How much sustain is lost using more powerful magnets?

[esandes]

From a ceramic HB to an A2 HB, for example.

Does the type of bridge have more of an influence in sustain? I changed a jazzmaster bridge from TOM to mastery and the difference was very significant.

Just wondering if a pickup swap from ceramic to A2 will help increase sustain.

 

[beaubrummels]

I've not had humbucker pickup changes affect the sustain of any guitar I've owned.

 

[esandes]

So it must be my two point floating bridge sinking sustain.

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, I've never had any humbucker magnet affect the strings that way. Single coil slugs, yeah, if they are too close to the strings. An improperly cut nut can cause sustain issues, too.

 

[Chistopher]

It can effect apparent sustain due to volume and eq, but it cant really change the way the string vibrates

 

[Sam SG]

I've not had humbucker pickup changes affect the sustain of any guitar I've owned.

Same here.

 

[uOpt]

You can test that by comparing sustain at different pickup heights.

 

[marcello252]

^this

 

[uOpt]

Or remove the neck pickup altogether for a sustain test.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I wonder if anyone has any gauss numbers regarding how much string pull there is a the top of a humbucker vs. a single coil? Or a triple ceramic hummie vs A2?

I'm usually not concerned with string pull from humbuckers, and I agree that maybe it's negligible, but it's certainly not 0. Especially on like a Black Winter, LOL.

 

[Chistopher]

I had a humbucker with a 1/2" neodynium bar magnet that did not alter the string pull in a noticeable way, so i doubt a 1/4" alnico could.

Now Strat polepieces definitely can

 

[freefrog]

I wonder if anyone has any gauss numbers regarding how much string pull there is a the top of a humbucker vs. a single coil? Or a triple ceramic hummie vs A2?

The longest rod magnets of a Strat pickup can easily reach 1000 to 1200 G right at the surface of the poles. A Gibson 500T goes up to 700G. A Duncan PG clocks at 260G. The weakest A2 loaded pickup in my own guitars rates @ 230G approximatively.

But flux strenght weakens very quickly with distance relatively to the strings. A 500T set 6mm under the strings measures 80G or something like that.

That said: the shape and width of the magnetic field is not indifferent here. Stratitis illustrates this idea.

I can't help to conclude by posting again a link that I've already shared more than once here:

Magnetic fields in pickups

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