National D8 Sustain

[mick hearn]

I am in the process of doing up an old National. It was really bad so strip and respray was all that was left. While I am at it I am looking at ways of improving sustain. One is to use metal for the nut but on thinking about other bits and pieces I was looking at the bridge. Have a look at the pic and you will see that there is a blade bridge welded to the pickup plate but the only real contact with the wood is where the whole plate is held on by just two screws just behind the bridge where the strings attach. The front lip of the pickup plate is wedged in a groove at the end of the fretboard. Look under the pickup plate and you will notice quite a gap therefore no contact with the body. I am am contemplating putting a block under this so there is contact between the base of the plate and the body. The block will be wood or metal - probably metal.



I have a Fender Jaguar which was thin sounding and I now say that this guitar is worth 10p over the value. That is because I have 2 x 5p pieces stacked under the bridge. This made quite a difference in sustain.

Any thoughts?

[mick hearn]

Well the image didn't show. Try this.
http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/hearn ... g.html?o=0

[Mcneilwaeasteel]

Mick
Your image on photo et, did not show up either, try making the picture a bit smaller and re- post it on this post again, meanwhile I'll sit on tenterhooks with my brain in turmoil trying to solve your problem
Hope this helps meantime,
Regards
Robert

[mick hearn]

http://photobucket.com/images/gap%20under%20national%20pickup

Tried this link and it works.

Another flaw with the National is that the pickup is microphonic so tapping around the pickup can be heard. I am reluctant to take the coil out and wax pot of which I am competant, but another cause as I have experienced with metal covered humbuckers is that the top acts like a diaphragm. I was thinking of putting a smear of silicon on top of the pickup bobbin where it touches the cover. Thoughts?

[mick hearn]

Conclusion reached.

This is bad design on the partof Nationalasthe bridge occupies the same metal plate as the pickupmagnets and coil. Ihave tried a different coil from a modern pickup but still the same problem. As I do not want to cut the plate I have left everything in situ. I have installed a piece of steel bar under the bridge unit and the plate bites down on this. Sustain is now really good so at least that plan worked.