Gearhead wrote
Ouch, I never even considered non-waxpotted pups :-[ thought that was just a sixties anecdote by now.
Au contraire, mon ami - Early pickups were never potted, because volume and gain weren't
de rigeur. Some types of pickup are actually best unpotted (or very lightly) - Tele bridge models being a good example. Most boutique winders do a light potting to solidify the outer coils but still leave some life, but some will only pot on request. Also depends on the intended application - a high output pickup will always be potted heavily while a vintage style PAF will only be potted lightly.
I've noticed that even heavily potted pickups in guitars used at high volume eventually become microphonic - I think the constant vibration the guitar is subjected to eventually shakes the windings loose (ever try an old DiMarzio Super Distortion? They are almost guaranteed to be microphonic).
I can't pot anymore - I used to have an old Cookin' Crock and a temperature gauge, but got rid of them when I stopped fixing as I rarely play at volume myself.
@Donovan - You're welcome to contradict and question me - keeps me on my toes and helps me learn more. ? Having said that, pickup squeal is not affected by setup in any way, it's microphonic feedback from coils vibrating around magnets (or occasionally on cheap pickups, loose polepieces vibrating in coils).
