Need Help - HB floater pick click

[brewster]

Preface to this is that I largely play (and prefer) into a mic with acoustic archies, solo, duo, small group. Having some outside gigs this summer where I thought I would use my L-4C as it has a generic mini (JS?) style HB pickup for simplicity and less mic issues. I usually run instruments and vocals into a small board and then to a PA. I have other archies that have a better acoustic voice but the L-4C gives me a plug in option.

The way my mechanics work out is that for decades I have picked at/near the end of the FB. I am having a bit of difficulty trying to consistently move my hand/arm back a bit. I am not really an electric guy, though i have those toys too.

The primary problem I am having with the L-4C is that I am hitting the Pup cover with the pick too often and that click comes out of the amp. Kind of an annoying sound and its distracting too.

Ignoring the mechanics issue of my hand/arm location for now, is there a trick I can use to dull that "Pup pick click"? All I've thought of so far is maybe a piece of tape over the bridge side half of the Pup cover. Ideas?
Or is this more an issue reflecting a crummy Pup? Pup was already on when I got the guitar years ago (was someone's workhorse as FB was pitted up to 12-13th fret).

thanks, b

[gitman]

Any pickup with a cover will amplify this click. Either move your right hand further away from the pickup or glue a piece of felt or leather on the pickup to dampen the effect.

[omphalopsychos]

Solutions:

1) Add new wax potting to the pickup. This will eliminate the noise but you'll still deal with the annoying sensation of hitting the pickup.
2) Use a slimmer pickup.
3) Reset the neck. From the pic that looks like a shallow angle; I imagine it may have moved over time. This might be a useful step in routing maintenance you want to evaluate anyway.

[sgosnell]

You could put some felt or other fabric on top of the pickup, but it will look weird. I can't say whether that would bother you. It doesn't look like there is much room between the strings and the pickup, though, but that could be an optical illusion caused by the camera. With the pickup that high, the only solution may be to pick nearer the bridge. That's probably the easiest change to make.

[Cunamara]

Have the pickup wax potted, which will reduce most or all of the click. That's usually most prominent in unpotted pickups. The tone will probably change a little, though. I was beaten to the suggestion, now that I look back through the thread.

Jonathan Kreisberg puts a piece of tape on top of the pickup on that side to reduce the click on his ES-175, which presumably has the original Gibson Classic 57 pickups or something like that which are not potted. In some photos it looks like he uses duct tape. You might try clear packing tape, which would be less conspicuous. Maybe a couple of layers.

[brewster]

appreciate the info and suggestions. the wax potting comments are a bit above my level of knowledge. i ended up using a narrow strip of a thin piece of darker brown leather which i attached to the front half of the pup with double stick tape. fits well with the color scheme. got through the gig just fine too, no clicky!
thanks again.