De Armond Dynasonic

[Artur pickupmaker]

Someone ordered me a Dynasonic. By my investigation, its bobbin is 1/4" tall (at the centre) like a P-90 and shall have a little bit less DC resistance (I think about 7,5 Kohm) of #43 wire.

That's right?

Its screws attach sistem is weird. Who never seen it would like to:
CurtisNovak.com - Pickups and Guitars:Repair: Gretsch (De Armond) Dynasonic Pickup

As I never had one of these in hands I don't know exactly how it works.
Have 2 possible explanations for this:

1-The steel screws are supposed to be magnetized by the attach to the AlNiCo polepieces and should act as polepieces too.
I made one steel attach like this ones to experiment, put a AlNiCo 5 polepiece and a steel screw at the other hole but the screw was almost not magnetized.

2-The screws serves as high ajustment for the AlNiCo polepieces, that's because there are springs around the polepieces. Seems not good thing because the polepieces shall not be holded tight to go up and down, and loosen poles do vibrate and produces bad sounds.

Anyone here knows this pickup and could clear it?

[David Schwab]

2-The screws serves as high ajustment for the AlNiCo polepieces

That's it.

[ShannonH]

Ditto on what David Said. I've repaired these before. They're heavy when all done. It reminds me of some kind of automotive part.

[SK66]

the screws are for height adjustment. But do not lower the poles to where there is no spring tension.

[David King]

Dang that's clever. Who needs threaded alnico anyway?

[soundmasterg]

Dang that's clever. Who needs threaded alnico anyway?

Yah they sound really good too, though Chet Atkins didn't like them much.....

greg

[David Schwab]

The old Gibson P-90 with the staple poles and the Hagstrom Bi-sonic (and Darkstar) pickups also have the adjustable magnets.

[Artur pickupmaker]

Who designed the Dynasonic has thinked only about height ajustment when done it, but the steel screws through the bobbin actually increases inductance, no?
Or it would increase inductance IF it would magnetized?

[Peter Naglitsch]

You are right Arthur. The screws do increase the inductance eve n if not magnetized directly (although they probably are in a way) and yes, Harry DeArmond was probably not so concerned about inductance. He mot likely only cared for the height adjustment, added the screws and by a happy accident created a truly legendary pickup. But it could be the completely other way around, meaning he knew exactly what the addition of the screws would do to the inductance and therefore to the sound, but who knows what is true?

[Possum]

...

Seth Lover designed the staple pickup to compete with the Dynasonics. Those things are a production nightmare, way too many parts for cheap building..

[David Schwab]

Where they designed by DeArmond or Rowe? They look more Roweish.

[Peter Naglitsch]

The patent have Harry DeArmonds name on it...

[soundmasterg]

Harry DeArmond was really a pickup pioneer and came up with a ton of cool sounding pickups. He tended to use a lot of metal in his pickups too, so he must have liked the effects.

greg