Gibson 500t Magnet swap

[5150mod]

Hi everyone,
I have a gibson 500t in a S series Ibanez and don't like its tone. It's a early 80's one abit wider poles(f spaced weird for a gibson) than they are nowdays and bit higher in resistance 17.5k.And its all orginal as I know its history.

It has 500k vol and 500k tone,both CTS, a Spague Vit Q 0.022 cap and Gibson vintage wired.

It's pretty muddy and lacks compaired to other passives I have,Gibson BB3,57 Classic,Highorder 8.7k alnico2,Highorder 13.5k hybrid (42 + 43 coils) alnico5 and some modded Dimarzios and Duncans(never liked them stock).

So I was going to take the outer 2 magnets out completely and replace with wood spacers and replace the center magnet with an alnico.

What alnico do you recommend .I play High gain through to classic metal ,dropped tunings ,normal tuning and this guitar is in EADGBE .

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[voodoochild]

Honestly I would just replace the pickup with a lower output. Swapping magnets will more than likely make it worse.

[copperheadroads]

i dont think any alnico is going to brighten up that ceramic monster , i agree with voodoochild swapping mag will only make it darker sounding

[5150mod]

What about changing vol pot to 1meg and 0.01cap?

[big_teee]

What about changing vol pot to 1meg and 0.01cap?

Just read the post.
I would think that the 3 ceramics should make it as bright as your going to get it.
For testing purposes you could take the bridge Cap out of the circuit.
You could unsolder and lift one end of the Cap. That will remove it from the circuit.
No cap is as bright as its going to be.
My next question is it possible that one of the 3 magnets might be turned wrong.
Don't know what magnets they're using, but you could take the 2 outside magnets out and try it that way.
put spacers on the sides. Then try putting the side magnets back, but make sure that they are put in the right polarity.
Not necessarily like they came out.
I would think the outside magnets would be bucking each other like on a P90.
If that doesn't compute let us know and we will try to clarify.
If after all that you don't like it, If you are a winder, I would rewind the coils, with one magnet in the middle.
Rock On!
Terry

[kevinT]

Try an A8 with those coils. Add the spacers as you mentioned. It should clean up nicely.

[5150mod]

Thanks Terry.
So which way should the outside magnets be compaired to the center magnet?

[5150mod]

Thanks Kevin T.
Have you used an A8 with a 17k pickup before?

[the great waldo]

Alnico 8 works very well with high resistance coils Nice fat tight bass and clear trebles, definitely worth a try.

Cheers

Andrew

[5150mod]

Thanks to those who replied.

I've ordered an A8 magnet.Will try this option with pot and cap(no cap as well) changes.
Will post the results when finished.

Thanks Mark

[big_teee]

I'm guessing here, and if anyone is more familiar, please jump in.
A picture of the end of the bare humbucker would be nice.
If the centet magnet north edge is toward the bobbin slugs, The outside magnet would also have the north edge to the bobbin slugs.
It would be where the 2 magnets are pushing against each other. Not attracting to each other.
The middle south edge at the screw bobbin would have the south edge of outside magnet against it.
That should give a stronger north and a stronger south.
I think that was what gibson was trying to accomplish!
Good Luck,
Terry

[kevinT]

Thanks Kevin T.


Have you used an A8 with a 17k pickup before?

Yes. My Superstar model is close to these specs. Try different polepieces too. I can get some nice variances in tone by switching up polepieces. That goes for any pickup.

[frankfalbo]

Have you used an A8 with a 17k pickup before?

Like the Alternative 8? I love it.

[LtKojak]

Like the Alternative 8? I love it.

Frank, may I ask you if Seymour is by any chance thinking about making the Custom 8 (a Custom p'up added an A8 magnet) a production p'up, kinda what happened with the Custom 5?

I, for one, will be all over it. If you care to look at many of my past posts in the Seymour forum, you'll see that all my bridge p'ups have an A8 magnet in them. And for the record: I DON'T PLAY METAL!

Or Seymour's got an ace up the sleeve and not showing it as yet...?

Inquiring minds would like to know...

[David Schwab]

I'm guessing here, and if anyone is more familiar, please jump in.
A picture of the end of the bare humbucker would be nice.
If the centet magnet north edge is toward the bobbin slugs, The outside magnet would also have the north edge to the bobbin slugs.
It would be where the 2 magnets are pushing against each other. Not attracting to each other.
The middle south edge at the screw bobbin would have the south edge of outside magnet against it.
That should give a stronger north and a stronger south.
I think that was what gibson was trying to accomplish!

That's correct. I think Bill Lawrence started doing that with the Gibson Super Humbuckers back in the day.