P-90 magnets

[philg]

Does anyone know if the magnets on P-90s are the same bar magnets as humbuckers use? If so can they be changed.

[Benjy_26]

Re: P-90 magnets

I don't hink that they would be, simply because a P-90 has magnets on either side of the polepices, while a humbucker uses only one magnet.


This is all speculation on my part though.

[BachToRock]

Re: P-90 magnets

They are generally the same...

[Tweed]

Re: P-90 magnets

Yes, and yes they are interchangeable.

[dani]

Re: P-90 magnets

i am not so sure. i thought p90s has opposing magnets. one on each side of the polepieces as what benjy said.

[Robert S.]

Re: P-90 magnets

They are the same and can be changed. p-90s just have 2 magnets.

[TheGZeus]

Re: P-90 magnets

Wouldn't that let you mix and match?

[Kent S.]

Re: P-90 magnets

Wouldn't that let you mix and match?

That sounds like a bad idea to me ... Also if you reverse the pole of one magnet in relation to the other the pup bascially doesn't work ... I've never done it, but it will magnetically cancel itself out ... it may be possible to get a small sound from it, I don't know, like I said never tried it.

[TheGZeus]

Re: P-90 magnets

That sounds like a bad idea to me ... Also if you reverse the pole of one magnet in relation to the other the pup bascially doesn't work ... I've never done it, but it will magnetically cancel itself out ... it may be possible to get a small sound from it, I don't know, like I said never tried it.

No, I mean different magnet types.

A3 and Ceramic, A5 and A2

[Kent S.]

Re: P-90 magnets

No, I mean different magnet types.

A3 and Ceramic, A5 and A2

That's what I'm talking about also. It just doesn't sound like that great of an idea, I have no idea what that would do, one way or the other ... you'd just have to try it and see.

[sanrafael]

Re: P-90 magnets

Try it and see is right. The P-90 is a sort of broad, flat pickup with plenty of room for a magnet on each side of the polepieces. An engineer who remembered pickups from only about 25 years earlier that had huge, heavy iron magnets would be trying to get as much magnetic field strength into as small a space as possible. You might also find that using just one (strong) ceramic magnet works fine. The purpose of the magnet is to magnetize the polepieces which magnetize the strings. I have read claims that the magnets under the coil put a magnetic field though the coil that affects the sound. I do not think so, but there could be some subtle effects which are hard to predict.

[TheGZeus]

Re: P-90 magnets

If they're the same polarity, things should be fine mixing types.

The point I was making is you could have the crisp attack of cermic mixed with sovter Alnico tone.

[Kent S.]

Re: P-90 magnets

If they're the same polarity, things should be fine mixing types.

The point I was making is you could have the crisp attack of cermic mixed with sovter Alnico tone.

I *think* what would happen is you'd just wind up with say the effect of an A4 magnet if you combined a A3 and an A5 ...Then again, the stronger magnet might just dominate the tone with it's character. ince there really isn't a side to side coil thing like on a humbucker, the two fields should mix into one field, although one side of the coil might still be effect differently? I realy don't know, an interesting experiment to say the least.