Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

R

RobBozic

New member
Hi,

I know it's an old subject but in my Les Paul the Antiquity bridge is a bit thin. I like the overall tone of the A2 but it lacks some balls and is bit glassy.

I know magnets vary in strength & tone therefore does anyone have some suugestions on which exact magnet I should buy?

Thanks
Rob
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

Alnico-8. Will give that pup balls galore, while still cleaning up well when the volume is rolled back.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

There are a couple of points I'd like to mention here.


Firstly - magnet choice:

A8 is a really powerful magnet. Its like a ceramic (which is used in pickups for the metal genre) but with slightly more pleasing highs. Its not the first option I'd choose for an antiquity - you've spent the money to get full-on vintage construction, and to 'smother' it with an A8 seems a waste. I have Ant's too and they are quite different in tone from neck to bridge but I think a small change is all that is necessary:

-the Ant has a weakened A2 magnet. You could try a fully charged and/or roughcast A2 which will push the mids more and drive harder but still keep the nice tone.

An A4 or unoriented A5 will have more strength but keep the mids there (there are many articles that suggest PAF's often came with A4's in the first place).

Secondly - availability:

Addiction FX on ebay is the best place to pick up magnets. They are available at all times and you can choose what you want. Also I'd suggest getting a bundle of different types, as taking a gamble on 1 magnet being the perfect tone sight unseen (unheard??) is a big risk. Shipping to Aus is minimum $10 regardless of size, so its better economically speaking to get a few options for only a couple of $ more in freight.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

^Very good points to consider. I Had my a8 ant. in a SG, and I play heavy blues and hard rock,, so a8 worked great for me.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

Thanks guys, great advice, I'll grab a few magnets for testing.

I looked at Addiction FX, & is a full strength magnet advertised as "magnetized" or should it say "full strength".

Thanks
Rob
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

RobBozic said:
Thanks guys, great advice, I'll grab a few magnets for testing.

I looked at Addiction FX, & is a full strength magnet advertised as "magnetized" or should it say "full strength".

Thanks
Rob
Click to expand...

It's always a good idea ask for getting your magnets full-charged. In the whole shipping process, specially when going overseas, they lose the right amount of Gauss so they sound sweet right out from the box.

When you make the purchase, make your request in the notes section.

HTH,
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

No problem, thanks.

Another question out of curiosity.

Are the N & B magnets in the Antiquities the exact same A2 magnets? Same strength, same gauss etc...

Thanks
Rob
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

I'd start with a fully charged A5 and see if you like it. It'll take on a bit of a 59B vibe.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

I don't like the '59 tone, way too aggressive for me, I prefer A2.

It looks like I need a full strength or roughcast.

Rob
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

RobBozic said:
No problem, thanks.

Another question out of curiosity.

Are the N & B magnets in the Antiquities the exact same A2 magnets? Same strength, same gauss etc...

Thanks
Rob
Click to expand...

I'd consider this bit of info a trade secret, so I don't think you'll get this question answered.

HTH,
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

Hey rob

I'm in Sydney too. I got a couple Mags lyin around if you want to try em. Got an a8 , a5 and roughcast a5 on the fridge keepin my biills up.

Hit me up if you want one of em
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

AlexR said:
There are a couple of points I'd like to mention here.


Firstly - magnet choice:

A8 is a really powerful magnet. Its like a ceramic (which is used in pickups for the metal genre) but with slightly more pleasing highs. Its not the first option I'd choose for an antiquity - you've spent the money to get full-on vintage construction, and to 'smother' it with an A8 seems a waste. I have Ant's too and they are quite different in tone from neck to bridge but I think a small change is all that is necessary:

-the Ant has a weakened A2 magnet. You could try a fully charged and/or roughcast A2 which will push the mids more and drive harder but still keep the nice tone.

An A4 or unoriented A5 will have more strength but keep the mids there (there are many articles that suggest PAF's often came with A4's in the first place).

Secondly - availability:

Addiction FX on ebay is the best place to pick up magnets. They are available at all times and you can choose what you want. Also I'd suggest getting a bundle of different types, as taking a gamble on 1 magnet being the perfect tone sight unseen (unheard??) is a big risk. Shipping to Aus is minimum $10 regardless of size, so its better economically speaking to get a few options for only a couple of $ more in freight.
Click to expand...


Good post!
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

Late to the party on this thread, but I have been messing around with the pickups in my Guild SFIV. Bought a set of Antiquities. Very nice but a little "polite". Did a few magnet swaps & landed on fully charged polished A4's in both. VERY happy FWIW.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

LtKojak said:
It's always a good idea ask for getting your magnets full-charged. In the whole shipping process, specially when going overseas, they lose the right amount of Gauss so they sound sweet right out from the box.

When you make the purchase, make your request in the notes section.

HTH,
Click to expand...

Kind of a myth, man. Why would a magnet lose gauss simply from being shipped? Alncos are permanent magnets and naturally lose gauss at a rate of less-than 10% in 100 years. Of course, IF the magnet was shipped in containers that exposed it to more powerful or similar power magnets, it COULD lose some, but that's unlikely.

Honestly, the whole "degauss to match vintage" idea is wacky. Some old pickups lose guass from being near ceramic speaker magnets or other guitars/pickups after many years, but as I said, if that's not the case, a 1959 Les Paul that was regularly cased and not exposed to those things should have less than 5% loss in gauss.

The TRUTH is, degaussing may create a more pleasant top end and perhaps less boomy bass. I have an accidentally degaussed (have no idea how much, but it definitely is weaker than when it was pulled from the '59) A5 in my hybrid and it's WONDERFUL; not scooped, nor shrill on the top end. EVH's "IM1" in his Kramer guitar, had a degaussed magnet but not to "simulate vintage" but to get the tone where he and Seymour wanted it. At least, that's my theory.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

plagtr2 said:
Late to the party on this thread, but I have been messing around with the pickups in my Guild SFIV. Bought a set of Antiquities. Very nice but a little "polite". Did a few magnet swaps & landed on fully charged polished A4's in both. VERY happy FWIW.
Click to expand...

Yes! Gibson used A LOT of A4's during the "golden PAF" era of the late 50's. Quite a lot of the most prized PAF's were likely A4 and Gibson's order sheets from that era show nearly 70% of the magnets they bought were A4's. I definitely agree and I'd love to try a '59A4 in the neck position someday.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

RobBozic said:
I know it's an old subject but in my Les Paul the Antiquity bridge is a bit thin. I like the overall tone of the A2 but it lacks some balls and is bit glassy.
Click to expand...

I experienced the same problem with my Ant's, thin sounding bridge. I put full strength A2's in both of my pu's.
 
Re: Antiquity HB Bridge magnet swap

Mars Hall said:
I experienced the same problem with my Ant's, thin sounding bridge. I put full strength A2's in both of my pu's.
Click to expand...

My Ant bridge was thin, but also had a rounded high end that I couldn't get any 'cut' from (those darn A2's!). I put in an UOA5, which gave a bit of treble, and kept the dynamics. Just what it needed. Much better.
 
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