Neodynium in Strat

[Carbion]

Hi Guys,

I am new here and already read and learned a lot here before registering. Now, I think I've reached the point where I can think about starting to build pickups. I don't wanna just copy existing designs but rather "improve" them my way. I guess, I wont reinvent anything but that's my way.

Anyway, I wanna start with some easy pickups for my strat. I thought about using steel pole pieces instead of the AlNiCo rod magnets with neodynium magnets attached to the bottom of the pickup. I am pretty sure, that's gonna work somehow although I am not sure which magnets to pick.

The pole pieces should be 6 mm in diameter and 15.9 mm high. What kind of neo magnets would you take here? How strong should they be without interfering with the string vibration and clipping the signal?

[ShannonH]

but most guys are using really small ones. I saw something like 3/16 x1/16 thick circles, others use little rectangular ones. Should be an interesting experiment.

[David Schwab]

If you want to use rod magnets, you can try something like these:

K&J Magnetics - Products 3/16" dia. x 3/4" long

That's as close as you are going to get to Strat size magnets.

Otherwise I'd make them like the steel poled Strat pickups, replacing the ceramic magnets with neos. That would create less pull on the strings as well. When used this way they have less gauss at the poles then when using alnico rods.

I feel the really small 1/16" thick magnets are fairly useless.

[salvarsan]

I feel the really small 1/16" thick magnets are fairly useless.

I strongly disagree.
They work great for the index magnet on my windings counter,
and for holding the shopping list onto the refrigerator door.

-drh

[automan]

I didn't know they are that much weaker at the end of a slug. I use them like this and they are plenty powerful

[David Schwab]

...and for holding the shopping list onto the refrigerator door.

You should see the left side of my fridge! I keep all my work orders and stuff stuck there with the little neos I get as samples when I order from K&J!

Thinner magnets can work well stuck to a steel rod, but the 1/16" thin ones aren't very strong compared to an alnico rod or something more common in pickups.

[David Schwab]

I didn't know they are that much weaker at the end of a slug. I use them like this and they are plenty powerful

I say that because if I measure one of the neo bar magnets (similar to what you are using) I use for pickups, it's around 1200G. After I have them in the pickup charging a bar, they are around 460G. I have a plastic bobbin Strat pickup here that reads around 800G on each pole.

I was actually very surprised by this.

[Carbion]

Thanks for the link. So the important figure is the Gauss-Value? I won't get them at K&J since I am in europe, but I guess I can find something similar here. The ones in the link above have around 6500G:
K&J Magnetics - Products
Ain't that too much?

[David Schwab]

I have some of these I was to use for a project, just to try them, but as I said I don't use neo rod magnets, or rod pole pieces for that matter. Blades distribute the field better. Rods place a hot spot under the string. There is no advantage to using rod poles.

[ShannonH]

I guess I'm surprised that those of you that are using them are using bar magnets (I get the steel poles part). I would have thought that the string pull would have been too much.

[Mike Sulzer]

Really thin ones (1/32") are used on top of the pole piece, that is, right under the strings. Why do it any other way? The only reason for putting magnets underneath is that before rare earth magnets, they had to be too big to go on top. The pole piece helps direct the permanent field; that is why such small magnets work. (The other purpose of the pole piece is to direct the ac magnetic flux from the vibrating string so that all turns enclose as much flux as possible.)

but most guys are using really small ones. I saw something like 3/16 x1/16 thick circles, others use little rectangular ones. Should be an interesting experiment.

[Mike Sulzer]

I guess I'm surprised that those of you that are using them are using bar magnets (I get the steel poles part). I would have thought that the string pull would have been too much.

That's a good point. It might be that the strong field saturates the pole piece near the magnet, limiting how much field gets up to near the strings. This would be worth investigating some time.

[automan]

David, I tested the tops of my poles just by touching a screwdriver to it and compared with Alnico 5, the Neos are way stronger when I make them like mini P-90s with a small magnet on each side same poles inside on both sides.

[David Schwab]

David, I tested the tops of my poles just by touching a screwdriver to it and compared with Alnico 5, the Neos are way stronger when I make them like mini P-90s with a small magnet on each side same poles inside on both sides.

I used to test them by sticking them on the fridge. And the neos do stick harder. But my new fangled gauss meter shows the difference. That's what surprised me. I would have expected a much higher gauss reading with the neos in the pickup.