Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

SoCalSteve

SoCalSteve

New member
I got a '59 covered set as part of a trade deal a few months back and found the bridge to be too thin/trebly and too scooped in my SG.

On the advice of blueman335 I put in a UOA5 and it's perfect! Thickened/rounded out the highs and gave it some mids which I love.

My test riff is the opening to Back in Black and the difference in tone thickness compared to before the swap is unmistakeable.

Thanks blueman335 and the rest of you who have posted about magnet swapping, helping me to get up the nerve to dismantle the pickup.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Hah, I was going to post a thread very similar to this today! I popped my magnet swapping cherry today as well, installed a UOA5 into a '59n to smooth out the lead tone a bit, balances much better with the PATB-1 in the bridge of my Jackson Dinky Reverse (maple/maple neck, Basswood body). Congrats on your adventure!! :friday:
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Congrats on your first as well!

I've got an A4 that may or may not go in the neck - I'm pretty content with the tone there. My SG is on the bright side, so stock works pretty well.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

You beat Aceman to it. He keeps talking about doing it, but we're still Icemanned on that front.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

This is why I keep talking about swapping magnets and pots, and learning how to do set ups; life is so much better when you're in control. You decide what your guitar is going to feel like, and sound like. You don't 'have to live with' anything. I want every player to know that this stuff is easy, makes a huge difference, and they can do it all on their own. And the forum is a home for them to learn and share.

And Aceman, geez, I'm not getting any younger man.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Ha!

Yeah, in my case the most time-consuming part was slackening the strings and removing the pickguard and pickup. My Dremel type tool was dead but I was able to desolder the pickup cover without discoloring it from too much heat. That was a relief.

I just finished playing again and I love the resulting tonal balance of this pickup now. Lows stayed tight and the highs smoothed out while adding mids - love it!
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Right, the actual mag swap takes a minute, it's the strings that take up the time. But if you figure that the alternative may be buying a new PU, how long do you have to wait for that to arrive? And look at how many mags you can buy for the cost of one PU.

Once in a while you get lucky and a cover will pop off with a slight pry from a flathead screwdriver. Don't count on it though. Some guys use an exacto knife, but it's scary to think what you could do to your fingers if you slip.

'Tonal balance', that's my goal too, with both tone pots on '10.' When there's that day/night difference between bridge and neck it drives me crazy; I can never get an amp EQ setting that works for both. The closer they are EQ-wise, the happier I am.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Welcome to the mag swap club.

Just a word of warning though.........

Once you enter into the dark side, there is no turning back.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

GuitarDoc said:
Welcome to the mag swap club.

Just a word of warning though.........

Once you enter into the dark side, there is no turning back.
Click to expand...

You got that right. I've got this Gibson 490T that isn't even in a guitar that I'm thinking about swapping the magnet in - just because!
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

All right! That's what I like to see. You are hooked after your first swap.

Go for it, get that ceramic outta there.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

jimlp said:
I think it is an A2.
Click to expand...

It is. He got caught up in the excitement of the moment.

490T's are well-made PU's, but I don't like them with the stock mag. A RC A2 is an improvement, but an UOA5 is even better as you get enough treble to get some bite to the tone. I've also used A8's in 490T's with very good results; more treble than an UOA5 and of course, more output. The same mags work wonders in a 498T too.

To me, the key is starting off with a high quality PU. It should sound very good when matched with the right magnet for your wood. A mag swap or two should get you there.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

I'm fascinated by this mag swap thing. I had recently sent my custom to Seymour Duncan to swap the ceramic mag out and put in an A2 (like Custom Custom), and MJ did it for me. I didn't know this is something I can do. Could Blueman show me how this is done for future reference. Pics would be nice. I'm also working up the courage to try the hybrid thing. Now that I've got my custom w/A2, I'm thinking of making a hybrid w/59b to match my APH-1n.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Strat111 said:
I'm fascinated by this mag swap thing. I had recently sent my custom to Seymour Duncan to swap the ceramic mag out and put in an A2 (like Custom Custom), and MJ did it for me. I didn't know this is something I can do. Could Blueman show me how this is done for future reference. Pics would be nice. I'm also working up the courage to try the hybrid thing. Now that I've got my custom w/A2, I'm thinking of making a hybrid w/59b to match my APH-1n.
Click to expand...

Good to know you're willing to try! You should have searched the forum before sending the pickup off!

It's pretty easy. Somewhere on here our own Stratdeluxer97 posted a how-to. I'll let you search for that.

Here's the quick way, though. Loosen the strings. You don't have to pull them all the way off. I usually put part of a 2x4 between the fretboard and the strings. Pull the pickup out entirely, obviously leaving everything soldered in place. The control cavity cover doesn't have to come off.

Once the pickup is out, loosen the screws on the baseplate about a quarter inch. Unwrap the tape from the coils, taking care not to rip it. You'll be putting it back on in about five minutes. Once you're in there, look for the red, white, green, and black wires. Once you find those, you should see the magnet behind them between the baseplate and the coils. Push the magnet out halfway. You may need to use a flatblade screwdriver. It may give a decent amount of resistance, and that's most likely due to the wax potting. It'll loosen up, but try not to crack it from too much force.

Once it's halfway out, get your new magnet ready. Orient it so that the sides attract and the ends repel. That way you'll get the polarity right. Finish pulling the old magnet out, and pop the new one into its place. Screw the baseplate back down, wrap the tape back around, and reinstall it into your guitar.

That's really all there is to it. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Go with a mag swap first, much easier than a coil swap. And if you're not confident, do the mag swap on a cheap Asian HB first for practice. I've swapped mags dozens of times, if it was hard or took any skill, I couldn't do it. :14:
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

blueman335 said:
Go with a mag swap first, much easier than a coil swap. And if you're not confident, do the mag swap on a cheap Asian HB first for practice. I've swapped mags dozens of times, if it was hard or took any skill, I couldn't do it. :14:
Click to expand...

I did a "test run" on my 490T I have sitting around before tackling the '59.

I know I'm gushing over this, but after playing through the pickup with the magnet change for 2 days now, it really was the missing ingredient I was looking for. It makes my SG sound like a danged SG is supposed to! I don't think I've ever been happier with my tone. :)
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

I agree, the mag swap definitely made me happier with the tone from my 59n. The 59n was the warmup for my future 59/Custom Hybrid since I'll need to swap mags to round the highs a bit. I'm looking forward to tinkering again, I think I had a bit too much fun the last time! Sadly I won't have many more magnet changes to do for a long time because my pickup journey is at a (temporary) end.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

Ironbird666 said:
Sadly I won't have many more magnet changes to do for a long time because my pickup journey is at a (temporary) end.
Click to expand...

It doesn't have to end. Keep an eye out for deals on PU's and guitars, and match them up when you can.
 
Re: Another first-time magnet swap success story ('59b content)

To Blueman & Mr. Whizzy, I got a suppsedly dead DMZ super distortion pickup from my local guitar shop for disecting purposes. It has 2 conductors. I was hoping that it had 4 conductors, but beggars can't be chosers. I took it apart, and the hardest part of the whole thing was removing the tape around it. The guitar tech had told me that this pu was dead, yet when I checked the DC resistance w/my meter, it had 7K ohms with both coils & approx. 3.5 k ohms per coil. I don't think was a super distortion pu. The resistance should have been over 13K ohms. I guess, that is why it was a dead pu. I also removed the mag, and put it back. Now I have to find a 4 conductor pu, and disect it.
 
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