Crouching Tiger Hidden Mudbucker

[Alanko]

Looks like a nice old Jazz bass... when suddenly!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-1962-FENDER-JAZZ-/162179272633?hash=item25c2a34fb9:g:o2cAAOSw-4BXaVKu

[Granny Gremlin]

Love it.  Considerred something like that (not a J but the stealth mounting of a mudbucker) myself a while back.  Those pole peice screws are nice and long (and easy to re[place with longer ones if needed).

[Basvarken]

Maybe Billy Sheehan's Attitude was an inspiration? Those have a hidden Willpower mudbucker at the neck too.

[Pilgrim]

Well, cosmetically it's appealing. I haven't seen that idea at work before, but it sure does hide the mudbucker.  Took me a minute to spot the screws.

[Dave W]

The mods are well thought out. It does look nice but why hide a glorious mudbucker? 

No matter how long the screws, having the coil and magnets that far away from the strings is going to change the sound to some degree. If I were considering making an offer, I'd want to hear it first.

[chromium]

Stealth attack!  I like it 

[Basvarken]

The screws on a mudbucker don't really have a function.
The magnets are on the sides of the pickup.
I would worry a bit about the distance of the actual pickup to the strings.
On the other hand; a mudbucker can be quite overpowering in combination with other pickups.
Maybe  having it so low would solve that?

[Granny Gremlin]

Yes they do - I have used mudbucker  polepeice (screw) height to balance string to string volume on my 65 EB3.

That may not hold true for the Reissue pup, Artec or the TBPlus-in-mud-clothing.

[Basvarken]

So what do they do exactly on a real mudbucker?
Widen/heighten  the magnetic field?

The mudbuckers I've seen ( both genuine Gibson and Artec as well as Gotoh) have those screws on between the coils. On a rail that isn't connected to anything really. Or am I missing something there?

[Granny Gremlin]

Just like on most other pups with adjustable poles, you can raise or lower them to affect the volume of a given string.  I am not going to pretend I understand the physics behind it or why that works, but it does.  I would guess that it extends the magnetic field so that the string is in a stronger portion of it vs weaker periphery. ... I guess it's also like raising the entire bridge pickup a bit or dropping the neck to balance out their relative output.

The screws on mine are magnetic (even though they are mounted into a place, as you say, between the coils and the magnets on the outer edges of those coils -  there could be a 3rd magnet or just by virtue of metallic contact between the center rail and the outer magnets - there is a baseplate - though if the magnets are strong enough that would not be necessary).  I have a reissue (out of a bud's Epi EB0) in the parts drawer that I could check as well. ... oh wait, if you look at the pics here (http://music-electronics-forum.com/t28235-3/) you can see the core sheet steel that runs through both coils and touches the outer magnets.  There's also that thing on the bottom middle that could be a rusty ferrous magnet, but I am not sure.

[Basvarken]

Interesting. Certainly different from the ones I've seen!

[Dave W]

The polepiece screws thread into a metal keeper which contacts a transverse-mounted flat piece of steel that runs through the center of both coils and contacts the magnets at each end. I'm not sure how this arrangement manages let the polepiece screw heights affect the output, same as an ordinary upright coil pickup, but it works.

[amptech]

Now that is what a jazz should look like! Maybe one of Doug Rauch's?

As for the polepieces, of course it does something - although I would not go as far as saying they can easily control the 'volume' of each string. Nonetheless they are a part of the magnetic structure, here as the south pole. Changing the physical pole will then again change the field lines that goes from north to south somewhat - but not that much, since the metal bar and coil blade will be the main part of the polepiece. If the pole piece is very close to the string, then the string will change the field different than a string distant from the pole. (I think )

[Dave W]

I agree that adjusting the polepiece heights can't do that much. But it can even out the string to string response.

[Pilgrim]

While we're at it, I offer a shout-out to a Jazz with color-matching body and headstock, PLUS all the covers.  Love that look!!!!