The Aging of Pickups

[bryan the rocker]

hi guys

1) How long do Pickups last with constant playing, 10 years ? 70 years ?
before the components crap out, or the decrease in the quality of the Tone.


2) Do pickups tend to mellow or smoothen out as they age ?

I read an an article that says that the mellowness and smoothness of the pickup is cause more by the Aging of the Coil Wires, bec Modern magnets with
regular usage, remains consistent in strength for a very very long time (100 years ?),


Any truth to this statement ?


3) Also any tips in the Maintenance of a Gigging Musician's / Workingman's Guitars


4) Any tips in the Maintenance of a Gigging Musician's / Workingman's Guitar Pickups



thanks

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

well a magnets will degauss in strength over time.... other than that, I dont know much on the matter

 

[blueman335]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

Bryan, you worry a lot.

 

[jeremy]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

there is no reason a pup should stop working without some outside factors influencing it.

the magnets can soften over the years but it takes along time and alnico can always be recharged. as long as the coil doesnt break the pup should work forever.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

I used to wonder the same, but hey, those orig pafs in the coveted 59 LPs are not only working, but fetching thousands of dollars.. 40 yrs later..

on the flipside, I had a 2002 500t konk out on me.. go figure

 

[The Usual]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

I don't know, but you are the king of starting threads.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

all that will happen is that if you're still playing the same pickup in about 40 years, the gradual weakening of an A5's magnetic field may result in it sounding more like an A4 or A3 (for example).

the only way you're going to kill it is by damaging the coil, which is difficult to do unless you actually pick the sides of an uncovered pickup's bobbins with a coin.

other than that, don't play your guitar inside a volcano or under the sea. or eat it, p1ss on it etc.

you should be ok.

 

[bryan the rocker]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

Bryan, you worry a lot.

No I am not


The questions just Pop in my mind when I was rebuilding my Strat.

No worries


I just want to maximized the money I spent on my gear.

So knowing the Do's and Dont's are essential to me. The last thing I want is shortening the lifespan of my Pickups/Guitars/Gear. And wasting money buying replacements.

money that should be spent on my GF, clubbing, food, car parts, road trips, appliances, video games, vacations, house loans, etc.


Money dont grow on trees

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

Re. pickups..... sweat is the enemy, particularly for pickups where the pole pieces ARE the magnets (e.g. most Strat type single-coils). Sweat will start rust on the magnets and that corrosion will creep down the poles until it interferes with the insulation on the inner windings.....you can guess the rest. I killed a wonderful bridge pickup in my '74 Tele Custom due to this. The only defense is to make sure you carefully wipe down the pickups after a sweaty playing session.

If you tend to pick really hard, it is worth considering using covers on humbuckers, as it is possible to get the top E string hooked under the lip of the bobbins and damage the exposed windings.

Other than that, pickups are pretty indestructible once installed. Take care with the ammount of heat applied and the time it is applied for when soldering pickup wires.

I see it this way.... the life of an electric guitar can be like combat....so....if you're building or restoring a guitar, think it through and do everything as well and as solidly as possible so you only need to do it once and they you can play without worrying for years to come.

 

[bryan the rocker]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

Thanks crusty

Also I notice with Seymour duncan humbuckers (open coil), they have a hole on the top of each bobbin, where you can see the coil wires.



Why do they have holes on there in the first place ?..... to check the wires ?


Ever tried putting tape on those holes to protect the coil wires from sweat and dust accumulation.

 

[jeremy]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

even the old pafs had those holes, i assume its for/from the manufacturing process

 

[The Usual]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

There is a trade off as well. Most good musical things sound at their best before they die. Speakers, guitars, amps etc. Finding a way to that line, without going over it, is the lightening in a bottle of our world.

Grip it, rip it, and smile when you find it. It won't last.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

Alnico, if never exposed to physical shock (like dropping the pickup on concrete) or to other magnetic fields, will degauss very very little, even over 50 years. But inevitably over that time, there is some influence from magnetic fields, however brief, that may soften them a bit. (Usually it's a good thing.)

Otherwise, unless you sweat ridiculously during a gig or play handball with your pickups or take them into the shower with you, they should outlive you.

 

[glassman]

Re: The Aging of Pickups

Formvar, which Fender pickups use, does react in the presence of water; the surface crazes and, in extreme circumstances, can cause small splits in the surface of the varnish. Nearly all magnet wire enamels are affected to some degree by a salt water solution (sweat). Due to the minute amount of current in a guitar pickup, even splits in the enamel that line up with one another (turn to turn) probably wouldn't cause a problem.