P90 and A8?

[orangedrop]

Well I tested the neck P90 with two All Star Magn Aln 8 magnets (long). The tone was not very much more trebly as compared to the Aln 5. A bit more strength though. I should have recorded the two setups - changing mags takes maybe 10 min - I tend to forget a lot in that time.
The most notable change was that the PU squealed a LOT, I could not ad a booster in front of the amp (BF DR Vol at 5) and keep the volume at max.

Would it be wrong with just one Aln 8? Why are there two – and why opposing fields?

Bjorn

[Electricdaveyboy]

Hello Björn,
if you want a fat P-90 for the bridge you should use two A8 magnets and a fatter magnetwire.I use 0,065 an it works great.
cheers
david

[madialex]

Well I tested the neck P90 with two All Star Magn Aln 8 magnets (long). The tone was not very much more trebly as compared to the Aln 5. A bit more strength though. I should have recorded the two setups - changing mags takes maybe 10 min - I tend to forget a lot in that time.
The most notable change was that the PU squealed a LOT, I could not ad a booster in front of the amp (BF DR Vol at 5) and keep the volume at max.

Would it be wrong with just one Aln 8? Why are there two – and why opposing fields?

Bjorn

Probably not a good solid contact with the magnets and pole pieces would be my guess on the squealing, or just really lose windings but I'm leaning more towards the mags being a little loose..

[belwar]

Would it be wrong with just one Aln 8? Why are there two – and why opposing fields?

The magnets have to be oposing. Otherwise the Pole screw wouldnt have a major discernable pole direction thus changing the magnetic flux of the pickup. When the strings of the guitar were hit the magnetic field would be weak and completely different from if there was one strong uni-directional magnetic field. I've never tried doing it the other way, so it might still "pickup" noise, but likely it would suck. By putting the two like poles together you are boosting the magnetic transfer to the pole screws.

I could be wrong here and will gladly be corrected by someone with more experience than I.

[David Schwab]

You have the same poles facing in so that the pole pieces are that same polarity... North for instance. If you had the two magnets attracting the pole pieces would be in the neutral space between North and South, and you wouldn't get much sound at all.

So if you have both North poles of the magnets facing the pole pieces they direct the North field up towards the strings. The return path is via the South end of the magnets.

[kevinT]

Well I tested the neck P90 with two All Star Magn Aln 8 magnets (long). The tone was not very much more trebly as compared to the Aln 5. A bit more strength though. I should have recorded the two setups - changing mags takes maybe 10 min - I tend to forget a lot in that time.
The most notable change was that the PU squealed a LOT, I could not ad a booster in front of the amp (BF DR Vol at 5) and keep the volume at max.

Would it be wrong with just one Aln 8? Why are there two – and why opposing fields?

Bjorn

A8s by their nature aren't trebely. Their highs are similiar to A2. Smooth and rounded. A8 are pretty much balanced across the frequency spectrum. Really no one area (e.g., mids, lows, ...etc) is more dominate or is more pronounced than the other. It's still a great mag though.

[Dave Kerr]

Would it be wrong with just one Aln 8? Why are there two – and why opposing fields?

Bjorn

Take a look at Steve Kersting's FEMM simulations and imagine how it might look different with one magnet.

[orangedrop]

Guys - thank you for your answers. I'm absolutely a bit wiser and I do feel welcome here . Soon I'll probably have to buy my own winding gear

Bjorn