Howdy...I am building a two string, short scale, stand up ( well...sit down) bass. I want to mount a Gitty bass pickup under the strings but on top of a short L bracket which will be mounted to a block on the inside wall of the narrow box. This L bracket would pierce the top through a narrow slit, bend at 90 degrees, and allow the pickup to be mounted directly under the strings. The pickup would be mounted on top of the bracket on a thin wooden base. My question...Would a bar metal L bracket interfere with the pickups ability to do its job property? Would an aluminum bracket be needed instead? I have never seen this type of configuration, but it seems like it could be a viable solution to my situation. Thanks for any thoughts that folks might have!
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Replies
Hi Terry, just to expand on Picks fine explanation.
I started doing this a few years ago, see photo, as a way of mounting a pickup in a box where the pickup does not touch the top.
The reason was to not have anything on the top that could interfere with the tops vibrations. Trying to get the best out of an acoustic/electric set up. The pickup sits in a hole in the top and looks like it is mounted there, but actually the angle bracket is mounted to the neck block, and nothing touches the top.
Oh, the brackets are thin aluminium sheet folded to suit.
Taff
Aluminum and steel both effect the pickup's magnetic field. Sometimes it's in a good way and sometimes in a bad way.
One thing that is good about aluminum is that if enough aluminum is used, it can make 60 cycle hum disappear from single coil pickups.;)
Hi . Any "magnetic-able " metal close to, or touching, a pickup will have some effect on it , even with a thin barrier . this can be undesirable . yet sometimes desirable or acceptable ..
Depending on why you want this configuration, there may be other options also . for example , you CAN mount the pickup inside the box under the lid, and the pickup will still read the strings through the wood top ,, even up to 1/4 inch thick. This is a good option for folks that dont want to ruin artwork on the box or fear cutting into it . the trick is to leave a very small space between the pickup and box lid . and not have it touch , otherwise it can sound microphonic and "piezo-ish " . also , strings that are too high can cause it to be less effective . but you can also drill small holes into the lid and insert small bolts /screws to extend the pickup poles . etc etc ..
Also . if the box is tin or metal , it may cause you issues , you most likely want to separate any electrical parts with non magnetic materials (.ie ; rubber washers etc) and no direct contact with box . otherwise the pickup wants to read the entire box ,, not just the strings etc ..
hope that helps .. or maybe i just gave you more questions . lol.
Hey Pick, and Taffy...Thanks for the replies. I was able to glean useful info from both of your suggestions. Taffy, your approach seems to be the best approach for my situation, and should provide a mount less susceptible to vibration than my idea. Thanks guys...Bless...Terry