Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

[blueman335]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

I've done a lot of mag swapping and never known the magnet's orientation. You don't need to. I push the old one out halfway and hold the new magnet to it, so the ends repel & sides attract. That's the orientation. I would highly advise against taking out both magnets in a P-90 at the same time. You can get easily them in wrong. Life is simpler when you do them one at a time.

[arya44]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

I've done a lot of mag swapping and never known the magnet's orientation. You don't need to. I push the old one out halfway and hold the new magnet to it, so the ends repel & sides attract. That's the orientation. I would highly advise against taking out both magnets in a P-90 at the same time. You can get easily them in wrong. Life is simpler when you do them one at a time.

Thanks for the advice. I already took them out before reading this and watching the corresponding videos. So I have to figure it out. Luckily the magnet black dye gave me good direction in this regard. I will go from there. Cheers.

[Clint 55]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

A3 is the next warmest after A2. It is not high treble and low mids and bass.

[arya44]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

Thanks for the advice. I already took them out before reading this and watching the corresponding videos. So I have to figure it out. Luckily the magnet black dye gave me good direction in this regard. I will go from there. Cheers.

This is from Fralin pickup website:
Alnico 3 is the weakest of the Alnico magnets and has the lowest amount of string pull in a bar magnet. As a guitar pickup magnet, it's lows are soft and bouncy, mids are generally warm and full, and highs are glassy. We use Alnico 3 magnets in our Real 54's to give them a bright, glassy tone.

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Well, I try to avoid the bright and glassy. This is the characteristic of single coil. I like my P90 gets closer to Humbucker (thick mids and not bright) not like single coil tone.

[Clint 55]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

It's the 2nd warmest. All mags have some sort of top end. And no it doesn't turn the pup into jingle jangles.

[chadd]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

This is from Fralin pickup website:
Alnico 3 is the weakest of the Alnico magnets and has the lowest amount of string pull in a bar magnet. As a guitar pickup magnet, it's lows are soft and bouncy, mids are generally warm and full, and highs are glassy. We use Alnico 3 magnets in our Real 54's to give them a bright, glassy tone.

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Well, I try to avoid the bright and glassy. This is the characteristic of single coil. I like my P90 gets closer to Humbucker (thick mids and not bright) not like single coil tone.

Everyone describes the things they hear differently, I would never use those terms to describe an A3 humbucker, especially in the neck

[arya44]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

It's the 2nd warmest. All mags have some sort of top end. And no it doesn't turn the pup into jingle jangles.

Hi there,
You mean A3 is not making a P90 more toward a single coil character? I know Humbucker users find A3 is great for neck position especially for les Paul design. How about P90 though? Do you have first hand experience using A3 on the neck on P90?

Thanks.

[Clint 55]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

Sorry, I've only tried A3 in humbuckers. It has a warm character like A2 but a little more snap. A2 then A3 are the warmest, then I'd say A4 and A6 are medium, then A5 and UOA5 are bright. (Not usable to your application, A8 and A9 have the most grit.)

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

Duncan uses south for its single coils. But in 2 pup sets, the neck is rwrp. So that means your neck pup originally had the magnets' north facing in.

Again, you didn't read the post before answering.

He has P-90 pups!

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

The problem is that I don't know if they were facing north up (toward the strings or north down toward the body of the guitar).

The north and south are on the long edges of the magnets used in pups. NOT on the top or bottom.

For P-90 pups both north poles (the long edges with the black marks) go in toward the pole pieces, facing each other. You will feel them repelling each other if you have oriented them correctly. If you happen to have magnets that are not marked on the edges you can check the orientation of them by using a compass.

[arya44]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

The north and south are on the long edges of the magnets used in pups. NOT on the top or bottom.

For P-90 pups both north poles (the long edges with the black marks) go in toward the pole pieces, facing each other. You will feel them repelling each other if you have oriented them correctly. If you happen to have magnets that are not marked on the edges you can check the orientation of them by using a compass.

Thanks for the tip. I made the narrow long faces marked N to face each other (inward).
It is funny how for the narrow short faces (the tips) it is easy to find north on the polished A5 pieces by noticing repelling or attracting quite clearly but with my rough cast UOA5, the difference between attracting and repelling of either tip is barely noticeable.
Quite a different magnetic behaviour altogether. Weird!

[blueman335]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

A3 is the next warmest after A2.

I hear A8 & A6 as warm, warmer than A3.

[Clint 55]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

Again, you didn't read the post before answering.

He has P-90 pups!

I know! P90s are single coils. You think I'm discussing how to swap a bar magnet on a true single coil?

[Clint 55]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

I hear A8 & A6 as warm, warmer than A3.

They aren't. A3 and A2 are both mellow in neck position. A6 is medium and A8 is gritty. A8 could be interpreted as warm in bridge position but its aggression would have nothing to do with warm in a neck jazz application.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Magnet Swapping for Seymour Duncan SP90-1n

If your post is so unclear that I have no clue what you're talking about, it will certainly be confusing to others less experienced in guitar electronics.