Pickup storage and longevity

[dpaterson]

As many will know I’ve only just recently completed my first (two) pickup swaps. So consequently I, right now, have two spare pickups lying around and I’ve found myself wondering about the following:

1. Is there a correct way to store pickups??? By this I mean could storing pickups in close proximity to each other damage them and/or their magnets???
3. Do pickups have a shelf life??? By this I mean will pickups “go bad” after a time (whether in use or not) e.g. will the magnets eventually lose their magnetism.
5. Is it possible to damage a pickup by wiring incorrectly (not talking active pickups here i.e. I would imagine the answer is “yes” in the case of active pickups insofar as it pertains to the active circuitry)???

The above just struck me over the weekend as I was cleaning up and packing tools and spares away after my last pickup swap i.e. the magnetic pull/field of some pickups (the two spares that I have now anyway) is pretty staunch. I know for sure, for example, that I’d never store them in close proximity to my video cameras for instance. Also: I have a gauss meter and you can get a pretty staunch reading off of the pickups stored in their Perspex boxes/packaging within relative close proximity to the said pickups.

Just wondering is all.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Pickup storage and longevity

Answers:
1) Yes, the correct way to store them is where they are the most convenient to you. (Just don't store them stuck on the back of your neo-magnet speakers.)
2) Yes, pups have a shelf life of about 486 years, give or take a couple hundred. The magnets have a somewhat shorter shelf life depending on where they have been stored.
3) No. The way you wire them won't hurt them per se. You can damage or break the wires or solder joints if you mis-handle them, however. (Well, yes, if you happen to wire them directly into a 240 volt dryer outlet you could potentially damage something.)

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pickup storage and longevity

There are some who even store them in pickle jars.

 

[dpaterson]

Re: Pickup storage and longevity

Hello.

Thanks. All questions asked and answered. Done.