DiMarzio PAF Pro magnet swap
- Thread starter pittbull
- Start date
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Yes, I have.
No, it's not difficult.
But the one thing to look out for is the magnet on DiMarzio pickups is very slightly off-spec in a couple of dimensions. The standard Gibson/Duncan-sized magnets are very very very slightly wider than the magnets inside DiMarzios. You will be able to put it there, but once you put the pickup back together, the coils will come out a bit tilted because the whole pickup doesn't fit as perfectly together as it did before the swap. It's not terrible, but I find it kind of an eyesore, and I don't know how good for the pickup it will be long term. I mean, I bet it would be fine, but it looks so silly if you look close. But the pickup will still work and make sound.
The best bet with DiMarzios is to swap magnets with magnets that come with other DiMarzios, I feel. At least it is for me who is bothered by those kinds of visual things.
That being said, I really like the 'Pro, especially in the bridge position. And one of its selling points, at least for me, is it uses a slightly oversized A5 magnet that's not quite double-thick, but taller than the magnet they use in other A5 pickups of theirs. At least that's what I remember when I tried swapping it out.
No, it's not difficult.
But the one thing to look out for is the magnet on DiMarzio pickups is very slightly off-spec in a couple of dimensions. The standard Gibson/Duncan-sized magnets are very very very slightly wider than the magnets inside DiMarzios. You will be able to put it there, but once you put the pickup back together, the coils will come out a bit tilted because the whole pickup doesn't fit as perfectly together as it did before the swap. It's not terrible, but I find it kind of an eyesore, and I don't know how good for the pickup it will be long term. I mean, I bet it would be fine, but it looks so silly if you look close. But the pickup will still work and make sound.
The best bet with DiMarzios is to swap magnets with magnets that come with other DiMarzios, I feel. At least it is for me who is bothered by those kinds of visual things.
That being said, I really like the 'Pro, especially in the bridge position. And one of its selling points, at least for me, is it uses a slightly oversized A5 magnet that's not quite double-thick, but taller than the magnet they use in other A5 pickups of theirs. At least that's what I remember when I tried swapping it out.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
The dude from Polyphia or however its spelled also has a signature pickup with an A8 magnet, IIRC.
soulforger
New member
Yep,, that one's called the Igno, and the specs on paper look almost identical to the Satchur8 not sure how they differ sonically ir if they both use the same patents, I do think they both use Dual Resonance though.
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Knowing what an A8 did to my JB
And knowing the PAF Pro...
I think it would be pretty cool.
Honestly, for the buck ninety-eight it costs to give it a try - if it doesn't work/fit - let it go. Not hard to reverse mid procedure. But what if it DOES?!?!?!?
Can you shave/grind/sand a little off of the magnet?
And knowing the PAF Pro...
I think it would be pretty cool.
Honestly, for the buck ninety-eight it costs to give it a try - if it doesn't work/fit - let it go. Not hard to reverse mid procedure. But what if it DOES?!?!?!?
Can you shave/grind/sand a little off of the magnet?
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nienturi
Active member
I think i would be something like Ibanez Super 70s. The ones Eddie Van Halen used to use in his VHI era. They had ~8K dcr and alnico 8 magnets.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
It wouldn't be surprising if it's just a tweak on the Satchur8. Maybe even minor.
They have a bunch of pickups that are tweaks on already existing designs.
Edgecrusher
New member
Hey if you do decide to try this just beware very often Dimarzio epoxies in the the magnets. They can be difficult to remove without breaking them sometimes. I havent mag swapped a ton of dimarzios the only ones I found not glued in were older. I dont know if its all dimarzios or only certain models but just beware you might hit that snag.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I think it's mostly on the high output models with oversized Ceramics. My PAF Pros weren't hard to disassemble.
Edgecrusher
New member
The one where I broke a magnet getting it out, was a PAF pro. The others I saw with glued in magnets were a Tone Zone and a Norton (the non air version) Its definitely not just ceramics.
Edgecrusher
New member
Yes, and I broke it trying to pry it out with a screwdriver. I’m definitely not saying they’re all glued in just that some are, so be aware you might run into it. I’ve worked on two PAF Pros: an old one that came stock in my Jem 777 (wasn’t glued in, from 1989) and another from the early 2000s that was definitely glued in.
Part of the reason I broke it was that I hadn’t encountered it before; I thought it was just stuck with some wax and figured, “Well, I’ll just pry on it a bit.”
Just don’t force it, one time I used a heat gun, but that killed the magnet. The best method I’ve found is to remove the baseplate entirely, drip some acetone around the edge, let it soak in, and then run a utility knife around it until it comes off.
Side note, out of the 2 paf pros the older one had a much much smaller magnet, like a half inch shorter magnet. Not sure what was up with that but it was weird how much shorter it was than the standard 2.5 inch A2 I put in it, it was even shorter than the short 2.35 magnets you sometimes see. BTW A2 sounds great it for a neck pickup.
idsnowdog
Imperator of Indignation
How did you manage to break an Alnico V? They're very hard to cut. Are you sure you didn't break a ceramic magnet in a different pickup? Maybe a Dimarzio Evolution?
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