Bass pickup repair question.

[13m]

Hi guys

My lad has returned from school with one of the pickups on his bass not looking right. The metal bits hve paartially disappeared into the plastic.

Is this a home repair job or shop? I know precisely nothing about musical instruments, but I imagine that if I loosen the strings and unscrew the two screws I'll be able to remove and repair or replace the pickup. Is it that simple?



Many thanks

[Mave]

You'll need to take the scratchplate off as well as they're installed from the other side. If it still actually works, it should be an easy fix or bodge depending on value - may be that the threads on the pickup baseplate have stripped, you might be able to araldite a nut on to do the same job.

[13m]

Mave said:

You'll need to take the scratchplate off as well as they're installed from the other side. If it still actually works, it should be an easy fix or bodge depending on value - may be that the threads on the pickup baseplate have stripped, you might be able to araldite a nut on to do the same job.

Ok thanks. Are the pickups soldered into the guitar wiring?

[Mave]

Yep. I don't know much about basses, but assuming it's similar to a strat then there should be enough spare cable to lift the scratchplate off and see what's going on without desoldering anything, once you take the strings off. Does the pickup actually work? Plug it in and tap the metal pole pieces with a screwdriver and it should make a clonk sound. If they are working you may be able to fix the pickup in situ. From your photo it looks like the pickups have been shoved down the fine adjustment screws, and the covers have stayed in place or been pulled back into place separately from the pickups - no big deal as it's only a light fit that holds them together anyway. No real reason for the pickup wiring to be damaged unless an edge of the cover managed to snag a winding.

[Mave]

As a thought, have you just tried tightening the 2 screws? They both support and adjust the pickups. There are springs between the back of the scratchplate and the baseplate of the pickup. When you loosen the screws, the springs push the pickups away from the strings- when you tighten them they move closer. It MAY be that someone has loosened the screws and the pickups have been adjusted away BUT the covers are simply a bit loose and haven't moved with them.

[13m]

This was the problem. The little Taiwanese man who made the pickup did not apply enough super glue. I have araldited it and need to wait till it dries before reassembly.

[13m]

Thanks guys. For now the araldite fix seems to have done the job. Once again the house thrums to the strains of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Word Up.