Custom pickup - magnet change

[dsuigdsf]

Hi!
I have a friend wchich has a small company doing pickups.
Together, we made custom pickups for me.
Neck 7,4k Alnico 2 (PAF), bridge 12k Alnico 5 (medium output).
They sounded brilliant but after a time I want to change the bridge sound.
I need a little more TIGHT bass (not sponge bass) and I want the pickup to be still transparent/clear and rigid on distorion, and it could be be warmer treble, because has to much ice-picky.
Ceramic - It will probably be too bright
I was thinking about A8 or UOA 5.
A2 in both isn't good because then neck pickup has more treble icepick compared to bridge.
What do you think?
Ps. sorry for my english

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

I'm not sure that any other magnet will "tighten" the bass any more than the A5. A8 will soften the highs and give a bit more mid to it which will make it sound warmer. It will keep the tight bass, but I don't think it will give it a tighter bass. It will also give it a slight boost in output.

A4 will reduce the boomy bass of the A5 which may make it sound tighter.

UOA5 will soften the highs and give more mids which will make it sound warmer, but will not tighten the bass (if anything I expect it would soften it slightly).

 

[Mincer]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

A 59 with a magnet swap?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

A 59 with a magnet swap?

Wait, are you suggesting he swap pickups and mags? Why not just get the right pickup in the first place?



To the OP, Doc is right, but it also depends on what you mean by "tight" Do you mean that the tone of the bass doesnt over power speakers or do you mean tight referring to the attack and how it responds to picking?

Depending on the rest of the pup a few mods could be mad depending whats there. But as far as mags go the only one tighter that wont clash with the wind is a ceramic. A A4 will be tighter but in that wind could be tinny sounding, (i am guessing as its a custom wind its difficult to give specifics).

The deal is with magnets the are cheap enough it generally doesnt hurt to buy a handful then try them. I can pretty much say A2 and A3 you wont like but there is a chance that A8, ceramic or A4 MIGHT do what you want. I would buy those 3 and see if one of those get you there.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

Put an A8 in the bridge and a A4 in the neck (to get a higher volume) and call it a day.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

A8 is what you want in the bridge. Popular magnet for warming bridges and filling in mids. Lows are firm and the magnet sounds good clean (which can't always be said for ceramics).

 

[Despair]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

A8's bass in most pickups I've heard using it has always struck me as pretty close to ceramic. But if that doesn't do it, I'd probably look at roughcast A5 next, to shave a bit of treble off but otherwise not mess with tone much compared to a standard polished A5 (assuming that's what is in the pickup currently).

UOA5 is definitely less piercing, but it's also smoother, spongier attack and more midfocused, it's partway between A2 and A5 in sound. Doesn't quite seem like your target sound.

 

[Xavier]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

I recently removed the C5 in the bridge of my guitar because I found it too scoooped in a band context.

I had an A2 magnet laying around, so I made a "Custom Custom" according to the general consensus.......well.......it still sounded like a C5, just with little less output, but tone is the same. I've had a Custom Custom and it sounds NOTHING like it. Some time ago, I had put this A2 magnet in a 59 neck, just to reach the same conclusion.

The next thing I did is to use a ceramic magnet from an HB103B, and results were the same....a bit more output than the original A5 magnet , but tone is the same.

Which would make sense , because what makes the difference among different magnets is their magnetic field strength.

In my limited experience, I haven't been able to discern any "magnet eq" because of the material it's made of....only louder / quieter....but this is possibly my ears only..

 

[Big Mike Blues]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

I recently removed the C5 in the bridge of my guitar because I found it too scoooped in a band context.

I had an A2 magnet laying around, so I made a "Custom Custom" according to the general consensus.......well.......it still sounded like a C5, just with little less output, but tone is the same. I've had a Custom Custom and it sounds NOTHING like it. Some time ago, I had put this A2 magnet in a 59 neck, just to reach the same conclusion.

