Changed the ceramic mags in my MaxCheer pickups

[ehdwuld]

So my cream set had A5 mags in both pickups
and my white half rails set were both ceramic

The cream set I swapped the A5 to A2 on just the neck

Then used tha A5 over on the White half rails bridge

Finally changing the ceramic for an A2 for the White half rails neck

The ape holds the sides of the base plate in place
I slid a razor blade backwards under the tape to release the sticky

prying the mag up
Be careful
the bobbin isnt held in place so it may move

The double ceramic was 5mm thick to 3.23 mm forthe alnico mags

also wider 15mm vs 13.5 mm

Need spacers
the string trimmer line was perwect and the Amazon box

We will see what they sound like

 

[ehdwuld]

Dang those pictures are all out of order

 

[jeremy]

so how do they sound now compared to before?

 

[ehdwuld]

I never had them installed as yet

But I was hearing how an A2 in a Jazz sounds so great

And I buy all my pickups with a JB Jazz style wind

I figure they should sound similar to the Jazz with an A2
And hot JB with an A5

Granted , when I watched the YT comparison of humbucker magnets
I heard very little change between the different styles

We discussed mag swapping in another thread
And I had these on the table

So I just went ahead and did this

I will post a video on the results when I get them swapped in

 

[ehdwuld]

So I checked the resistance and inductance after the mag swap

The cream set has a with both using A5 mags
7.94 ohm neck 4.58H
and a 17.01ohm bridge 7.86H

Neck with A2 4.75 H - 7.98k
Bridge didn't change


The white rail set is has with both ceramic mags
neck of 7.53k - 3.66H and
bridge 17.23k - 7.12H


Neck with A2 / 7.49 k - 4.11 H

Bridge with A5 / 17.15 k - 7.97 H


i am surprised at how the inductance changed with the mag swap ​

 

[Masta' C]

i am surprised at how the inductance changed with the mag swap ​

Ceramic = Lower inductance than Alnico (which vary slightly themselves)

 

[ehdwuld]

Ceramic = Lower inductance than Alnico (which vary slightly themselves)

is this normal?

notable to me anyways

 

[jeremy]

yeah, thats normal. as clint said, ceramic has lower inductance than any of the common alnicos. freefrog can probably tell us how grades of alnico typically line up

 

[ehdwuld]

wonder what the inductance does to the sound

brighter?
mids?
bass?

louder?
softer?

 

[freefrog]

wonder what the inductance does to the sound

brighter?
mids?
bass?

louder?
softer?

All other things being equal, more inductance = louder, more bass and mids / less treble (since the resonant peak shifts down in the frequency range). "Softer" as I understand it would depend on other factors.

And with magnets of the same size and mass, inductance depends on the ferrous content: A3 is the most inductive since it contains no cobalt. Then come A2>A4>A5>A8...
Ceramic doesn't contain iron so it keeps the inductance the closest to the value of the pickup without magnet.
That being said schematically if not simplistically (I ignore the fact that "A5" doesn't mean much, for instance, since there are actually various kinds of A5).

HTH.

 

[Seashore]

All other things being equal, more inductance = louder, more bass and mids / less treble (since the resonant peak shifts down in the frequency range). "Softer" as I understand it would depend on other factors.

When we're just talking about magnet swaps, is the effect of "more inductance = louder" counteracted by the magnets themselves being weaker?

And (I don't know if this is a good question at all): if it was possible to tune a pickup with a combination of a smaller ceramic magnet and ferrous material to mimic the field strength and inductance of some other magnet (say an A2), would it sound and "feel" like a pickup with an A2 magnet?

 

[freefrog]

When we're just talking about magnet swaps, is the effect of "more inductance = louder" counteracted by the magnets themselves being weaker?

Yes. That's why I've wrote "all other things being equal". Sorry, I'm old and tired and it made me intellectually lazy on this one. ;-)

And (I don't know if this is a good question at all): if it was possible to tune a pickup with a combination of a smaller ceramic magnet and ferrous material to mimic the field strength and inductance of some other magnet (say an A2), would it sound and "feel" like a pickup with an A2 magnet?

No objection at all against your question, that I find clever (since you've defined a strategy actually used in some pickup designs). Now, the answer might vary IMHO... Some theoricians on the web are sure that different alloys vary only in magnetic strenght and would probably reply positively. Personally, I've in my archives some dynamic tests that nobody else does AFAIK and suggesting that things are not that easy to keep under control.

 

[ehdwuld]

so with the short piece of weed eater line used as a spacer to keep the mag close to the screws

would this be considered "Half-Aired"?

 

[ehdwuld]

Here is the results

 

[Juanhanglo]

All other things being equal, more inductance = louder, more bass and mids / less treble (since the resonant peak shifts down in the frequency range). "Softer" as I understand it would depend on other factors.

And with magnets of the same size and mass, inductance depends on the ferrous content: A3 is the most inductive since it contains no cobalt. Then come A2>A4>A5>A8...
Ceramic doesn't contain iron so it keeps the inductance the closest to the value of the pickup without magnet.
That being said schematically if not simplistically (I ignore the fact that "A5" doesn't mean much, for instance, since there are actually various kinds of A5).

HTH.

So, since you seem to know a little bit of pickup "nuts and bolts", would you happen to know what would make a pickup tight or "soft"?

I have a paf joe pickup that is the polar opposite of a breed neck. The breed neck is lightning fast in response by comparison.

Someone described the attack as a "thud". Not sure what that means, but it does have a cool elasticity to it that I really like. I wonder what does it?

I know their air tech does it.
short poles hinder it.

is there anything else that helps contribute to this looseness,


Any ideas?

 

[freefrog]

So, since you seem to know a little bit of pickup "nuts and bolts", would you happen to know what would make a pickup tight or "soft"?

I have a paf joe pickup that is the polar opposite of a breed neck. The breed neck is lightning fast in response by comparison.

Someone described the attack as a "thud". Not sure what that means, but it does have a cool elasticity to it that I really like. I wonder what does it?

I know their air tech does it.
short poles hinder it.

is there anything else that helps contribute to this looseness,


Any ideas?

I'll PM you about that if you don't mind. It will avoid to pollute this thread. Also and whatever is my pleasure to share online, life will restrain my free time during the next hours / days. Thx for your understanding and patience.

 

[jeremy]

id be curious about your thoughts on that as well

 

[freefrog]

Juanhanglo jeremy : well, let's reply here about the PAF Joe while I've a few free minutes to do that, so.

I thank by advance the author of this thread to tolerate my off topic. It won't be long.

I think that a thuddy attack as aforementioned might be due to Foucault currents (eddy currents) coming from brass baseplate + big screw poles + slugs in between (since it's a "virtual vintage" model). Especially if the poles used are made of some soft alloy(s) with a high ferrous content.
A higher than usual stray (parasitic) capacitance could be another factor at work.
Non limitative list.
More later if ever I've data to share about these DiMarzio's.

End of the off topic.

ehdwuld, enjoy with your MaxCheer pickups...

 

[ehdwuld]

Most threads derail in interesting ways

I have been playing those white MaxCheer when I am home

The green guitar with the double creme max cheer are what I have on the road with me rn


they sound great to me
But I dont play that well anyway