1 Topic by NPB_EST.1979 (edited by NPB_EST.1979 2011-07-26 08:55:10)

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Topic: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

What is your favorite pickup magnet and why????

I just started winding pickups. My kits come with A5's but I'm wondering if there's a preference for other magnets. A5 seems to be the standard... but I always thought it's because they brighten up otherwise dead sounding guitars (wood, finish, and construction issues).  hmm

I have Alnico 4 magnets in a set of Fralin 1960 clone humbuckers in a Les Paul and love them.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • Registered: 2010-02-01
  • Posts: 175

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

I love II's but not wound too hot !!

Also like V's for rock on superstrat type of guitars

  • From: West Sussex
  • Registered: 2011-05-17
  • Posts: 307

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

For humbuckers - Alnico 4 - BKP Mules in a LP standard.  big_smile

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

I've never been crazy about experments with magnet and things.  Alnico II and 5's I've had in different things.  I had a set of 57 classics that rocked and even some seymour duncans from different things and the 5's always seem to be my choice.  I think people are picky over the wrong thing though.  I think that the pickups are only part of the spice and the rest is in your capacitors.  I get a lot more trade off using a bright pickup like alnico 5 and can tame it with the different values.  My tastes are brighter then a lot of people care for though.  After a month of playing these new Fender Custom Shop 69's in my strat I can honestly say I love them now.  They are Alnico 5, as well as the pickups they replaced which were GFS 64 surf overwound pickups.  I preffer Clarity over mudiness.  That being said my dads strat has alnico 2's and that things bass sounds so strong  and has so much power to be such a weak magnet.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: N.Wales, UK
  • Registered: 2009-03-06
  • Posts: 2,183

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

I would say A2s...they stay tight...but have a smooth airyness...

But the A4s in the BK Mules are just fantastic...I just don't want another pickup after these...really.

A5 just don't hit me...

It depends on many different things though...if it's dead wood...it's dead wood.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

I tried single coil pickups with Alnico II magnets in a strat I had and thought it made the guitar dead. A5's are what do go for in a strat. A2's work well in a humbucker though!

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

Just found this:

Gibson used Alnico magnets in PAFs, the same magnet as used in the P-90. Alnico has several different grades and different magnetic properties (grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 are usually used), and Gibson assigned them quite randomly until the end of the era of early PAFs. The most common of these was Alnico IV. British pickup designer Tim Mills of Bare Knuckle pickups had spoken with Seth Lover, who revealed that the most commonly used magnet was the Alnico IV. It has also been discovered from order sheets, that Gibson ordered many Alnico IV magnets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAF_(pickup)

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

I have found that most of the time as long as the controls work good it doesn't matter what I've got.  My Old Les Paul Classic had Ceramic magnets in it the electronics were replaced with RS Guitarworks and I had a usable guitar at that point.  But the neck was weak and the bridge was hotttttttttt.  I don't like guitars biting my head off when I switch pickups on the toggle.  So I tried many different combos only to find that the biggest thing that helped me was the pots and the caps replaced.  The guitar is long gone but the memories come in all the time from it and I think if I could have done it over I would have kept the 500 T in the bridge and maybe got another one for the neck.  It really is a great sounding rock pickup.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-19
  • Posts: 113

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

No favorites here. Although I like alnico over ceramic.

  • From: West Sussex
  • Registered: 2011-05-17
  • Posts: 307

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

NPB_EST.1979 wrote:

I tried single coil pickups with Alnico II magnets in a strat I had and thought it made the guitar dead. A5's are what do go for in a strat. A2's work well in a humbucker though!

I agree A5s for strat pickups.

  • From: Ridgeland, MS
  • Registered: 2009-08-12
  • Posts: 1,248

Re: Favorite pickup magnet? (Poll)

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