First Magnet Swap

[PDC]

Accomplished my first magnet swap and really dig the result. After lots of ‘pickup go round’ in my various guitars, I find myself gravitating toward the Custom wind. But found that the stock offerings all seem to have a bit too much of something and not quite enough of something else. The Ceramic Magnet Custom has great punch, but doesn’t seem to clean up as well will the volume. The Custom Custom is probably my favorite box-stock of the group. But the A2 comes off a little ‘soft’ on the low end. I have been really enjoying the Custom 5 but the highs can be a bit strident and I wish it had more mid-range fullness.

SO - I swapped an Un-Oriented rough cast A5 for the Ceramic magnet in my old-reliable Custom and really dig the results. Everything I like about all 3 of the Custom family. Plenty of punch when driven hard, cleans up wonderfully with the volume knob, tighter low end than the Custom Custom, fuller mid-range with smoother highs than the Custom 5. Really great sounding pickup. Quick thanks to this forum for all the info.

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: First Magnet Swap

Great news!
Jumped into magnet swapping a few
years ago. Awesome thing to know how
to do. It’s easy and the results can be
dramatic or subtle. I’m a fan of the
roughcast UOA5 myself. Rock on!!!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: First Magnet Swap

Welcome to the addictive world of mag swapping. You are now permanently hooked.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: First Magnet Swap

UOA5 is awesome in the Custom wind (JB, too)!

 

[Aceman]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I messed around a little. Still have my first JB-8 (In need of a new guitar).

It's a nice skill/option to have.

 

[PDC]

Re: First Magnet Swap

That thing sounded SO good - till I ran into a tribe of angry wiring gremlins.
Taking a sanity break then brewing a fresh pot of coffee in the morning and starting from scratch...

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: First Magnet Swap

UA5 is my favorite swap for bridge humbuckers. Has done very well every time I've I tried it.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I friggin hate UOs and RCs. I don't know what everyone is on about.

 

[Demanic]

Re: First Magnet Swap

Then don't use them. I think that they certainly can be very useful.

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[Clint 55]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I like creamy A2s and A3s. My peeve is how people imply that A6 and A9 are all niche and the UO's are where all the improvement potential lies. When the orienteds are the more standard and balanced and the UO's are the niche.

 

[Demanic]

Re: First Magnet Swap

It's funny, because I'm not particularly a big fan of "creamy" at all. And I didn't like a UOA5 in a 59n at all. But I love it in a JB, at least in the particular guitar that I have it in.

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[Tone Meister]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I like creamy A2s and A3s. My peeve is how people imply that A6 and A9 are all niche and the UO's are where all the improvement potential lies. When the orienteds are the more standard and balanced and the UO's are the niche.

What I would find very valuable is for some of you more experienced pickup tweakers to make some good videos demonstrating these differences. Sure, there will be many who won't hear the differences, but the videos would be for those who can hear differences and like what they hear enough to make some of these swaps.

 

[gsammo79]

Re: First Magnet Swap

Have you had a chance to multimeter your UO5 Custom's resistance yet?

 

[PDC]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I’m a bit of a cave-man in that I do not own a multimeter. The more I play this custom wind with the UO Rough Cast A5, the more I like it. The result is pretty much spot-on with the descriptions here on this forum. The unoriented nature of the pickup ‘softens the blow’ so to speak, and with a magnet that can be a bit ‘strident’ like the A5, that’s sort of a good thing. The rough cast does make the pickup sound more ‘organic’ and ‘chewy’ as reported. For me, this was a good thing, because I found the polished version of the A5 to be a bit bright on the top and a bit boomy on the bottom. To my ear, the UO A5 sounds like an A2 with just a bit more ballz and a bit tighter low end. I’ve got a Custom Custom and while I really like it, it can sound a little ‘loose’ depending on which guitar its installed in. It works great in my hard ash strat but sounds a bit ‘soft’ in my roasted swamp ash strat, which to me has the same light-weight, warm qualities as mahogany. Of course, all of this is like describing the exact blend of spices in a dry-rub for steak or describing beautiful women at a gentlemen’s club.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I like creamy A2s and A3s. My peeve is how people imply that A6 and A9 are all niche and the UO's are where all the improvement potential lies. When the orienteds are the more standard and balanced and the UO's are the niche.

Trying A6 in a low-wind PAF type is on my list of future experiments to try. I have a BB2 that was surprisingly thin & harsh in a bright Les Paul; that's presently my intended candidate as a test bed for A6.

Not at all familiar with A9 tho.

 

[Demanic]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I would try an A9 in something like an Alt 8. Or a Custom Shop Slug.

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[eclecticsynergy]

Re: First Magnet Swap

It's funny, because I'm not particularly a big fan of "creamy" at all. And I didn't like a UOA5 in a 59n at all. But I love it in a JB, at least in the particular guitar that I have it in.

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Gibson's Shaw PAFs from the late 70s/early 80s used UA5 in a low wind, 7k or just under. They sound fantastic at the neck.
In a 59N I really liked A3 - but of course it's highly dependent on the particular guitar, and I've only done it in one so far.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: First Magnet Swap

It's funny, because I'm not particularly a big fan of "creamy" at all. And I didn't like a UOA5 in a 59n at all. But I love it in a JB, at least in the particular guitar that I have it in.

Uh huh, I don't like creamy for general playing, only jazz. So I only use A2 in my jazz guitar. I don't like the rest of the uos because to me they increase jangles. And I'm trying to reduce jangles in my Fendery instruments for general playing.

What I would find very valuable is for some of you more experienced pickup tweakers to make some good videos demonstrating these differences. Sure, there will be many who won't hear the differences, but the videos would be for those who can hear differences and like what they hear enough to make some of these swaps.

It's so much effort!!

Trying A6 in a low-wind PAF type is on my list of future experiments to try. I have a BB2 that was surprisingly thin & harsh in a bright Les Paul; that's presently my intended candidate as a test bed for A6.

Not at all familiar with A9 tho.

A6 is friggin good. It's not that big a change from A5 compared to UOA5 or A2 but it does have some key differences. Rounds off the strident treble while still maintaining a top. Fills in the mids a bit but not full chewy like A2. Keeps the round bass and bounciness like A5. It's a very versatile mag and a vintage bridge would be a good application. I have it in my Fralin mini hums. A9 is like A5 but with an upper mid push like A8 but higher frequency.

 

[Demanic]

Re: First Magnet Swap

I think that I like jangles.

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