A4 & A3 magnets

Hartfeltmusic2010

Hartfeltmusic2010

New member
Over the last 2 months ive been trying some different magnet types in the various pickups i have. I purchased several alnico 2,3,4,5unoriented,5,and cermaic magnets. What I was wanting to know is what kind of pups would you guys suggest using the A3 and A4 magnets in. I havent tried the A3 yet but I put the A4 in a 59n and it seems like it took away all the character from the pickup. I liked it better the way it was stock. It lost its boominess but its like it took away its sweetness with it. I hope it doesnt have this affect on all pups. Ive had sucess with the other alnico magnets in burst buckers,PGs,57classic, and a duncan distortion. So what is you guys opinion on what kind of pickup is best for these magnets? What kind of changes do these mags add/subtract to a pups EQ?
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

A3s make amazing low to medium output Strat and Tele pickups. My favorite single coils have ALWAYS been A3. Sparklier, livelier, and sweeter than A5. A4s are great for PAF type humbuckers. I always thought they were boring in the neck, but it's perfect for bridge pickups. Full, sweet, and very PUNCHY.

The more I think about it, these are my two favorite mags!
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

CountFunkula said:
A3s make amazing low to medium output Strat and Tele pickups. My favorite single coils have ALWAYS been A3. Sparklier, livelier, and sweeter than A5. A4s are great for PAF type humbuckers. I always thought they were boring in the neck, but it's perfect for bridge pickups. Full, sweet, and very PUNCHY.

The more I think about it, these are my two favorite mags!
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Somewhere I read that A4 was good for the neck posistion but when I tried it the sound was awful. Very sterile and no sparkle at all. It was almost like the eq was flat which made the pickup dull sounding. Ill have to see what it does in the bridge spot. All I have are humbuckers what so particular pups have you tried the A4,A3 in?
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

I would use an A3 instead. Much more character, boominess is nonexistent, and more mids than A5.

A4: 59b, Custom, Smit's pickups BC9
A3: BKP Apache, custom Don Mare wind, Lollar A3 set
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

I use A3's in neck PU's, when an A5 is too boomy, or an A2 is too dark. That's where an A3 shines. I don't use them in the bridge slot, at least not yet. :14:

I have A4's in some bridge HB's; I guess how it sounds depends on the PU and guitar. A4's have a flat EQ, which is good if you want the PU's and wood's natural tones to come thru. But we're used to other mags, A5 and A2, which have a big push in certain parts of their EQ. So A4's are sometimes called bland, which really isn't true. Lindy Fralin uses A4's in his HB's and P-90's, and only uses other mags when they're specially requested. He swears by A4's.

I also use A4's in P-90's. I like an A8/A4 in the bridge, and an A5/A4 in the neck.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

I guess I will try the A3 in the 59n next and see how that goes. I'm really digging a burstbucker pro with a uoa5 in the bridge of my les Paul custom. Sounds similar to a pearly gates with slightly less treble and bite.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

LtKojak said:
"One man's trash is another man's treasure". ;)
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I have a A4 59n. Maybe you need to raise the neck pup a little as A4 is weaker than A5. I don't think it's sterile at all. Less boom and more chime in the top end. Depends on the type of music you play I guess. Certainly more polite sounding, but in a musical way.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

I installed an A8b & A4n recently on a s#!ty Johnson cheapo ax 15 days ago. The A8 shined immediately and, yeah, the A4 was kinda sterile. This week the A4 sounded BETTER than the A8, it just took longer to "settle in".
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

You should use an A5 where it does the trick. I use A5 in almost all applications, but sometimes its too boomy in the neck or too bright in the Bridge. Then i use an UOA5 / A2 in the bridge and a A4 /A3 in the neck. Currently its 2 A4s and one UO A5.
The other pickup i use is a Ant and Seth with A2 - a character on its own.
 
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Re: A4 & A3 magnets

Got an A3 in the 500T of my 2006 Explorer now. Sounds really great. Really crunchy and quiet, without a lot of bass. It is actually much more quiet than the much more lightly wound 496R (w/ A5 mag) in the neck slot! I cannot balance the two in output even at the most extreme of settings. Might go to an A3 in the neck as well! I also have an a4 here. Might put that in the neck and keep the A3 where it is, or might put the A3 from the 500T in the neck, and the A4 in the 500T, just to see what happens.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

You guys need to make sure you're letting the mags "settle in" as Mad Raxz put it. The sound does change quite a bit once the mag is in place for a while. I noticed this a while back, and it seemed to be especially noticeable when swapping weak mags for strong ones, or vice-versa. I thought 24 hours was enough, but maybe it takes longer in certain cases. Just keep in mind, the sound you hear an hour after swapping is not what you'll hear in 2 days, give it time before you make a final judgement.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

I never noticed it until I did the ceramic Bro and the A8 Invader, but there was a definite change in them after they were in for a while.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

My custom 8 only changed tones when I swapped in the allen screws under the wound strings. Maybe your strings need a change.
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

To be honest, I've been very skeptic about the phenomenom of the time a p'up takes to "settle in" after a mag swap for a long time... until I've noticed it happening to me and my customers as well. The more powerful the magnet is, the shorter the time it takes to "stabilize", for the lack of a better word for it. About 36 hours for an A8 to a whole week for an A3. YMMV.

HTH,
 
Re: A4 & A3 magnets

I have a suspicion that the components of the pickup have to adapt to the presence of the new magnetic field, rather than the magnet itself changing much.

I have noticed the transition time after big power changes to be roughly a day or two. On something like a4 to a2, didn't hear much change after a few hours, and that could just be my ears/brain adjusting.
 
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