Question Does this 1993 SR5 H have ceramic or alnico pickups/polepieces?

[Mu5icM@n]

I'm pretty confused about the ceramic/alnico polepieces thing. My understanding is that the ceramic pickups were introduced with a third phantom coil, but my '93 SR5 fretless looks to have a ceramic magnet glued to the polepieces, which are sort of grainy, definitely not shiny on the surface. There is no phantom coil. I'm the original owner of the bass, so there haven't been any mods along the way--it's totally stock. Any idea what might be going on here?

I can upload pics shortly,

Tom

 

[tbonesullivan]

does the thing on the bottom have polepieces, or is it just a flat magnet?

 

[Mu5icM@n]

does the thing on the bottom have polepieces, or is it just a flat magnet?

Here are pics:

 

[tbonesullivan]

that's definitely a nice big ceramic magnet. I've seen several different pickup designs used over the years when I was looking into this. You may want to contact EBMM customer service to see if they can give you more info.

 

[Mu5icM@n]

that's definitely a nice big ceramic magnet. I've seen several different pickup designs used over the years when I was looking into this. You may want to contact EBMM customer service to see if they can give you more info.

Talked to EBMM Customer Service--apparently they made a "Rev C." pickup and preamp very briefly, which was a 2-coil ceramic pickup and accompanying preamp. Not many were made, and this bass is one of them.

Tom

 

[tbonesullivan]

so, what happens in the middle position? single coil? or does it have a filter, much like the SR5 single H has now?

 

[Mu5icM@n]

Single coil, with hum.

 

[Soulkeeper]

I thought the the timeline for the SR5 pickups went like this:

• 1987: Model introduced, with AlNiCo
• 1991: Switched to ceramics
• 2005: Introduced HH and HS, still going ceramic
• 2008: Switched back to AlNiCo

Is this incorrect? If so I'll have to update Wikipedia...

Oh, and by the way, if any experts see this, maybe they could share the approximate time when MM switched from the hexagonal steel battery cover with screws, to the screwless plastic cover? (Sorry for drifting a bit OT.)

 

[Gravesend Black]

My ray is '95 ceramics single H and it is noisy with single coil and series position when I'm cranking the treble on the preamp and the amp. What Rev. C means?

 

[tbonesullivan]

My ray is '95 ceramics single H and it is noisy with single coil and series position when I'm cranking the treble on the preamp and the amp. What Rev. C means?

Rev. C is short for revision C, or the C version of the preamp for that particular bass. I would guess that makes it the third version of the electronics.

Another thing to remember is that while most hum is eliminated with the RWRP coils, even with shielding the cavity, some hum will always remain. When you crank up the treble, you increase any that remains.

 

[Mu5icM@n]

Customer service said that they first changed to ceramic/no phantom coil, but added the phantom coil pretty quickly. There weren't many Rev C pickups/preamps made. He did say it might have been as late as '95 or '96 before they were 100% switched over to ceramic/phantom coils.

 

[Mu5icM@n]

My ray is '95 ceramics single H and it is noisy with single coil and series position when I'm cranking the treble on the preamp and the amp. What Rev. C means?

The hum from single coil pickups is at 60 hz from 60-cycle A/C power. The treble knob wouldn't make that worse. You're probably hearing higher frequency interference caused by an unsheilded control cavity.

 

[Gravesend Black]

The hum from single coil pickups is at 60 hz from 60-cycle A/C power. The treble knob wouldn't make that worse. You're probably hearing higher frequency interference caused by an unsheilded control cavity.

Did you mean that something is wrong with my bass shielding or that seems like usual effect? That is my first EBMM so I do not really now how it should be.

 

[Golem]

Rev. C is short for revision C, or the C version of the preamp for that particular
bass. I would guess that makes it the third version of the electronics. .......

Version C would be 3rd version, REVISION C would be 4th version, eh ?
Just a friendly semi-OT comment from The Grammar Nazi

 

[Nicolas Chelly]

Hey ! I have a 2007 SR5 with rev B pickups without fanton bobin and seems to be alnico and it was six monthes before the march 2008 new pickups ! Is it a kind of proto ?