De-Aired my Air Classic
- Thread starter thrill74
- Start date
Replaced the Air slugs with old regular Dimarzio slugs, and added an old Dimarzio spacer. Not that the Air Classic is lacking. Compared to it de-aired though it's just a different animal. One they should've continued to offer. No regrets on this mod!
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
So what's it technically called in that configuration?
So what's it technically called in that configuration?
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
Hard to explain really. On open chords under high gain the aired stuff is fantastic! A normal non-aired humbucker bar chord will shape the distortion into a note. An aired humbucker seems to have the distortion fill in the gaps around the chord. Sounds intense on open chords. Especially an open C or Am. Almost thunderous. The solos on an aired pickup are kind of a battle. You can pile on gain but it will always have that complexity that can't be dialed out. Kind of like a filtertron but without all that heavy sparkle they're known for. The non-aired version is pretty much like a 59' in its character. All fat and sweet all the time.
Hard to explain really. On open chords under high gain the aired stuff is fantastic! A normal non-aired humbucker bar chord will shape the distortion into a note. An aired humbucker seems to have the distortion fill in the gaps around the chord. Sounds intense on open chords. Especially an open C or Am. Almost thunderous. The solos on an aired pickup are kind of a battle. You can pile on gain but it will always have that complexity that can't be dialed out. Kind of like a filtertron but without all that heavy sparkle they're known for. The non-aired version is pretty much like a 59' in its character. All fat and sweet all the time.
PicoRiveraTele
New member
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
Air slugs? I wasn't aware that there was anything special about Air Bucker slugs. I thought the only difference was the metal keeper bar was replaced with cheap little rubber bands.
Air slugs? I wasn't aware that there was anything special about Air Bucker slugs. I thought the only difference was the metal keeper bar was replaced with cheap little rubber bands.
The JEM Ghost
New member
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
I don't think so since the PAF Classics also had "Air Technology". Just saying, the PAF Classic was not an Air Classic without "Air Technology".
I don't think so since the PAF Classics also had "Air Technology". Just saying, the PAF Classic was not an Air Classic without "Air Technology".
PicoRiveraTele
New member
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
According to this... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/dimarzio-paf-classic-guitar-pickup "A variation of DiMarzios Airbucker technology is used" DiMarzio uses this "air" setup on a handful of models that don't have "air" in their name.
According to this... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/dimarzio-paf-classic-guitar-pickup "A variation of DiMarzios Airbucker technology is used" DiMarzio uses this "air" setup on a handful of models that don't have "air" in their name.
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
The airing allows a full charged alnico V magnet to be used but keep the low string pull characteristics of an alnico 2 magnet.
The airing allows a full charged alnico V magnet to be used but keep the low string pull characteristics of an alnico 2 magnet.
The JEM Ghost
New member
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
Yes they were, as PicoRiveraTele has stated it had in it's description that a variation of the Airbucker technology was used (not sure on what variation though), and you could also see that they used Airbucker technology from the patent number, being 5,399,802, in other words if a pickup has this patent number, it uses Airbucker technology, even if it does not have "Air" in it's name or the description does not mention it.
Yes they were, as PicoRiveraTele has stated it had in it's description that a variation of the Airbucker technology was used (not sure on what variation though), and you could also see that they used Airbucker technology from the patent number, being 5,399,802, in other words if a pickup has this patent number, it uses Airbucker technology, even if it does not have "Air" in it's name or the description does not mention it.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Re: De-Aired my Air Classic
Airbuckers are full-sized humbuckers that contain a gap or space between the magnet and the polepieces. The distance is quite small, and may be filled with nothing but air or by some non-magnetic material. The purpose of the gap is to lessen the magnetic field over the pickup, which in turn lets the string vibrate more freely. This results in a purer, more open sound and improved sustain.
The other purpose of the “air” design is to reliably reproduce the performance of vintage humbuckers (1950s and 60s), many of which contain magnets weakened by age and mishandling. Weakened or "aged" magnets are inherently unstable, and therefore cause unpredictable performance. Airbuckers utilize stable, full-strength magnets, yet the magnetic field is the same as produced by an "aged" magnet, thus offering the performance advantage without the unpredictability.
From the DiMarzio FAQ:
Airbuckers are full-sized humbuckers that contain a gap or space between the magnet and the polepieces. The distance is quite small, and may be filled with nothing but air or by some non-magnetic material. The purpose of the gap is to lessen the magnetic field over the pickup, which in turn lets the string vibrate more freely. This results in a purer, more open sound and improved sustain.
The other purpose of the “air” design is to reliably reproduce the performance of vintage humbuckers (1950s and 60s), many of which contain magnets weakened by age and mishandling. Weakened or "aged" magnets are inherently unstable, and therefore cause unpredictable performance. Airbuckers utilize stable, full-strength magnets, yet the magnetic field is the same as produced by an "aged" magnet, thus offering the performance advantage without the unpredictability.
