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Magnet swapping , how do they work ?


fretless

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Might want to check the Seymour Duncan forum. Those guys seem to do that sort of thing quite often going from ceramic into all the different flavors of AlNiCo and even using UnOriented AlNiCo 8 magnets.

I've opened a few humbuckers so that should tell you that it's NOT difficult. Access to the magnet is right there. The only real delicate part is removing/replacing the magnet. The MOST important part is getting the CORRECT size of replacement magnet. 1/2 mm off and it won't fit.

If you're going to use a regular oriented magnet as a replacement it would be good to have a compass handy or some other device so you'll be able to tell the orientation of the magnet (north or south) then mark the magnet and install it in the correct orientation.

A JB or Super Distortion, Evolution, PAF or any other type of humbucker is really no different. They will all come apart and go back together basically the same way. The only real differences are the size/type of magnet and the number of winds of the copper wire around the magnet.. These are the things that do most to alter the sounds of the pickups. Futzing around with the type of materials in the pole pieces, their length, their diameter, gauge of wire, whether you pot the pickup or nut, whether you use a steel or nickel cover or even no cover on the pickup will all have an effect on the final output tone of the pickup but none so much as the type of magnet and the number winds of wire around the magnet and pole pieces.

You might want to experiment on some cheap or crappy pickups first before you go screwing up a JB

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Might want to check the Seymour Duncan forum. Those guys seem to do that sort of thing quite often going from ceramic into all the different flavors of AlNiCo and even using UnOriented AlNiCo 8 magnets.

I've opened a few humbuckers so that should tell you that it's NOT difficult. Access to the magnet is right there. The only real delicate part is removing/replacing the magnet. The MOST important part is getting the CORRECT size of replacement magnet. 1/2 mm off and it won't fit.

If you're going to use a regular oriented magnet as a replacement it would be good to have a compass handy or some other device so you'll be able to tell the orientation of the magnet (north or south) then mark the magnet and install it in the correct orientation.

A JB or Super Distortion, Evolution, PAF or any other type of humbucker is really no different. They will all come apart and go back together basically the same way. The only real differences are the size/type of magnet and the number of winds of the copper wire around the magnet.. These are the things that do most to alter the sounds of the pickups. Futzing around with the type of materials in the pole pieces, their length, their diameter, gauge of wire, whether you pot the pickup or nut, whether you use a steel or nickel cover or even no cover on the pickup will all have an effect on the final output tone of the pickup but none so much as the type of magnet and the number winds of wire around the magnet and pole pieces.

You might want to experiment on some cheap or crappy pickups first before you go screwing up a JB

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Magswapping is great. I have a JB with alnico 8 in a spare pickguard for my strat. It sounds thick, and meaty, and has an impact like a sledgehammer. I also swapped the ceramic in my Duncan custom for an alnico 4 to get more of a vintage tone.

Here's a basic rundown of the most popular magnets:

Alnico 2 - LOTS of mids. subdued lows and highs. Lows are loose and highs are smooth. Very chewy sounding, and mid to low output. Great for EVH tones.
Alnico 3 - More highs than A2, less mids. Low output. Good for brightening up a neck position. Joe Bonamassa uses an A3 in his Seymour Duncan signature bridge pickup, and an A2 in the neck model.
Alnico 4 - Kind of a flat EQ. loose-ish bass, but not as loose as A2. Smooth highs, and mids that are there but aren't overbearing. Great note attack. mid output. Some say it's sterile sounding, but that's because it doesn't accentuate any particular frequencies unlike most other magnets. It does allow the guitar's natural voice to come through though. Good for bridge or neck position when you want a balanced EQ.
Alnico 5 - Lots of lows, scooped mids, and sharp highs. Mid to high output. Lacks the sag/chewiness of A2, 3 and 4. Pretty much the most widely used Alnico magnet, but it's one of my least favourites because of the mid scoop.
Unoriented Alnico 5 - Sort of a half-way point between A5 and A2. It's slightly lower output than a regular A5, but has more mids, sweeter sounding highs and more controlled bass. I find it still lacks a bit of the chewiness though. A good alternative to A4, or A2 even, when you want a vintage sound with slightly more power.
Alnico 8 - High output, comparable to ceramic. Tight lows, big beefy low-mids, slight spike in the upper mids that adds definition, and smooth highs. Makes a fantastically balanced magnet for bridge position for rock/hard rock/metal applications, and can really roar, but it can also clean up really nicely and still has a lot of the warmth and soul characteristic of Alnico mags. Not much chewiness though.
Ceramic - High output. Kinda flat EQ, but I find the bass often a bit boomy and the highs a bit harsh. Good note attack, and can be tight with the right wind. Kinda sterile cleans, but again....the pickup wind can make or break this magnet.
Double-thick Ceramic - Ceramic on steroids. slightly higher output.


