Question about guitar Pickups magnetic mod

[Midiez1997]

Hello! I would like to ask two questions, I know that they have already been discussed, so I hope that you will throw links to me, or briefly explain the essence of the idea:
1) I heard that in vintage guitars, the polarities of the magnets in the sensors were different than they are now. In the stratocaster, north up (all 3 pickups), and in the humbucker. The sound of even an unconnected guitar depends on this.
2) What does air-mod, When do we take out the metal yoke next to the magnet and center it?

 

[shadowfire90]

Re: Question about guitar Pickups magnetic mod

The reason you'd want the magnetic and coil polarity to be reversed compared to the bridge or neck position is for hum cancellation. Otherwise you'll get one of two things happening.
Out of phase - which isn't that big of a deal in single coils to me. Depending on the guitar it can suit it
hum - similar to position 1 3 or 5 by itself a guitar will hum but positions 2 and 4 shouldn't. If a production model fender released with 2 wire single coils with that issue the player would/should return it if positions 2 and 4 hum on a completely stock strat.

This is for question 1 in much more detail
https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/pickup-polarity-and-phase-made-simple

A big reason I suspect is that the 5 way blade did not come stock on Fender Stratocasters until the late 1970s. Around 1977 and of course it's easier to just make pickups all the same way. I always remember how Jimi Hendrix took the springs out of his 3 way blades to get those tones. Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) got a pink guitar from Jimi Hendrix that had it like it. The Billy Gibbons article where he talks about the switch.
https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/jimi-hendrixs-toggle-switch-breakthrough


For the air mod. It reduces string pull, lowers the output and makes the pickup more "well rounded" is how someone described it to me. It puts a bit of a gap of air between the pole pieces and magnets. I'm sure there is more than one way to achieve this and there is quite a lot of older forum posts about this topic I remember seeing years ago. I've heard people mention maple spacers or surgical tubing. Either way all the effort that goes into it for most honestly if I hate a pickup and have tried everything wiring mods, magnet swaps, adjusted the height and pole pieces until I'm blue in the face I'll just sell it.

 

[Midiez1997]

Re: Question about guitar Pickups magnetic mod

Thx for answer!)
more opinions?

 

[Midiez1997]

Re: Question about guitar Pickups magnetic mod

What about the Peter Green mod? how did he have a magnet in it?