How to degauss

[hanumanlangur]

Re: How to degauss

Wow Zhang this is revolutionary. It sort of goes to the question of whether the guass strength or composition of the magnet is the cause of the different tones.

When I was first searching on the subject of aging magnets, I was surprised to find this thread. I wouldn't have expected something like this to have gone mostly unnoticed. It seems like there should have been a big vault-worthy discussion about it.

Also, I think it's both gauss strength and composition. You can degauss an A5 pickup to have a very mid-heavy tone, but it's not the same tone as an A2.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: How to degauss

Wow Zhang this is revolutionary. It sort of goes to the question of whether the guass strength or composition of the magnet is the cause of the different tones.

It's a combination of both. Seymour varies the tone of his pu's by varying the gauss -- with enough variety that he feels he has no need for A3 or A4.

 

[WGTP]

Re: How to degauss

I agree, this info needs it's own post. Zhang, your being too modest.

This appears to be as adjustible as the tone control, so until we figure out how to do a Guass knob, we can hang the magnet from a 12" non-metalic string attached to the strap pin and adjust to taste.

If your feeling bright and bouncy, or a little more laid back and smooth...

Hmmm... maybe a rod set on the back of the guitar with the magnet attached so you can wave it over the pickup from the back. Make changes on stage.

Guess you need to start with an A5 or A8 so you will have lots of range to increase or decrease the magnetizim.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: How to degauss

Ceramics are a lot harder to degauss. You could get the same effect from 2 A5's but it would take a lot longer.

I am assuming it is then just as hard to re-gauss a ceramic magnet?

 

[Fusion1]

Re: How to degauss

Hi guys, I posted this on the dual screw coil thread and maybe this is a better thread to get some answers, thanks.

How would one go about magnetizing plain jane screws and slugs? (I know Duncan has that machine (Dunager?) that can degauss and IIRC can also magnetize objects, but that's not a machine every Tom, Dick or Harry can obtain/afford). Also what grade of alnico or ceramic would this approximate for guitar pickup pole pieces?

Would the magnification last like a normal magnet or turn back to normal non magnetic metal over a short amount of time? I have a friends old hard drive to pull out the super strong magnets in it, if I can magnetize the poles, it might be worth an experiment, but I'm guessing the effect won't last too long before resorting back to non-magnetic.

So many questions, so little time.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: How to degauss

I don't really have much experience with charging or degaussing ceramics.

Steel screws and slugs can't be turned into permanent magnets. Steel will hold a slight charge for a short while, as you've seen with a screwdriver that can just barely hold a paper clip after it's been in a magnetic field.

Permanent magnets have to be a special alloy magnetic material, like Alnico or Cunife or Samarium Cobalt, neodymium etc. that can hold a magnetic charge indefinitely.

Steel can be used as part of an electromagnet (the kind you can turn on and off), as at a junkyard where the big round magnet lifts cars and then drops them when the operator throws the switch. But steel can't be made into a permanent magnet, at least not one with a significant charge.

 

[Mark Le Comte]

Re: How to degauss

Bumping and oldish thread because I think it gives good background on the topic.

There was talk about degausing vs airbucking and how to make a guitar top de-gausser. How about a screw adjustable airbucker so that by screwing in or out you could bring the magnet closer to the pole pieces. Kind of like the current screw height adjusters for pickups, but it only moves the magnet.

Would that work?

 

[appar111]

Re: How to degauss

I had a question--- I was thinking about getting a couple of the 1/2 inch neodymium magnets from Stew-Mac and attaching them to each end of a 1/2" dowel, with the positive end facing out on one, and the negative end facing out on the other. Then I could just label each end of the dowel with a sharpie and have a gaussing/degaussing "wand".

Would this work? If so, how long would I need to cut the dowel so that the neodymium magnets on each end wouldn't affect each other?

 

[WGTP]

Re: How to degauss

Has anyone tried using the big ceramic magnets on our guitar amp speakers? Something we all have access to mess with. I understand some folks have accidently degaussed their pickups by setting their guitar down too close to there speakers.

 

[BigJoe77]

Re: How to degauss

Will this same principle work with the magnetic rods on single coils?

Anybody ever tried it?

