Low magnetic pull humbuckers

Chip Chance

New member
I have a dazzling 2015 Gibson Derek Trucks signature SG that is the most resonant, sustaining guitar I've ever held. I installed a pair of Seth Lovers in it and it sounds wonderful. But I prefer to have my pickups close to the strings and I get a substantial amount of magnetic pull which distorts the low strings as I play higher up the fretboard with this model pickup. By backing the pickups down I lose the sensitivity and touch that I want.
I need suggestions for medium output, wax potted, chrome covered humbuckers with low magnetic pull. Any help would be greatly appreciated?
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

welcome to the forum!

the only thing youre going to find with lower pull is antiqutiys. seths have alnico 2 magnets which are lower pull than a5, antiquities have weakened alnico 2 magnets. the caveat is when you weaken the magnet, you do lose some output and the tone changes. why do you need wax potting? the seths arent potted.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

Lace hemibuckers, or just about any lace humbucker for that matter.

You can get them right up under the strings if you like.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I'm just thinking out loud here, but Seths already have some of the lowest string pull you'll find, excepting Lace Sensors and active pickups.

But I'm thinking... maybe, just maybe, what you need is to drop the pickups until you get the weird responses out of your sound,
then recover what you're after with a flexible, and well-chosen, boost pedal.

I'm not talking Tubescreamers or anything like that. There's much more subtle pedals that can do marvelous things. I'm a big fan of the Zvex SHO, and while it might not be your cup of tea, it could be the sort of thing you need in your chain to recover dynamics and punch lost in the way of your current setup. It's all electricity.
 
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Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I am a pickups far away from the strings guy... that's pretty much the only way to control magnet pull.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

i sometimes like my pups close, sometimes not. ive never had string pull be an issue with humbuckers, only rod magnet single coils. the lace pups mentioned might be fine but they sure as hell dont sound like a seth or any other paf type pup.

my suggestion is somewhat similar to others, sorta. lower the pup on the bass side till the weirdness goes away. if you want more volume on those strings, raise the pole pieces up a little. you can use a boost if you want but my suggestion is to turn up your amp a touch instead.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I prefer to have my pickups close to the strings and I get a substantial amount of magnetic pull which distorts the low strings as I play higher up the fretboard with this model pickup. By backing the pickups down I lose the sensitivity and touch that I want.


HTH,
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

The distortion you hear when very close to the bridge isn't from magnetic pull.

It is from the drastic distance changes when the string vibrates, turning each previously sine shaped move into a bit saw-shaped thing (aka adding overtones).
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

Try the Bonamassa signature, or call the Custom Shop and ask for something Seymour calls "weakies".


If you're feeling adventurous, try the PATB series, probably the PATB Blues Saraceno bridge (closest to a PAF bridge) and the standard PATB neck. They are Alnico V but the magnetic field is less likely to negatively affect the string vibration.

If you're feeling really adventurous, have the Custom Shop wind your favorite wind/style of pickup onto the PATB bobbins with Alnico II magnets.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I'm almost certain it's not excessive magnetism that is causing your problems, but the way you have your pickups set up. The height is creating excessive output, and it's also possible that the strings are actually hitting the pickup covers or pole pieces as you fret higher on the neck. You state that you prefer your pickups close to the strings, but why? There is no good reason for setting your pickups so close that they create problems like you are experiencing. If you like more output, then you don't need to set up your pickups so poorly. You just need to set your amp differently and/or use hotter pickups.

I would start by lowering your Seths to factory recommended setup settings, and tweaking your amp to get the "sensitivity and touch" that you want. If they still sound too weak, move to PGs.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

Wilde pickups by Bill and Becky Lawrence have a low string pull, although their humbucking models are not true PAFs.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I prefer to have my pickups close to the strings and I get a substantial amount of magnetic pull which distorts the low strings as I play higher up
By backing the pickups down I lose the sensitivity and touch that I want.
This actually makes very little sense. If having the pickup that high distorts the movement of the string so much that it is noticeable, how can that be giving you the sensitivity and touch?
Humbuckers have a lot less string pull than strat or tele style pickups because the actual magnet is down below the coils. If you are getting noticeable string pull then they must be really really close.
Perhaps you should think about a slightly different approach.

