Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Riley

Riley

New Products Specialist
Hi guys,

The forum is full of folks who are passionate about pickups – and magnet swaps in particular have been the subject of a huge amount of discussion over the years.

Long before I worked for SD I was a guitar tech at a local shop, reading the forum and experimenting with pickups. I swapped an Alnico 8 into my SH-5 Custom based on a thread recommending that combo and was blown away by how good it sounded in my SG. The Custom 8 became one of my favorite ‘off the menu’ pickup options.

We know that you guys have some favorite combinations too – in the past we’ve even introduced models based on mods the forum swore by, such as the Custom 5 (formerly Custom Custom Custom) and Alternative 8, and there has been a consistent interest in what our legacy models (the 59, the JB, the Custom, and others) sound like with alternative magnets installed.

It’s our hope that this thread will become a vessel for collecting and discussing your tried and true SD pickup/alternative magnet combinations and why you like them.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

My best guitar is a Strat with an A3 Seth/Ant hybrid in the neck, an A5 Phat Cat in the middle, and an A4 JB in the bridge. Each mag swap works perfectly for its pickup. And the pickups also end up balancing perfectly with each other. The A3 keeps the Seth/Ant creamy but snappy. The A5s in the Phat Cat reduce the boominess the right amount to where there's the correct blend of bass and attack. And the A4 in the JB warms it up really nicely to where it sounds sweet.
 
Last edited:
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Seth Lover is so great.
I like to use A4 to give it a little boost over the EQ spectrum, a touch more high end, and a little more tightness on the low. I hear this, others may not.
Also MJ had me try an A5 to goose it a bit, which it did, but was a little too shrill. So I tried a RCA5 and that really made a great all round tuff guy blues pickup. The UORA5 didn't strike me one way or the other, but I know many members who I trust love this mag in several different p'up's.
I can't say enough good things about that p'up. My other favorites are the Hybrid, Jazzn or Jazzb(W/RCA5), and WLH.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

I've talked to guys who think spending big money on boutique pickups is the way to go, and that Duncans are simply production pickups.

I felt compelled to convince them that Duncan has covered every wind and option a pickup could ever have.
If you can't find the Duncan for you, the problem probably isn't the pickup, it's you! Watching countless youtubes of amateurs demoing pickups is proof of that.

However, taking any Duncan pickup and swapping magnets pretty much takes the entire line and multiplies it by 7 magnets. 2, 3, 4, 5, UO5, 8, C.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

My all time favorite combo has to be the A4 59/ A4 JB combo. The 59 loses all its boominess and the JB loses its mid spike, making it IMO the best pickup set available for any type of rock music for less than $160 new.

I currently have a set of ceramic spacers and a double thick Alnico 8 shipping to my house for a Distortion. I feel that will soon make it near the top of my list of the best mag swaps.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

I like the 59n with an A4 in a guitar that had too much low end with a regular 59n. In the same guitar I also have a JB with an RCUOA5. Chewier mids without loosing too much on the top and bottom like an A2 mod.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

The 59 neck with an Alnico 4 seems to be a very popular choice, I've been meaning to give it a try in my Les Paul, as I normally find the 59n a little bit boomy in that guitar.

I have to admit, I didn't expect to see an A4 recommended so highly for the JB! I'm gonna have to try that out as well.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

I really love the sound of the duncan custom. But following the advice of one old thread on this forum I tried a magnet swap on it. Out the ceramic in the A8. Never heard something like that. The custom8 is the ultimate bridge pickup: full beefy midrange, tight low end and nver harsh treble. And in a les paul is even better. Its best companion is a 59 with A4 ( mine is polished ). Bye bye boominess , good notes separation and the flap eq leaves the voice of the guitar comes out.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

I'm a blues/classic rock player who become a big fan of UOA5's from day one when Addiction FX came on the scene (taking the place of Wymore). I think I was the first one on the forum to order them from him, and tried them first in a C5, and was blown away by how good they sounded, and reported my results here. They have the rich texture of A2's, but with a little more high-end bite, and a little less (loose) low end. I have UOA5's in a variety of bridge HB's, including Customs & '59B's, and in neck HB's like A2PN and JazzN.

Before UOA5's became available, I used A8's in Customs, for the warmth & midrange boost. The C8 really needs to be a stock PU. Didn't think of them as a good fit for PAF's, although others have used them that way.

My dislike of the stock A2's in Phat Cats led to my experimentation with a number of magnets in them and P-90's, usually pairing two different kinds in the same PU, with results posted here. In the bridge slot an A8/A4 works well for me, gives a full, hard-hitting sound. In the neck I use A5/A4 most often, as it takes away any excess low end of twin A5's, and adds a little midrange for a 'bigger' sound. That led to me getting more Phat Cats, swapping out the A2's and giving them away to forum members. In my mag swapping peak, I was sending free magnets (of all kinds) to overseas members whose duties/import fees made it impractical for them to buy them. I just taped a few to a piece of cardboard in an envelope; because it wasn't a package there wasn't anything to declare at Customs. I sent free magnets to members in 10 different countries.

