SD Hot Rails old model - 3 different pickups?

[idan182]

I need to investigate these 3 old hot rails models:

3 different ones with the letters: "N", "NC" and one with ID tag.
I guess the right one is the newest one?

I've read the one with the "C" is wounded by Catalina Padilla.
Does that make any differences? like hand-made? Was the N made by machine?

which one can be better or that doesn't matter as long it's working?

 

[gregory]

Re: SD Hot Rails old model - 3 different pickups?

They are going to be the same within the specified tolerances of the materials used when they were new.

These pickups are wound by machine, not by hand.

Any large difference due to aging will likely be found in the magnet.

Of course there are those who believe the person loading the machine and pressing the green button will make a substantially marked difference, and always in favor of the pickup with the operator's initials with a J being the most heavily prized.

 

[jeremy]

Re: SD Hot Rails old model - 3 different pickups?

these pups use ceramic magnets which do not typically lose charge with age

 

[gregory]

Re: SD Hot Rails old model - 3 different pickups?

I had considered that they were ceramic, but then considered my EMG 81. There's a page on Wikipedia claiming that the model began life with an A5. Now, I suppose that could be true as my 81 is fairly old, though I doubt it was made before the early to mid '80s. It definitely has a much weaker magnetic pull than my newer 85. Perhaps it just has a smaller magnet, I don't know. Perhaps the subject would be worthy of a separate topic.

Also, by "aging" I was not discounting the possibility of degaussing caused by exposing the pickup to a strong magnetic field such as a speaker cabinet for extended periods of time, FWIW.

 

[jeremy]

Re: SD Hot Rails old model - 3 different pickups?

ceramics (hard ferrite) are much less susceptible to outside magnet fields too. its basically clay with iron oxide or something similar, once they are formed they are pretty resistant to losing their charge. much more so than alnico.

interesting about the emgs, not sure if/how they have changed over the years.

 

[gregory]

Re: SD Hot Rails old model - 3 different pickups?

Thanks for the information, Jeremy!