 

[BigJoe77]

Re: How to degauss

i have found myself to be pretty much a sucker for anything today. i bought a 1/2" neo mag and polarity tester from stew mac earlier.

i'm still curious to see if anyone has any thoughts on doing this to single coils.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: How to degauss

Bumping and oldish thread because I think it gives good background on the topic.

There was talk about degausing vs airbucking and how to make a guitar top de-gausser. How about a screw adjustable airbucker so that by screwing in or out you could bring the magnet closer to the pole pieces. Kind of like the current screw height adjusters for pickups, but it only moves the magnet.

Would that work?

this is quite off-topic, i've just realised before posting

i was going to say "it's not impossible, but it'd be very difficult to accomplish without some fairly fine engineering work" but unfortunately i think it is impossible, on thinking about it. it'd be pretty **** sweet if it could be done though

i pulled an airzone apart and it just had the spacers that sit next to the bar mag under the coils drilled off-center (so there was only a small amount of material between the pole and mag) and these spacers were made out of plastic or nylon, or something non-conductive anyway. one for the screws, one for the slugs. the slugs are tapered, perhaps so that they fit the same size spacer as the screws...

it's hard to visualise, i should really get a camera and a PC of my own so i can post pics of this stuff ; ]

 

[marcello252]

Re: How to degauss

gosh, just read this thread.
Some ago, when I swap the magnets between a ceramic pup and alnico V pup, to find out the polarity I put the bars side by side to check if they attract or not, so I gaussed or degaussed, don't know, the mags... Anyway they sound cool however, who knows, maybe I was lucky?

 

[ToneSage]

Re: How to degauss

I hope this doesn't qualify as an 'hijacking' of the thread, but after reading this, I just remembered I have a bunch of pickups (some pretty good vintage) tossed in a little toolbox all jumbled together! I have done this a lot through the years, to (what I never thought was) no ill effect -but now I am not so sure.

Have any of you had experiences like this? I've been modding my own guitars for years but have just now delved into the Alchemy that is pickup winding/re-winding and have learned some cool little tricks by way of trial and lots of error. Are all the pups in the toolbox going to be of relatively equal strength now that they've 'shared' magnetic properties?

 

[Quencho092]

Re: How to degauss

how bout regaussing an antiquity? I've heard some people not digging the weaker 'aged' antiquity, perhaps this would bring it back to stock 50's 60's unaged strength?

 

[MikeM]

Re: How to degauss

I tested this out today. I'm obviously a fool, either I can't notice the difference, or I'm doing it wrong.

At first, I waved it across the pickup, about an inch above the pickups, with the magnet parallel to the top of the guitar, heard very little difference. Flipped it over, tried again, also, not enough difference to know if it was an actual change or just placebo. Then followed the instructions more closely, did it around 2" above the outer bridge poles, with the face of the disc aimed toward the poles.

Is this correct? Should I be hearing a drastic difference? Any change in output?

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: How to degauss

ZHANG is a GENIUS! I love the fact you dont even take the pup out of the guitar! I have only aged one magnet it was a A2 from a CC i did it to get it closer to the EVH frankenstein spec's worked rather well:naughty:

 

[Mad Raxz]

Re: How to degauss

I tested this out today. I'm obviously a fool, either I can't notice the difference, or I'm doing it wrong.

At first, I waved it across the pickup, about an inch above the pickups, with the magnet parallel to the top of the guitar, heard very little difference. Flipped it over, tried again, also, not enough difference to know if it was an actual change or just placebo. Then followed the instructions more closely, did it around 2" above the outer bridge poles, with the face of the disc aimed toward the poles.

Is this correct? Should I be hearing a drastic difference? Any change in output?

Which leads me to ask; does Stewart McDonald, or anyone else, sell a device to measure the actual gauss of our pups so that we can see if we are doing it right?

 

[JHN]

Re: How to degauss

Most important question is if we can permanently change polarity in single coil slugs by using 2 discs,1 facing pickup from up and 1 from bellow.Say for example north(disk) facing top of slug,south(disk) facing bottom of slug will permanently charge the slug as opposite per disc for each side?Hope I expressed it well enough.That could save a lot of wiring and pickup changing to some people.

 

[lazyfinger]

Re: How to degauss

I'm curious, is it possible to charge the alnicos by attaching to ceramic 8?