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PancakeBillW - Posted - 11/18/2023: 14:40:02
Helping a buddy ou and he is helping me out, he loaned me his Hound Dog Deluxe while my F60 is in the shop. He told me he thought there was an issue with the ground. The issue had multiple folds. 1, the ground on the inside of the jack was grounded to the outside. C'mon. so the wire that should have gone to ground on the pickup just connected to itself. The pickup itself had no insulating shoulder washer! So only signal going to the jack. So this was first part of issue, had to dismantle to set right. The Fishman instructions read to screw the tension screw until just touching, then one turn. My experience says to put bridge under load, then screw to just touch and then 1/2 turn.
Back to instructions, Then put washer over the screw, and tighten with the self locking nut. This would eliminate tightening the screw anymore, because the washer pickup would be loose. Hard to tweak to just right tension in this way.
I don't know if I am overthinking, or on the right track.
I see 2 wys to solve. Maybe. One, add a second nut to the screw, then the washer, then the locking nut, leavin some space, this way the tension screw has some room to work.
Two, toss the donut and buy and install a Nashville bridge. (which is what he thought he had anyway). Upgrade cone and spider at same time. Easy for me to tell him to spend the money! Aside from spending his money, do you think just follow directions and have no further adjustment on tension screw or isolating the donut and retaining some tension adjustments?
Lounge Primate - Posted - 11/18/2023: 16:12:44
Toss the donut. Go Nashville Fishman system.
MarkinSonoma - Posted - 11/18/2023: 17:44:17
As Brooks wrote, just have him lose the donut pickup Bill. It's not worth the effort.
In the evolution of dobro pickups a major improvement came about when the Schertler Basik was introduced going on 20 years ago. They still sound good, but they can have issues with feedback.
The Fishman donut pickup sounds bad, and it has even more issues with feedback.
I bring up the Schertler because it reminded me of what Brad Harper wrote on the no longer Reso-Nation Forum when he was building Reso guitars, ballpark 2005. He installed a then new Schertler in a guitar and wrote something like, "the Schertler makes the Fishman donut pickup sound like an AM radio."
Since then of course the Fishman Nashville pickup has taken over, the first version around 2009, and the improved version in 2013 - a good thing.
And if one doesn't want to go through the hassle of the Nashville - because there is some hassle, along with the expense, including the Aura JD pedal or some other "sound shaping" device, a good option is the made in Oregon Krivo resophonic pickup.
It's a very thin surface mounted magnetic humbucker so on its own without additional sound shaping it will sound slightly lap steelish, but it does sound very good and is a piece of cake to work with.
PancakeBillW - Posted - 11/18/2023: 18:39:29
Well, since he doesn't play amplified very often, he may want to hold on to it. I had the donut in mine, and suffered the feedback etc and changed to the Nashville last year. Right now just trying to get him going.
I will mention it to him though. Last year mine did the Nashville, the Beard Legend, the adjustable spider and the aura.
I'll talk to hm tomorrow.
In the meantime, does my idea sound like it would work to keep the adjustable tension screw working?
PancakeBillW - Posted - 12/05/2023: 16:32:54
I just wanted buttoned back up, so the donut is isolated on the cone screw. screw still has some movement/. Plugged in, it works. So seems to be OK, he doesn't want to go the whole Nashville route.
don02639 - Posted - 12/17/2023: 10:53:17
I did what you suggested, added a stop nut just for the donut pickup. It worked fine as long as the signal is shaped with a good preamp. Also I noticed the screwhead did not fit down flat inside the saddle slot, it sort of wedged half way there. I think that was the cause of the funky sounds and screw loosening. So I took a chance and opened the slot on the spider. Seems to work fine.
PancakeBillW - Posted - 12/17/2023: 21:42:34
I think you did right, but if there was not enuogh room between the two parts of bridge, they were placed too close together. Hope it works out for you.
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