About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

[DracoAran]

So, I have this Ibanez RT650. I've been pretty happy with the Dimarzios I have in there (Breed and Air Norton). However, that was in standard tuning.

Now that I am using this guitar for standard C, the Breed is just too much. I put a .001 cap across the volume pot, and it helps out a lot with the low end, but the offending frequencies also reside in the low mids.

I have a TB-6 lying around. Old, beat up, and wound by MJ. It always sounds perfect on mahogany set necks.

It's time to give it a try on this Ibanez, which is alder (not basswood), and has a vintage type tremolo with a steel block.

I already expect the TB-6 to be too shrill. So I ordered me some magnets. Alnico 4 and Alnico 8.

My first instinct is to try Alnico 8, which should smooth the treble and add a slight bit of balls in the bass. Enough to add body yet still keep the alder tight with that tuning.

But do you guys think I should try the more balanced Alnico 4 instead?.

For reference, my set up is a Randall RM4 with Clean, Plexi, Ultra XL and Recto modules (cap modded for tightness), going into a Mesa Mark III power section with EL34's, and out to a Mojo 4x12 with Warehouse V30's.

I'd like to hear your suggestions before I go to town with the soldering under that pickguard. Pain in my behind.

 

[DracoAran]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Not all at once

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

I'd try the 8 first, just because the 4 might be too close to a JB for my tastes (low end too loose on the JB).

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Definitely try the 8 first. Those RT's are great guitars, and the Alder Superstrat with small tremolo is a great place for an A8 rocker. At first, you will likely think that it's a little aggressive. But it won't have the icy top end of the Distortion. The Alnico 8 will sweeten the highs vs. the Ceramic. And you are correct, the Distortion will be razory in that guitar. But if you listen past the hotness of the A8 you should hear good low end in there as well. It doesn't have the same JB-like upper midrange peak, because there's good low end to support it.

 

[donahue]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

I had a JBA8 and then switched to the ceramic to make it a distortion. It just wasn't for me. It was prolly like a DD lite. My Guitar is Alder. I love my regular DD that I have now. Just my 2 cents. Another direction you could take it to try the regular sized ceramic mag like what would be in a Custom, and make a version of a DD lite. I was thinking of trying that.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Try the pickup first before you start thinking about the worst.

 

[DracoAran]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Try the pickup first before you start thinking about the worst.

You do understand what kind of pain in the behind an extra swap or two can be in a front routed guitar with pickguard, correct?.

Thanks for your input guys. It sounds like I was on the right track.

 

[blueman335]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

I'm not a fan of bright bridge PU's, so I use 250K's with .100 caps (but 500K's with .022's on the neck). On high output HB's, this tames A5's and plays up the mids, so I get a rich tone (like with a C5). Since the bridge & neck are no longer polar opposites, I can easily get one amp setting that works great for both (what a concept!).

With medium or low output HB's, I usually put in an A4, which sounds nice & full. But on high output HB's, warmer magnets can make the sound too compressed when 250K's are used.

The other approach is to keep (bright) 500K's on the bridge, and get your warmth & body totally through magnets. A8's are very high output, and are often a good replacement for ceramic magnets, when you want more color from a bridge PU. A6's also have rounded highs and are almost as powerful (but hard to find). At the low end of the output scale are A2's & A3's, with A3's being slightly brighter. Some guys like the combination of an hot, overwound HB with a warm, low output magnet (like a JB with an A2).

The moral of the story is: get a good American PU, whose ohms rating makes sense for your needs. Chances are through your guitar's wood, your amp, and your style, it may not be exactly what you want. Don't sell the PU! And don't settle for a lesser sound. Swap some magnets, pots, and caps. Odds are this will get you close to what you want, very close. If not, then figure out what you can't get tonally from that PU, look at manufacturer's spec charts, and get another one that makes sense. Dont bounce around like a pinball trying every PU that someone tells you sounds good in their guitar. That's the most expensive & time-consuming way to do it.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Donahue, the DD Lite is a cool pickup and I like it a lot. The regular DD with the thicker magnet is still better to me.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

You do understand what kind of pain in the behind an extra swap or two can be in a front routed guitar with pickguard, correct?.

Yup. My main guitar is a hardtail strat. All electronics are in the front. It's hell, sure, but id rather have that extra hour in there to make sure im not making a mistake by changing it before hand.

 

[ex-250]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

youre gonna need a spacer of some sort to compensate for the extra large magnet, arent you?

 

[donahue]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Fusion1 could you tell me the main diff/ in tone b/t the two sized ceramic mags, I had one of the smaller ones out of a Custom in the mail, but it arrived in two pieces, so I never got to try it. I was also wondering how a ceramic out of any generic or stock epi PU would compare to the Custom one, cause I have a few of those available.

 

[DracoAran]

Re: About to throw a different magnet (A4 or A8) into my Distortion

Alright, here are my findings, which won't apply to most people.

I tried Alnico 8 first (yes, I used a lollipop stick as a spacer) . Sounded great. Ballsy and smooth on the top end, but still retained cutting mids. I am sure it would work out great for standard or maybe as low as D.

But this guitar is tuned to C standard with 13-60 strings. Very heavy strings, paired with that magnet, and the fact that I underestimated the natural tone of this plank of wood, and the result is still a little too much bass.

At first I thought the tremolo springs were blurring the attack, so I dampened them with tubing inside all of them. That improved the overall attack, but the boomyness was still there.

After playing with the pickup height and the south coil screws, I decided it was time to give the regular oversized ceramic a try, and just keep tone pot rolled back a couple of notches.

Keep in mind that I have an Air Norton at the neck, and the guitar has one volume and one tone, so 250K pots or different tone cap values are gonna affect both pickups. That's why I didn't go that route in the first place.

In goes the ceramic (I skipped the Alnico 4 altogether). Just as expected, it brought the attack and tightness I needed for this downtuned mess. I am running the tone pot rolled back to about 8 or 7, because the high end is not as smooth. When I switch to the neck however, I have to max the tone again.

Anywho, doesn't sound like anything you didn't already know. And most players don't play in C standard with such heavy strings, but hopefully someone will find this useful.

I'd like to thank all you gentlemen for your input.