"The Mag" - not Stag Mag

[bloodspoint]

Does anybody know what this pickup is? I've had it since the 80's, used to have it my HSH Strat. It has flat polepieces, but not staggered like the Stag Mag, and 4-conductor wiring. Is this just the predecessor to the Stag, but otherwise the same?

Thanks,

Sean

[allstarrme]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

I believe its the same as the stag mag but without a stagger to the poles.

[ItsaBass]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

It evolved into the Stag Mag. I really wish they still made it. The old-style Fender stagger places the tallest magnet under the loudest string, if you are using a plain G as most people do. D'oh! You can certainly deal with it, but I'd prefer it wasn't the case.

[bloodspoint]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

It evolved into the Stag Mag. I really wish they still made it. The old-style Fender stagger places the tallest magnet under the loudest string, if you are using a plain G as most people do. D'oh! You can certainly deal with it, but I'd prefer it wasn't the case.

The stagger on Fenders was designed with a wound G in mind, which would have been about the weakest string. Of course a plain G is pretty loud. What a lot of people have done with Strat pickups is to gently tap the G pole piece lower. I wonder if the same would work with a Stag Mag.

[BachToRock]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

The original MAG used Alnico 5 magnets as well... it is a great pickup!

[ItsaBass]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

The stagger on Fenders was designed with a wound G in mind, which would have been about the weakest string.

Exactly. So why the prevalence of "vintage staggered" pickup designs today? I use a wound G on over half of my guitars, but that is very far from the norm. You usually cannot find more than a set or two of electric strings with a wound G in most guitar stores, if that. Yet many (most?) of the Strat pickups the same shop will have in stock are staggered for a wound G.

[SoundAt11]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

I've been using "The Mag" as a neck pickup for the past decade in an SG and in a PRS. It's perfect, in my opinion. It has a little scoop to the mids, which helps with clarity and not getting muddy or honky. The bass is strong, but clear and deep. Highs are clear and bright. It is loud, but clean. Distorted tone reminds me a lot of Slash's Alnico 2 Pro neck tone: clear and flutey. You basically can't mud up this pickup in the neck. I did use it for a while in the bridge and it was very bright. I reminded me a lot of a Firebird/mini-humbucker pickup and stayed articulate under a lot of gain.
I've tried the Stag Mag and didn't like it all. It really didn't share any of the same qualities. The Alnico 2 magnets gave it a duller, muddier tone and the staggered magnets made the response uneven. I'm planning to swap the magnets out in a Stag Mag to give it the same tone (I hope) as "The Mag" and set it up with a Triple Shot ring.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

Can the slugs in a Stag Mag be removed?

[ItsaBass]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

There are no slugs, just individual rod magnets. And, from what I have heard, yes, they are surrounded by plastic, so they can be swapped.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

Yeah, I know they are the magnets. Sorry I slipped with "slugs".

Thanks, good to know they can be removed without damaging the winding.

[Fusion1]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

I've done a pseudo stag thing with the slugs on a jazz and 59 before. Not sure if there is any long term benefit but I didn't care for the look so it went back to flat.

[Snoogles]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

can the pole magnets be filed down?

[ItsaBass]

Re: "The Mag" - not Stag Mag

can the pole magnets be filed down?

Sure, but physical changes and abrasion may change the magnetism of that rod magnet. And I am not sure what the benefit would be anyhow, when you can just buy a set of flat-pole (or whatever height you want) magnets for cheap and put them in.