Magnets/ best, worst etc..

[bob]

Hi everyone. What is the general consensus as to the best alnico rod magnets out there these days? I know everyone has an opinion so I'd like to hear a few. Thanks

[big_teee]

I use A5 Alnico rods.
I have bought them at Addiction FX, magnetic hold, and Mojotone.
IMO I find them to all be acceptable. As in very little difference.
So I would buy what you can get the best deal on, and go from there.
Good Luck
B_T

[David King]

I don't think there is any consensus at this point. So many of the US distributers have moved production to off-shore foundries and I'm willing to bet there is as much variation from batch to batch as there is from one foundry to the next. Get a magnet you can afford and develop a wind that works well with it. There are so many other variables to contend with I think many would be hard-pressed to say that the magnet is the make-or-break element.
That said I would go with AZ industries in Arkansas for domestic magnets.

[belwar]

+1 to az

[big_teee]

What do Az Charge? Pun not intended.
What do they cost?
I live in Arkansas and I've never heard of them.
T

[jason lollar]

AZ has been around for a long time, I use to buy from them 10 years ago, they are competitive in price and are really good to work with.

[bob]

thanks

So Jason, you say you used them 10 year ago. Did tou find some better? Just wondering about quality. I tried the ones from mojotone and they dont seem to be onsistant and they lend a brittleness to the tone that a like fender magnet doesnt. Or is it just me?

[big_teee]

So Jason, you say you used them 10 year ago. Did tou find some better? Just wondering about quality. I tried the ones from mojotone and they dont seem to be onsistant and they lend a brittleness to the tone that a like fender magnet doesnt. Or is it just me?

Sounds like too much gauss to me.
I bought 3 brands of A5 Rods, but couldn't tell much difference.
IMO You can tell a big difference in A2 Bar magnets.
Good Luck,
T

[jason lollar]

good magnets, good people but the way I build some of my pickups requires rod magnets cut very close to 90 degree angles on the ends and they had a problem with consistancy- for most pickups it doesnt matter- and remember this was quite a while ago so it may have changed. They were the first supplier I found to offer magnets without occlusions, air bubbles, chips and other defects. Before that you would get like 25 to 30% fall down rate- anyone remember that? Talking about even US made, mostly defects on rods. You would see a little pin hole on the side and break it open and there would be a big hollow in the center etc. Now you might find one in 10,000 to have a defect like that if you are unlucky.
I didnt like going to another supplier because AZ had been so good to deal with.

[bob]

Thanks Jason! To Big Tee, I don't think its too much Gauss, I have fender mags that are charged the same way and they sound so much better. I'm thinking it's the mags or the way I am charging them. I use the stew mac neos. I saw another thread about doing it a different way than running the pickup through the middle of the 2 magnets.

They say stack then on one side and push the pickup toward the magnets and back away a few times. Gives a more even charge. I also read where SK heat treats them and said the magnet makers also said that will help with a more even charge. Who knows? All I know is the fender mags I have sound 100 times better than the stew mac ones I have. Will try AZ next.

[big_teee]

Thanks Jason! To Big Tee, I don't think its too much Gauss, I have fender mags that are charged the same way and they sound so much better. I'm thinking it's the mags or the way I am charging them. I use the stew mac neos. I saw another thread about doing it a different way than running the pickup through the middle of the 2 magnets.

They say stack then on one side and push the pickup toward the magnets and back away a few times. Gives a more even charge. I also read where SK heat treats them and said the magnet makers also said that will help with a more even charge. Who knows? All I know is the fender mags I have sound 100 times better than the stew mac ones I have. Will try AZ next.

All sounds reasonable!
Do the fender magnets sound better, or is it the fender Pickups just sound better?

[Possum]

I don't think there is a better supplier out there than Shea at Magnetic Hold. You can't get better customer service and he bends over backwards to get things right. He represents several different Chinese suppliers and have never gotten anything bad sounding from him. If you're just buying a handfull of magnets I'd say stick with Mojo though. There aren't many resources for hobby magnets except Addiction, Mojo, and StewMac and you pay through the nose for that stuff. I don't think AZ makes US alnico that I know of, even if so, pretty much all these companies buy ingredients from China anyway. There's nothing wrong with Chinese magnets. The only crappy Chinese magnets I ever got were the rough cast bucker bars AllStar had made there under my guidance. Unfortunately they came out really thin in dimension and thus were too bright. They did look totally authentic though ;-) but their prices are really high.

[big_teee]

I don't think there is a better supplier out there than Shea at Magnetic Hold. You can't get better customer service and he bends over backwards to get things right. He represents several different Chinese suppliers and have never gotten anything bad sounding from him. If you're just buying a handfull of magnets I'd say stick with Mojo though. There aren't many resources for hobby magnets except Addiction, Mojo, and StewMac and you pay through the nose for that stuff. I don't think AZ makes US alnico that I know of, even if so, pretty much all these companies buy ingredients from China anyway. There's nothing wrong with Chinese magnets. The only crappy Chinese magnets I ever got were the rough cast bucker bars AllStar had made there under my guidance. Unfortunately they came out really thin in dimension and thus were too bright. They did look totally authentic though ;-) but their prices are really high.

I do Like the shea Magnetic Hold A2 Bar Magnets.
Those are the only ones that really stood out for me over the ADFX and the Mojo.
I wouldn't be surprised if most of them don't come from the same factory.
Most of the different magnets IMO can be adjusted up or down with the gauss, and get most of them to work.
T

[Possum]

There are quite a few Chinese alnico makers out there. Shea deals with four of them. I used to buy direct from Earth Panda which made good stuff, but my sales rep got married and they didn't want to deal with my small orders anymore. I wonder if there are any Korean companies left, all of it used to be made in Korea..

[JGundry]

I only buy USA made magnets. For A5 rods I really like Thomas and Skinner. For bar magnets I order from T&S, Permanent Magnet, and Arnold. I get A2, A5 oriented and unoriented, A4, A3, A2 short and A5 short form all of these places. Some are custom mixes some are the standard. They all sound great but I have a preference with each one of these places as to what to order. If you can handle the overhead of 1000 to 2000 piece order then the per pickup cost is still reasonable. Although nowhere as cheap as Chinese.

AZ Magnetics I think may have USA made A2 and A5 bars only but they have told me conflicting things about that so I'm not sure what is really up. But AZ is very nice to deal with and quick to fill orders. I know that AZ does grind everything in the US though.

Shea at Magnetic Hold was always great to work with when I ordered from him. But it always seemed to be a problem getting the correct specs. from China although he was always game to fix any problem.