Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

[TheRip]

Hey Guys,
I'm new to the forum, so hello!

So, I recently got a looooooveeelyy 92' Squier Made In Japan Strat, one of the anniversary ones which have the same decal as the early JV squiers...anyways, I got some problems with the pups. They are as far as i can tell some ceramic ones(have a magnet bar on the bottom) and are fairly vintage voiced, with a DC Resistance at about i think 4.9 to 5.3k depending on position.

Anyways, what got me thinking is the bridge pickup, it has some nasty highs, up in the presence range and is all together pretty trebly and sounds kind of thin, and "off"...i mean it still rocks, and i like the tone it has, but its not perfect. so, i checked out some sites, including stewmac, where i read to test the strength of the magnet in comparision with the other pickups. result: bridge has significantly less pull on my sciccors than the others. Can a ceramic Magnet loose strenght? Can it be "re-magnetized"? I dont know what that guitar has been through, though it looks pretty good considering it is 24 years old...

To make it short: Is that pup worth saving, might i get a decent tone out of it, or should i get a new SD one? I was kind of looking towards a Hot Stack for Strat, i think its called STK-S9b or so...also, consider i live in germany, so sending in to SD isnt an option, I'd rather get a new one than pay the shipping...

My style of music is going towards the more rocky side of live, I like the tone of SRV, I like the tone of John Frusciante, I like Bonamassa's tone, and so on. For more heavy stuff i got a HSH strat with a Dimarzio CrunchLab, so i'm looking to fill the gap.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

Ceramic magnets are much more stable than alnicos. Either it was manufactured wrong or something drastic happened to it to cause that. Its probably better to just replace the pickup instead of trying to pry it off and reattach it so you can "fix it" If your dead set on keeping the guitar stock its possible but if your open to swaps I would say this is your opportunity.

Both SRV and Frusciante play pretty low output singles a simple SSL1 if you want staggered magnets or SSL2 if you want flat will probably fill your need single coil tones. the STK-S9b is a stack which is good if your after less noise I havent played that exact pickup so i wont comment on it directly but for me most stacks have something "missing" when i really want that stratty jangle particularly if your after those frusciante bell tones he gets.

 

[TheRip]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

Ok, I'll get a new one then. I alreadly soldered a couple spots in there and I'm going to replace the original string trees for new fender ones and i had to fix the strap button, which became schaller straplocks now...so, it's not that stock anymore that it would be worth keeping the pickup.

So, i thought SRV used the Texas Specials? arent they a bit hotter than vintage ones? Also, at my local guitar shop I played Fender noiseless, and you say, seymour duncan ones lack that undescribable something too? then I think I'll go SSL-6, since that seems to be a nice middle between distorted tones and that classic strat jangle...and i dont think i need staggerd with a ~10" radius, or?

would it be worth thinking about a middle pickup for playing in position 4? I mean, if you wire a hot and a vintage pickup in series for hum canceling, wouldnt the vintage one only cancel so much hum as it produces output?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

So, i thought SRV used the Texas Specials? arent they a bit hotter than vintage ones?

Nope he used the stock pickups that his guitar came with. By most accounts now they were a bit underwound. If i remember right the texas specials were released only a few months before he died.

I think I'll go SSL-6, since that seems to be a nice middle between distorted tones and that classic strat jangle...and i dont think i need staggerd with a ~10" radius, or?

The SSL6 will probably get you pretty close to what you want but it does lose a bit of the jangle.. its still there but just not as glassy. Which many times i think is a good thing. I would go with a flat stagger on that radius but then again i use flat on any radius...

would it be worth thinking about a middle pickup for playing in position 4? I mean, if you wire a hot and a vintage pickup in series for hum canceling, wouldnt the vintage one only cancel so much hum as it produces output?

The diffference in hum would be pretty small. Sure a bit more but not so much you would notice. Though I think you might find if you replace one pickup the others might sound a bit blah.

 

[dotsdad]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

The simplest solultion would be to connect the second tone pot to the bridge pickup instead of the middle pickup.

 

[TheRip]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

Nope he used the stock pickups that his guitar came with. By most accounts now they were a bit underwound. If i remember right the texas specials were released only a few months before he died.

well, i think i might have gotten something wrong then. gonna read about that later...thnaks for pointing it out!

I would go with a flat stagger on that radius but then again i use flat on any radius...

a flat stagger? is the SSL-5 a flat stagger? or how does that work? my store of choice only has staggerd or not staggerd...

and from my expieriences with the CrunchLab in my other guitar, I'm prepared for realizing how **** the other pups are, and a new neck pickup is on my list as well, but eh...money...eh...

 

[TheRip]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

The simplest solultion would be to connect the second tone pot to the bridge pickup instead of the middle pickup.

that has already been done first thing i do on a strat...i dont get why this isnt stock wiring...

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

a flat stagger? is the SSL-5 a flat stagger? or how does that work? my store of choice only has staggerd or not staggerd...

SSL5 and SSL6 are the same pickup the only difference is the stagger. SSL6 is flat SSL5 is staggered...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Old (92') Squier Pickup Magnet Problems

the hot stack is a nice pup but not very stratty. lots of mids and lots of output. i think the ssl6 is a good choice