The next thing I did is to use a ceramic magnet from an HB103B, and results were the same....a bit more output than the original A5 magnet , but tone is the same.

Which would make sense , because what makes the difference among different magnets is their magnetic field strength.

In my limited experience, I haven't been able to discern any "magnet eq" because of the material it's made of....only louder / quieter....but this is possibly my ears only..

You can't hear the diff between a C5 and a custom custom? Seriously?
That's like flipping a graphic eq curve upside down. Drastic to my ears.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

You can't hear the diff between a C5 and a custom custom? Seriously?
That's like flipping a graphic eq curve upside down. Drastic to my ears.

+1. Big difference. C5's are bright and mid-scooped, with a firm low end. CC's (A2) have a lot of mids, a warm rounded high end, a soft low end, and more sonic texture.

 

[ToneFiddler]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

I recently removed the C5 in the bridge of my guitar because I found it too scoooped in a band context.

I had an A2 magnet laying around, so I made a "Custom Custom" according to the general consensus.......well.......it still sounded like a C5, just with little less output, but tone is the same. I've had a Custom Custom and it sounds NOTHING like it. Some time ago, I had put this A2 magnet in a 59 neck, just to reach the same conclusion.

The next thing I did is to use a ceramic magnet from an HB103B, and results were the same....a bit more output than the original A5 magnet , but tone is the same.

Which would make sense , because what makes the difference among different magnets is their magnetic field strength.

In my limited experience, I haven't been able to discern any "magnet eq" because of the material it's made of....only louder / quieter....but this is possibly my ears only..

you're 100% sure it was an A2?
maybe something got mixed up.

 

[Xavier]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

Of course I can tell the difference between a C5 and a Custom Custom.....night and day. The Custom is like a "super 59" with lots of bass and top end, and rather scooped mids, while the Custom Custom is pretty much the opposite. Little bass, heavy mids and moderate highs. Possibly my favourite pu in the SD catalog, if it just had a bit more bass....

What I mean is that when I took the A5 out of my Custom, and put in an A2 in its place, it didn't sound anywhere like a Custom Custom. It just sounded like the C5 it is, same eq curve, just a bit weaker.

I bought the A2 magnet off ebay, from one of the few shops where you can buy pickup magnets (they have UOA5 ,roughcast, etc...all the varieties)

It makes me wonder if the difference among the Custom series pickups is really only the magnet ?

 

[Big Mike Blues]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

Of course I can tell the difference between a C5 and a Custom Custom.....night and day. The Custom is like a "super 59" with lots of bass and top end, and rather scooped mids, while the Custom Custom is pretty much the opposite. Little bass, heavy mids and moderate highs. Possibly my favourite pu in the SD catalog, if it just had a bit more bass....

What I mean is that when I took the A5 out of my Custom, and put in an A2 in its place, it didn't sound anywhere like a Custom Custom. It just sounded like the C5 it is, same eq curve, just a bit weaker.

I bought the A2 magnet off ebay, from one of the few shops where you can buy pickup magnets (they have UOA5 ,roughcast, etc...all the varieties)

It makes me wonder if the difference among the Custom series pickups is really only the magnet ?

it's absolutely only the magnet. I'd say you got an incorrect one from ebay.
I've done the swap. It's drastic.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

To the OP: do you want more bass, or do you want tighter bass? For more bass, I agree with the A8.

But for tight bass I'd suggest an A4. Tighter lows and clear, balanced tone.
Still bright but less icepicky than A5 because the mids are less scooped.

 

[67Mopar]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

If you want to take edge off the highs, try a rough cast A2 magnet. Tight bass from the pickup is limiting, IMO. Try an A2, and the appropriate drive pedal to tighten the bass. It you like playing without drive pedals, you could consider going with an A4 magnet.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Custom pickup - magnet change

That A2 that was put into the custom might have been degaussed or not charged as well as it should’ve. It sounds like a poorly sourced magnet.