I originally joined the forum over 10 year ago after buying a used Custom SH-5 online that had an A5 in it. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about magnets and PU's. Since I've been here, I've learned about magnets, alternative wirings, guitar electronics, hybrid HB's, and all kinds of other things. Great place and there's a lot of talented & creative people here.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

I also like my Custom with an UOA5 in there. Sort of a less harsh Custom 5. I use that in one of my Music Mans, and I use a 59/Custom Hybrid with double screws with an UOA5 as well. Great sounds, there.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

when i made my first c5 i put a rc alnico 5 in a custom, didnt know much about polished vs rough at the time but i knew that pup sounded great in my sg. ive put a full strength polished a2 in antiquity humbuckers to get a little more muscle out of it with good results. it changes the character a bit but not as much as a rc uoa5.

a4 59 neck is a great pup for sure, a3 neck and a2 bridge in the 59 set is great as well.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Mincer said:
I also like my Custom with an UOA5 in there. Sort of a less harsh Custom 5. I use that in one of my Music Mans, and I use a 59/Custom Hybrid with double screws with an UOA5 as well. Great sounds, there.
Click to expand...


One could argue that both of those deserve to be stock Duncan models.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Mincer,
Did you make your own hybrid in order to get two bobbins that use screws? Or did you take the slugs out And mod the
openings so they would take screws?
I went to your page to see it but could not find any gear pictures.
Thanks anyway, I'll try again tomorrow
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

SJ318 said:
Mincer,
Did you make your own hybrid in order to get two bobbins that use screws? Or did you take the slugs out And mod the
openings so they would take screws?
I went to your page to see it but could not find any gear pictures.
Thanks anyway, I'll try again tomorrow
Steve Buffington
Click to expand...

The Custom Shop made it. I do have a lot of gear pics on my Instagram. I will work on putting more on my website.
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Dave-
Saw all your Instagram photos, very cool, really liked the double screw bucker or Hybrid I should say. Great gear, that acoustic with the exceptionally nice inlay work was exceptionally nice ( can I do that in one sentence?) Anyway, just goes to show how cool and committed you really are. Especially the cat cameo. Assuming it's your cat, did you name him something music-like, say "Stringy" or "Nutty" or "LockNut" ...? Maybe "Fretster" - I like that one.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Ha! The cat is Karma, who was pre-named when I got her. Thanks for the nice complements!
 
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

Tried any mag swaps on Karma?
She looks like she runs on a full strength polished A2. Kind of "chewy".
SJB
(I know, don't waste space for jokes. Couldn't help myself.)
 
Last edited:
Re: Alternative Magnets for Duncan Pickups

I bumped the "Teach me about magnets" thread that we have been asking for years to be a sticky...

Here is the magnet info I was searching for.

From Blueman335

A2 - warm, lots of mids, rounded top, great dynamics, loose low-end, low output.
A3 - similar to an A2 but with more treble. Not used a lot, but handy when an A2 is too dark, and an A5 is too much. Probably best in a neck PU.
A4 - balanced EQ, makes for a good middle ground between A2's and A5's. Medium output. Becoming more popular.
A5 - lots of treble and bass, mid-scooped. Tight low-end. High output. The most commonly-used alnico.
A8 - ample mids, moderate treble, firm low-end, high output. Usually used for the bridge position only, very popular in a Custom, making it a 'C8'.
Roughcast - A2, A3, A4, and A5 can also be sand cast (as opposed to polished); this smoothes out the high-end and makes for very nice tones. Best for bridge PU's.
Unoriented - A2, A3, & A4 are unoriented, and A5 is normally oriented. But the latest excitement here is unoriented A5's, which have the warmth and dynamics of an A2, but with a firmer low-end, more output, and little more treble. Great for adding body to bridge PU's.

From Tim @ Bare Knuckle Pickups

Magnets do add to the character of a pickup although it must be understood that a magnet doesn't have a sound on its own, it contributes by the way it accentuates certain frequencies as current is produced in the coil windings.
Alnico II is the softest and generally has a smooth bass and treble although this is more pronounced the hotter the windings get.
Alnico III is very transparent, low output and clean, sounds great for rounded fat jazz applications-typical of '50s tone.
Alnico IV is probably the best vintage tone IMHO(for humbuckers) and along with II and III was used in the earliest PAFs-this is a fact and not a myth as we've had them analyzed and a colleague of mine has also seen original Gibson purchase orders that clearly state AIV bar stock being purchased.The tone of AIV is balanced and extremely organic, it produces the most authentic vintage tone and sits better in slightly hotter vintage winds than AII which tends to get very soft in the bass and highs if used incorrectly.
Finally, Alnico V is the hottest producing more highs and lows, great for rock applications or where power and cut are important.
Different companies use different grades for personal reasons, we use all of the applicable Alnico grades to suit the correct design, both to be historically correct but more importantly to have the best sound.
Changing magnets in a humbucker can give dramatic results, you soon find the ones that really don't sit right and others that are head and shoulders better.Obviously, you can't swap out single coil magnets as they're integral to the coil form.
I've personally spent a lot of time voicing all the BKP range with the correct magnets, but I do tweak and sometimes swap on consultation with a customer with a specific requirement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top