Short Bar and Roughcast Magnets

[Chistopher]

I've noticed recently that Google searches about roughcast and short bar magnets have a shockingly low number of results. So I thought it would be nice to discuss the effects of these miscelanious varieties of magnets for posterity.

I recently replaced the A2 magnets in my Pearly Gates neck and 59/C bridge with roughcast versions of the same magnet. It slightly reduced high end and gave more "texture" to the mids, for lack of a better phrase. It definitely took me a step closer to what I was looking for in my Strat.

As for short bar magnets, the only experience I have with them is in Phat Cats, which I don't have experience with full sized A5s. I mainly do it to because that's what the P90s of old had. I'm hoping other people will jump in on this, as I don't have much bring to the table.

What experience do y'all have with these styles of magnets? Also as a side note, does anyone know where I can locate short and rough A2s?

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Short Bar and Roughcast Magnets

I have noticed the same thing. I have even experimented with Rough cast Alnico 8 mags and damn, they are nice. I have them in a Screamin' Demon (awesome!) and a Full Shred/Custom hybrid. I also replaced the stock AII in my CC with a roughcast version and yea it even makes the mids pop even more! Its awesome in a strat. Even the Roughcast A8 creates some mids in the Screamin Demon, which is totally void of them with the stock A5.

I am pretty sold on the Rough Cast mags!

 

[AZ Picker]

Re: Short Bar and Roughcast Magnets

I've tried it in a custom 5, swapped the stock polished A5 for a short, roughcast A5 and to echo a few others posts on this subject recently, I would say you keep the treble of the long polished A5 (it's a little grittier sounding with the short rough mag for lack of a better term, to my ears at least) and you lose some bass, output was pretty close... I had read the short mags had more mids, but it might be your ears are fooled by the tamed bass and very slightly softened treble. It's not drastic, and if you blind tested me at band volume levels I'd probably have no idea which was which. If you loved your Alnico 5 based pickup but had a boomy low end you couldn't dial out, it might be worth a shot.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Short Bar and Roughcast Magnets

The short A5 experience I have had is similar to above. The strength is a bit less, and they seem less sharp....and fuller for the bridge posi.

As to rough......well some of these small changes can be hard to pin down. You'd need to make sure its not the mag in question being the shift....not all alnicos of the same grade are created equally. The original sandcast mags were quite rough.....rougher than the sandblasted look of the typical roughcast mag. In many cases I've seen slightly incomplete pours on the ends of old 50's mags, or where 2 are forged together and snapped in half.
I'd think this sort of rough would do more than simply a beaded finish

 

[J E C]

Re: Short Bar and Roughcast Magnets

You may like an UOA5 (it is rough cast) in that C/59. Very nice! It is very good in a Custom as well.