How to remagnetize pickups?

[roadsleeper]

Hi all,

Anyone know how to do this? I did a search for it but only turned up something on remagnetizing speakers. I suppose the principles would be the same, but the thread never got that far.

Anyway, I'm trying to remagnetize my 10 year old Alnico II Pro single coils... can this be done? I've heard that you can take pickups to autobody shops to do this sort of thing, any truth to this?

Also, how does one tell if one's pickups need this done to them? With an ohm meter?

Thanks!

[Jester700]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

Get a 2.5" x 1/5" x 1/4" NeoDymium magnet and go to town.

[rspst14]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

Assuming the pickup hasn't been exposed to any strong sources of magnetism, you shouldn't need to remagnetize it. The amount of of strength the magnet loses over a ten year period is so small that it's not worth worrying about. But if you're sure the magnet has been significantly weakened, it would be easier to spend $5 on a new magnet rather than trying to remagnetize it. As far as measuring the magnetic field, you can't do that with an ohm meter. You'd need something that measures magnetic fields in units of Gauss. I imagine such a thing exists, but I'm really not an expert on magnetics.

Ryan

[Jester700]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

RSPST14,
The word you're looking for is "gaussmeter", and they're out there, for a couple hundred bucks. You can build one for much less, but the hall effect device that senses the field is very hard to get ahold of (if that's the only electronics part you're after).

Alnico single coils would be 6 rods each, and wouldn't be that cheap or easy to get either. Much easier to get the NDym and recharge them yourself, IMO. Plus, you can do that while they're IN the guitar.

[roadsleeper]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

Get a 2.5" x 1/5" x 1/4" NeoDymium magnet and go to town.

And where would one go to to find such a magnet? Sounds like that sphere thing in Galaxy Quest...

What do I do with the magnet then? Just stick it on the pickups, and if so until what happens or for how long?

As for the pickups demagnetizing, I honestly don't know how much magnetism they've lost. But my guitars have been on several dozen flights in that time and each time they're subjected to the x-ray scanners and who knows what else...

[Jester700]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

http://www.wondermagnets.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/WMSstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=0066

Sorry, it's only a 2" magnet. Should work, though. AMPGE has 3 1/2" ones for $6.

[Benjy_26]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

And where would one go to to find such a magnet? Sounds like that sphere thing in Galaxy Quest...

What do I do with the magnet then? Just stick it on the pickups, and if so until what happens or for how long?

As for the pickups demagnetizing, I honestly don't know how much magnetism they've lost. But my guitars have been on several dozen flights in that time and each time they're subjected to the x-ray scanners and who knows what else...

I wouldn't worry about losing anything on 10 year old pickups.

[Jeffrec]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

I agree. It probably doesn't have to be remagnetized unless it's really weak sounding (and you're sure it's wired properly). If you're still concerned, I would call Duncan's customshop and see what they suggest or what they would charge to remagnetize.

[BlueGuitar]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

RSPST14,
The word you're looking for is "gaussmeter", and they're out there, for a couple hundred bucks. You can build one for much less, but the hall effect device that senses the field is very hard to get ahold of (if that's the only electronics part you're after).

You can buy the uncalibrated hall effect device for a few bucks from Radio Shack (the 800 number not the store). Here's a pdf file I put together from a few on-line sources on building the $5 gaussmeter:

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/misc/gaussmeter!.pdf

Alnico single coils would be 6 rods each, and wouldn't be that cheap or easy to get either. Much easier to get the NDym and recharge them yourself, IMO. Plus, you can do that while they're IN the guitar.

I'd get the neo magnets from Steve Kersting at AMPGE:

http://www.ampge.com/

[Jester700]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

You can buy the uncalibrated hall effect device for a few bucks from Radio Shack (the 800 number not the store). Here's a pdf file I put together from a few on-line sources on building the $5 gaussmeter:

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/misc/gaussmeter!.pdf

That's the one I was gonna build. I didn't know the 800 number had different stock than the online catalog! I'll give it a shot.

[roadsleeper]

Re: How to remagnetize pickups?

Here's a pdf file I put together from a few on-line sources on building the $5 gaussmeter