Also, here's a video I made on how to swap mags.

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Magswapping is great. I have a JB with alnico 8 in a spare pickguard for my strat. It sounds thick, and meaty, and has an impact like a sledgehammer. I also swapped the ceramic in my Duncan custom for an alnico 4 to get more of a vintage tone.

Here's a basic rundown of the most popular magnets:

Alnico 2 - LOTS of mids. subdued lows and highs. Lows are loose and highs are smooth. Very chewy sounding, and mid to low output. Great for EVH tones.
Alnico 3 - More highs than A2, less mids. Low output. Good for brightening up a neck position. Joe Bonamassa uses an A3 in his Seymour Duncan signature bridge pickup, and an A2 in the neck model.
Alnico 4 - Kind of a flat EQ. loose-ish bass, but not as loose as A2. Smooth highs, and mids that are there but aren't overbearing. Great note attack. mid output. Some say it's sterile sounding, but that's because it doesn't accentuate any particular frequencies unlike most other magnets. It does allow the guitar's natural voice to come through though. Good for bridge or neck position when you want a balanced EQ.
Alnico 5 - Lots of lows, scooped mids, and sharp highs. Mid to high output. Lacks the sag/chewiness of A2, 3 and 4. Pretty much the most widely used Alnico magnet, but it's one of my least favourites because of the mid scoop.
Unoriented Alnico 5 - Sort of a half-way point between A5 and A2. It's slightly lower output than a regular A5, but has more mids, sweeter sounding highs and more controlled bass. I find it still lacks a bit of the chewiness though. A good alternative to A4, or A2 even, when you want a vintage sound with slightly more power.
Alnico 8 - High output, comparable to ceramic. Tight lows, big beefy low-mids, slight spike in the upper mids that adds definition, and smooth highs. Makes a fantastically balanced magnet for bridge position for rock/hard rock/metal applications, and can really roar, but it can also clean up really nicely and still has a lot of the warmth and soul characteristic of Alnico mags. Not much chewiness though.
Ceramic - High output. Kinda flat EQ, but I find the bass often a bit boomy and the highs a bit harsh. Good note attack, and can be tight with the right wind. Kinda sterile cleans, but again....the pickup wind can make or break this magnet.
Double-thick Ceramic - Ceramic on steroids. slightly higher output.


Also, here's a video I made on how to swap mags.

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I swapped a ceramic into my JB-7 from a Custom-7, replacing the stock Alnico 5. I was always trying to get that last bit of oomph from the JB.

Swapping a ceramic into a JB turns it into what they call a Distortion Lite, or a JB+. The JB uses an Alnico 5 stock, and the Distortion uses a double thick ceramic. I only had a single thick ceramic, but I swapped it in and reinstalled and I'm very pleased with the result. thumb.gif

The Alnico 5 went into the Custom, which turned it into a Custom 5.

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I swapped a ceramic into my JB-7 from a Custom-7, replacing the stock Alnico 5. I was always trying to get that last bit of oomph from the JB.

Swapping a ceramic into a JB turns it into what they call a Distortion Lite, or a JB+. The JB uses an Alnico 5 stock, and the Distortion uses a double thick ceramic. I only had a single thick ceramic, but I swapped it in and reinstalled and I'm very pleased with the result. thumb.gif

The Alnico 5 went into the Custom, which turned it into a Custom 5.

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i have a beater with dimarzio sd's in both positions & tried a couple swaps.

a2 in the neck - generally favorable - smoother lead tone, clearer cleans overall

a5 in the bridge - generally unfavorable -  brighter and buzzier, loss of some thickness.  (was hoping lower output would reduce the rattiness) .   I'm going to mess around with this a bit more & maybe try an A3 in there.  Leaning toward going back to the ceramic though.  edit #1: getting better results after pickup height & level adj - still pondering on this.

 

to compare I was A/Bing some rerecorded DI tracks in a DAW.  lot's of factors of course in the results - guitar itself, pickup height, gain into daw.  tried to keeps things identical in the recording.

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