Most people raise their pickups if they want a loud, punchy and present sound with a lot of attack.
Using softer magnets like A2 and degaussed magnets definitely create a less powerful magnetic field, but also have a corresponding decrease in volume and punch.
So, by choosing a soft magnet and a vintage wind, you may find yourself raising the pickup even more than you would normally to make up for the drop in output and attack.
So you will be back at square one.

I think that in your case it might be worth experimenting with something that has a hotter wind, so you can get the punch, output and thickness but at a much lower height, so you get all of that but less string pull.
TO get that, especially if you play slide then it is worth looking at the custom custom model for a number of reasons:
1. It has an alnico II magnet so it has inherently less pull.
2. It has a hotter wind than paf style pickups so you can have the volume and attack you want.
3. All of the pickups with "custom" in their name sound excellent in SGs probably more so than any other guitar. They really add girth and heft to the thin body. They are also all the same pickup but with different magnets, so if you want to modify the tone, it is a simple magnet swap.

There are a couple of other things you might want to look at for your SG:
MOst gibsons use 300k pots these days (I'm not sure what comes in your exact model) so it is worth checking what value are currently in there. 500k pots are generally the best bet for humbuckers because they allow a slightly more punchy and present sound - exactly what a lot of people are after when they raise the pickups. If you do not have 500k pots, definitely get some in there- even more so of you are using A2 pickups.
In the neck, i would recommend an APH model to pair with the CC to give you a fat, warm, balanced and meaty slide sound using either pickup.

A2 pickups are really excellent for that singing, sustaining derek trucks/duane allman style of slide playing.
I have done a similar mod after some experimentation on my slide only SG standard and finally settled on a CC with an A259 model in the neck. Sustain for days and plenty of thickness. Really had the push to make a marshall crunch.

Here are a couple tracks i recorded using that combination into a JTM style marshall (amp was only on 3 or 4) no pedals:

 
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Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I have frequently changed my thinking about how a guitar should be setup vs how it will sound the best. I don't know if more output (or an output that is distorting or wobbly from string pull) adds sensitivity, as it compresses more, and actually takes away touch sensitivity. Back the Seths off, and enjoy.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

Yeah, I would have thought all pickups have more touch sensitivity further away from the string (to a certain degree). Its been 100% the case with anything I've ever owned.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

In my earlier post, because the question seemed so ridiculous, I avoided a good answer: active pick ups. If anything, the closer to the strings they are, the better they sound. If you want something to sounds a bit more classic than your stereotypical active pickups, check out the EMG 57 and/or 66. The suggestion doesn't, however, change my opinion that you were probably experiencing your problems due solely to poor setup on the pickups.
 
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Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I don't have any problem with moving paf humbuckers close to the strings.

The magnet is under the pickup coils and the screw and slug polepieces are not magnets.

It IS a problem moving Strat single coils to close to the strings and the polepieces (which ARE the magnets in a Strat or Tele single coil) will pull on the strings.

But it's never been a problem for me with full size paf style humbuckers.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I agree with the people who think the problem is not magnetic. I used to run Invaders or Distortions as close as I could get them and had no issues with magnetic pull.
 
Re: Low magnetic pull humbuckers

I don't have any problem with moving paf humbuckers close to the strings.

The magnet is under the pickup coils and the screw and slug polepieces are not magnets.

It IS a problem moving Strat single coils to close to the strings and the polepieces (which ARE the magnets in a Strat or Tele single coil) will pull on the strings.

But it's never been a problem for me with full size paf style humbuckers.


+1. Most of my PU's are PAF's (with A2's and UOA5's well-represented), and like the sound and punch of them relatively close to the strings. I'm sure you can overdo that though and get them too close.
 
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