikeinNJ]

?Best place for info like that would be the Ibanez Collectors World forum. They’ve got a very nice search function.

[jzucker]

what makes you think it's not potted correctly? If you tap on the cover with your pick does it click audibly through the amp?

[icr]

Hollow and semi-hollow guitar bodies would likely cause problematic feedback before an un-potted pickup would squeal.

[danstabwoi]

Yes, if I tap on the pickup, you can hear it very clearly via the amp.

Of all my guitars, none others can be heard via the amp, except a Les Paul Custom, which can be heard but much much less than the PM200. I've been told before that they go very easy on the potting with Les Pauls due to it diminishing the quality of the sound.

I was just curious. I've never played another hollow body guitar, so thought perhaps it was simply the 'acoustic' nature of the guitar's shape creating noise from inside, being pickups up by the pickup.

I will certainly check out the Ibanez Collectors forum as well, thank you.

Does anyone else own a proper hollow body, and does it do this?

[TedBPhx]

My Ibanez GB10se also has a very loud pick on pickup sound. These are floating Humbuckers and I believe them to be unpotted. Adjusted my technique.

[TedBPhx]

Now that I think about it I vaguely remember some marketing spiel claiming unpotted makes the pups more micro-phonic and better at picking up the body cavity resonance on the GB10se.

[KirkP]

Potting not only reduces the microphonic character (which can have both desirable and undesirable affects), but also helps protect those delicate coils. Some pickup gurus suggest they pot in a way that preserves some of the desirable microphonics.
What is Wax Potting? | Lindy Fralin Pickups
If you don’t talk to your pickups about potting, who will…? | Lollar Pickups Blog

[jzucker]

Potting not only reduces the microphonic character (which can have both desirable and undesirable affects), but also helps protect those delicate coils. Some pickup gurus suggest they pot in a way that preserves some of the desirable microphonics.
What is Wax Potting? | Lindy Fralin Pickups
If you don’t talk to your pickups about potting, who will…? | Lollar Pickups Blog

i've got 50 year old unpotted pickups that are just fine. I actually prefer the sound of unpotted coils. As long as you're not playing super high gain sounds or continually hitting the pickup with your pick, there's no need for potting IMO

[KirkP]

i've got 50 year old unpotted pickups that are just fine. I actually prefer the sound of unpotted coils. As long as you're not playing super high gain sounds or continually hitting the pickup with your pick, there's no need for potting IMO

I’ve got a 50 year old Framus pickup that’s so microphonic it’s totally unusable, but that might be due to poor manufacturing and/or abuse. I think it’s unpotted, and perhaps potting might have prevented it. I’m tempted to try potting it myself, to restore the guitar back to playability. It’s the bridge pickup, so I’m more concerned about microphonics than tone. The single coil neck pickup is only slightly microphonic and sounds great in spite of it (or because of it!). If I pot the bridge pickup I’ll leave the neck alone.

[jzucker]

I’ve got a 50 year old Framus pickup that’s so microphonic it’s totally unusable, but that might be due to poor manufacturing and/or abuse. I think it’s unpotted, and perhaps potting might have prevented it. I’m tempted to try potting it myself, to restore the guitar back to playability. It’s the bridge pickup, so I’m more concerned about microphonics than tone. The single coil neck pickup is only slightly microphonic and sounds great in spite of it (or because of it!). If I pot the bridge pickup I’ll leave the neck alone.

In the unpotted pickups I have, the microphonics actually transmit - through the amp - some of the acoustic qualities of the guitar so it's as if you have a microphone on the guitar. Very sweet tone with an archtop.

Several manufacturers including gibson and duncan offer unpotted pickups. A friend of mine potted the pickups on one of his humbuckers and hated it afterwards. I trust his ears. He's a genius player with amazing tone.

[pingu]

Now that I think about it I vaguely remember some marketing spiel claiming unpotted makes the pups more micro-phonic and better at picking up the body cavity resonance on the GB10se.

(My day job is sound engineer)

i can can see the point of unpotted more microphonic pus on
set in PU ..... Totally in fact I expect it to be a good thing ....

but it on floating pus which are mounted so as to be
isolated from the body , not so much

could be wrong acoustics is a Very complex business!

[HarryPm]

....................
However, I am fairly sure the pickup that came on mine is unpotted. Or was potted incorrectly (I seem to remember a wax-like substance oozing out of pole pieces when it was new).

Can anybody who owns this guitar or knows about the Silent 58 pickup on it confirm this?

Hi Dan,
I am pretty sure there is no problem with your pickup.
I have both super 58 (pm100) and silent 58 (pm120) and i can confirm that the silent 58 had wax coming out of the pole when i adjusted it while the super 58 was completely dry.

I would like to play the pm200 also but I have never had the chance so far.
Enjoy your guitar without any concerns!

[whiskey02]

In the unpotted pickups I have, the microphonics actually transmit - through the amp - some of the acoustic qualities of the guitar so it's as if you have a microphone on the guitar. Very sweet tone with an archtop.

Several manufacturers including gibson and duncan offer unpotted pickups. A friend of mine potted the pickups on one of his humbuckers and hated it afterwards. I trust his ears. He's a genius player with amazing tone.

Yeah. If you have a guitar, even a solid body, that has a strong “acoustic” resonance, an unpotted pickup can work wonderfully. I have an inexpensive Dean LP style guitar the has an amazing acoustic quality. With a Seth Lover, guys I’ve played with have told me that if they had their eyes closed they would swear I was playing an archtop. The downside of a pickup like this is perhaps if you put it in a lifeless dud, it will accurately reproduce that.