UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

[treyhaislip]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

For electric guitar pickup purposes, a rod magnet needs to have one flat end polarised North and the opposite end polarised South. Agreed?

Some magnet formulations magnetise preferrentially along one axis. For guitar pickup purposes, this should be along the length of the rod.

Unoriented formulations can be magnetised along other axes.

For Fender-style pickup applications, it is difficult to see any advantage to being able to orient the magnetic field in any direction other than vertically, along the length of the rod.

I am calling snake oil.

Hmm...that is an interesting point you make and I really don't have an answer other than I'd still like to try it lol

 

[Masta' C]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

I'd love to see the magnetic field of a strat pickup with UOA5 magnets...very curious

 

[J E C]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Even with un-oriented AlNiCo magnets you sill have a North and a South pole.

 

[AlexR]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Remember that almost all of the magnet types we use are unoriented anyhow. I think 5 is the only one that has both if memory serves.

And the effect with poles would be the same as bar. The material type and composition will determine the shape and strength of the field......and I'd guess the relative tonal shift would occur too, but with the obvious difference that pole mags impart.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

What are you thoughts on UOA5 in a bridge pickup for Strat? Do you think its a good way to tame the somewhat icepicky/thin issues with Strat bridge pickups?

It would but probably not as well as A2.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Try a baseplate.

That will likely make it squeal like a stuck pig. Unless you screw it to the bottom of the pu cavity with foam under it and set it to where it almost touches the bottom of the pu.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Normally, the air gap between the fibreboard plate and the metal baseplate would be potted with wax.

 

[Davii]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Other than the possibily of damaging the coil, does a lack of plastic between it and the rods have any tonal effect, or is it invisible to what's going on due to it being plastic?

My favourite so far, has been an A3/A2 mix on the middle pup, after getting a selection of different ones from Cermag.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Normally, the air gap between the fibreboard plate and the metal baseplate would be potted with wax.

It would but probably not as well as A2.

That will likely make it squeal like a stuck pig. Unless you screw it to the bottom of the pu cavity with foam under it and set it to where it almost touches the bottom of the pu.

Thank you for the info!

I am putting the bridge pickup issue on hold for right now, focusing on a Tele build. lol The Fat 50 bridge gets a very good tone...I just feel it is underwhelming compared to the neck and mid with certain pedals BUT I just got a Mad Professor Sky Blue Overdrive that works wonders with the bridge...so I may just reorganize my board and worry about the Strat after the Tele project is finished.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

For electric guitar pickup purposes, a rod magnet needs to have one flat end polarised North and the opposite end polarised South. Agreed?

Some magnet formulations magnetise preferrentially along one axis. For guitar pickup purposes, this should be along the length of the rod.

Unoriented formulations can be magnetised along other axes.

For Fender-style pickup applications, it is difficult to see any advantage to being able to orient the magnetic field in any direction other than vertically, along the length of the rod.

I am calling snake oil.

You call incorrectly because you (and I think several others in this thread) are focused entirely on whether or not you can re-orient the magnet. That in and of itself is meaningless for guitar players because (a) even A5 can flipped, just takes a little extra time, and (b) infinitely more importantly, UA5 just sounds very different from either A2 or A5.

I have not tried UA5 in rod magnet format but in bar magnets for humbuckers or P90s, UA5 sounds very much like the love-child of A2 and A5. It's dead center between the two to my ear -- brighter and a little louder than A2, not as bright, not nearly as scooped, and not as loud as A5. If A2 is too "syrupy" for you and A5 is too scooped and harsh in the bridge and/or too muddy in the neck, UA5 is a real, viable alternative.

 

[J E C]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Well put Zhang!

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: UOA5 Strat Pole Pieces

Normally, the air gap between the fibreboard plate and the metal baseplate would be potted with wax.

Trust me, with a Strat it doesn't matter. A plate for a Strat has far less mass than a Tele plate (which often squeals too), which makes it even more vulnerable to squeal so even massive amounts of wax won't stop it from resonating like a tuning fork. I've tried it.