NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

[MS15]

Hello All !

I understand the basics re: strength, potting, AlNiCo vs ceramic, degauss to a point( if SD Ants are A2's degaussed 20%, when do they become A3's?) etc. It's the " new " stuff - polished, rough cast, un-oriented( vs. oriented ? - and what is that ?) etc. that confuses me. Do these definitions apply to all magnets ? The overall question is what does this have to do with tone or response ? Can a magnet be more than one of these definitions ? If you don't use two of the same in a pickup, do they off set ? Thanks !

 

[jeremy]

Re: NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

p90's use two magnets, humbuckers typically only one.

a degaussed a2 magnet will never be any other type of alnico

polished and rough cast are physical features of the magnet, polished will have a sharper more focused tone

oriented and un-oriented have to do with the way the magnet is made. oriented magnets have a better defined field and typically more output

 

[Masta' C]

Re: NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

The different AlNiCo grades (A2, A3, A5, etc) represent their material composition. While you can modify a particular magnet's personality quite a bit by tweaking the gauss (i.e. level of magnetic charge), it will never change the type of magnet it is nor fully behave like another grade, although it may share some characteristics with another grade in certain applications and at certain gauss/degaussed levels.

Polished magnets have been cut and had all of their outer surfaces polished to a smooth finish. Rough cast are left rough and imperfect. The magnetic field behaves a bit differently between the two (the polished mag = more symmetrical field) and there is a slight difference in sound, with polished mags *generally* being brighter and more direct sounding and rough cast having a certain softness imparted due to a less even magnetic field. Also, there can be a slight difference from one rough cast mag to the next due to the random nature of the surface imperfections. Examples:

Unoriented (aka: isotropic) vs oriented (aka: anisotropic) are best understood by imagining the grain of a piece of wood. In an oriented magnet, the magnetic "grain" runs in the same direction throughout the length of the material, just as you would imagine a normal piece of wood. In an un-oriented magnet, the "grain" is random and undefined. As such, un-oriented magnets are not quite as strong as oriented magnets of the same composition.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

Search for a thread called (something like) "teach me about magnets"

 

[MS15]

Re: NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

thanks

 

[MS15]

Re: NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

thanks for the tip

 

[darthphineas]

Re: NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING MAGNET DEFINITIONS

found it:


https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?200860-Teach-me-about-magnets