48 yr old A8 magnet swap

[htwheelz67]

I have a shit ton of pickups and I found an old 76 Ibanez super 70 with a broken leg and wires cut off at the base plate, I never really liked super 70's way back then and weren't worth much back in the early 80's, I've since sold the others I had. So I was thinking of swapping the 48yr old A8 into something, so Duncan wise possibly into a PG+ I had great results with A2 in them but how would an A8 be in one? others would be a JB, Custom 5 and the full shred might be interesting also I assume being that old it would have lost some power correct?

 

[jeremy]

depends on what ya want. people love the jb8 and c8 so those are good options to start with

 

[Edgecrusher]

I assume being that old it would have lost some power correct?

No not necessarily. A8 on its own is pretty stable. Depends on how it was stored and what has happened to it in the intervening time. The only issue I think you might have trying it is they are not standard size but as long as you get the spacers right you will be fine. As for if it will some people really like the A8 in the custom or JB but I would also assume the bulk of those are using normal sized A8 mags not the oversize ones. As easier as mag swaps are, I would say just try it and see you might find something you like.

 

[jeremy]

didnt realize the super70 magnets werent standard size

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

I like A8. I've only tried them in the JB, Custom and a Tonerider AC4 but it worked every time. I kept them all bar the C8, because I just prefer the voice of the C5. I did switch to an A6 in the custom a while back though, to tame the highs a little. The C8 did seem like a great all rounder.

 

[Edgecrusher]

didnt realize the super70 magnets werent standard size

Yeah forgive me if my memory is a bit fuzzy, I dont remember if they are the same size as Duncan Distortion or not but I know they are thicker than normal. The Super 70's and the Super 80's were a source of thicker A8 mags when that whole craze was going on. I found them to be unexciting but then again I'm not a fan of A8 anyways. But as they say opinions are like....

 

[pittbull]

Opinion’s, why do some like alnico 8 magnets sound wise.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Opinion’s, why do some like alnico 8 magnets sound wise.

They are loud and not as sharp in the highs as ceramics. For me the downside is that they are loose on the low end and the mids get pushed so hard they get wooly. I like the percussive hit of ceramics and I just turn to the treble to tame the highs. my 2 cents

Oh and I found the thicker ones to actually be less aggressive than the thin ones. But they did come out of 30 year old pickups at that time so maybe they werent good representatives.

 

[AdrianSD]

They are loud and not as sharp in the highs as ceramics. For me the downside is that they are loose on the low end and the mids get pushed so hard they get wooly.

My experience is different, I tried the A8 in two JBs and each of them sounded tighter in the low end compared to the stock magnet.

 

[Edgecrusher]

My experience is different, I tried the A8 in two JBs and each of them sounded tighter in the low end compared to the stock magnet.

Could very well be, In your guitar through your rig and what perceptions of what people think "tight" is.

But note I made my comparison to ceramics not A5.

 

[AdrianSD]

Could very well be, In your guitar through your rig and what perceptions of what people think "tight" is.

But note I made my comparison to ceramics not A5.

Makes sense.