Seymour's Q & A > 104

[crguti]

104. Can I replace the pole pieces on my Humbuckers?.
You can change the pole pieces as long as they are a ferrous material (conduct a magnetic field). Do not use brass or non-ferrous stainless steel screws unless you want less output from the strings. Try keeping the same thread and diameter of the screw so you don’t damage your bobbin. The stud side of a humbucker carries a large portion of magnetic field to the strings. Using shorter pole piece screws will slightly brighten the sound of the pickup and longer screws tend to soften the sound. Using longer pole piece screws extend the magnetic field further out the bottom of the pickup and away from the strings.

:33:

I have changed the pole piece screws of the 59', Air Norton and Paf Pro in the neck position, and I found out that I get the opposite effect of the sentence quoted above in red. That means that using shorter screws I get more bass sound. My ears are lying to me? :dunno: Can someone confirm this?

 

[Artie]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

I think what they're saying is, shorter screws, by virtue of strengthening the magnetic field, give the pup more of whatever its inherent character is. So, a 59 might get bassier, while a JB might get brighter.

 

[crguti]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

I don't remember where I read this, but it was something about the effect of screws length in the neck is the opposite effect than in the bridge. It might be the case :dunno:

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

I have changed the pole piece screws of the 59', Air Norton and Paf Pro in the neck position, and I found out that I get the opposite effect of the sentence quoted above in red. That means that using shorter screws I get more bass sound. My ears are lying to me? :dunno: Can someone confirm this?

What do you mean with "changed the pole screws"?

You took out the Duncan pole screws and put others in?

If that's the case, where did you get those pole screws from?

 

[crguti]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

^ yes, I swapped the screws of a pickup that I had around.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

^ yes, I swapped the screws of a pickup that I had around.

Well, looks like those screws weren't that good...

I have lots of good screws laying around collecting dust. If you give me your address, I can send'em to you.

HTH,

 

[Guston7]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

I had been switching fillisters to hex to tighten bass up & get more definition in some pickups. However, Frank informed me that the effect was more due to the hex screws being shorter than it was from the head shape. I tried it...he's right. I cut the fillisters down on a Custom & it had a very similar effect. It works great; now I stagger them to be very short on the low 'E', up to the high 'E' being full length.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

1) AFAIK, using shorter screws should brighten a pickup because less metallic mass = less inductance... but it has to be the same alloy. Various metallic alloys don't react in the same way to magnetic fields (it depends on their carbon content).

2) the screws and slug sides haven't the same tone, anyway - because of their location under the strings AND because the shape of their parts doesn't make them sound the same: http://music-electronics-forum.com/t1036/

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

Kind of what ArtieToo said...

Shorter screws = more focused/"stronger" magnetic field = less inductance = less eddie currents = more accute reproduction of the pup's inherent tone (but usually "more focused" sounds brighter or more articulate).

 

[crguti]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

I used the screws of a cheap pickup, probably they aren't made of good 'alloy'.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

I used the screws of a cheap pickup, probably they aren't made of good 'alloy'.

Now you know WHY they're "cheap".

 

[Coma]

Re: Seymour's Q & A > 104

On that topic - anyone willing to point me in the direction of or sell me some screws? Looking for Full Shred/Ibanez style screws.