Which steel slugs for Fender MiM bass pickups?

[David King]

I'm interested in tracking down steel for the slugs in the MIM Jazz pickups. They're 5mm dia and plated and seems to add a lot of low end with the two ceramic bars at the bottom. Pickups measure 6.3K DCR and are very high output considering the lowish number of turns. I have similar magnets though I haven't tried swapping the magnets yet.

[Bruce Johnson]

Is there any reason to suspect that they're anything unusual? They probably used the cheapest steel they could find. I'd start with some 5mm drill rod sawn off to the correct length.

[David Schwab]

I made some of my first pickups with the rods pushed out of MiM Fender Strat pickups! Then I got some plain steel rods from Home Depot.

I think Bruce is right, it's probably just plain cold rolled steel.

Any low carbon steel would do, and might sound better too. Try some 1010 rods, or something similar.

[David King]

Well I've tracked down some malleable iron rivets in 3/16, some low carbon moly welding rod along with the usual A36, 1008, 1018 and hopefully some 1022. Already have the O-1 drill rod.

I might just have to grind away on the Fender rods to see what the sparks look like.

[David Schwab]

I've used 1018 and O-1 for poles. They both sound good, albeit it a little different.

[tedmich]

266213 Sigma/Aldrich
Iron
rod, diam. 6.3 mm, 99.98%

about $1/mm of length!

kidding, had a great time speaking with DK at the Handmade Instrument show this weekend, he is a mad genius!

The King Bass he brought was the most amazing 6 string fretless with effortless pinky access to the low string at the equivalent of the 24th fret due to a radical sculpted back...all feather light because of a Ti truss rod and CF in the neck...put the Pedulla Hexabuzz I have lusted after for years to complete shame.

once he masters pickups...look out!

[David King]

I found a big place in town, Portland tool steel, a 20 footer of 3/16" 1018 rod is a whopping $3.

TedMich you are a dear and thanks for dropping by.

[tedmich]

De nada David!

I seriously did look into ultra pure and carbonyl iron for pickups, cobalt and nickle too, all the ferromagnetic elements, but 1018 at >98% Fe sounds just fine to me and the price is right (I am a chemist but not rich or crazy)

[David King]

Wouldn't it be 99.8%?

[tedmich]

there are ranges in the composition of the cheaper steels,
1018
carbon (C):0.15-0.20%
manganese (Mn): 0.60-0.90%
phosphorus (P): 0.040%
sulfur (S): 0.050%
iron (Fe): balance

so low side 98.81% Fe, high side 99.16% Fe

(check my math but I think both numbers are >98% )