5/2 humbuckers -- asked and answered before, but hold the phone...

[Zhangliqun]

I know this idea has been poo-pooed here and elsewhere many times but I forget why. A few years back I bought some 1.25" A5 and A2 bars for such a design but didn't bother trying it after reading in here and other places and they collected dust. Then some guy asked me about it again today and I was going to tell him to forget it but then I remembered, hey, I've never actually tried it for myself.

So I tried it today and it seems to work just fine. No phasing problems, no volume drop problems, and it has that cool, at-last-all-6-strings-sound-like-they're-from-the-same-guitar sound that 5/2 rod mag pickups have. The only potential problem I see is the mags demagnetizing each other over time, but I don't think that would be any more of a problem than it is with P90's, especially if I put a millimeter or two of space between them.

Before I give this guy the green light, what am I missing? What did I forget from previous threads on this topic that make it a no-no?

[rhgwynn]

For some reason, I just feel like they wouldn't completely deplete each other...would they?

Wouldn't they sort of eventually reach a state of...I'll call it, magnetic equilibrium;
wherein they work as they should but dont negatively affect each other?

They would also have the "degaussed sound" .... which may or may not be good, depending.

-Rob

[Daver]

I don't build pickups, but would like to add that the stock Bridge P-90 in my PRS McCarty has one ceramic and one alnico magnet. It's sounded consistent over time. Maybe the fear of degaussing the weaker magnet is unfounded? FWIW.

[rhgwynn]

Maybe it's not the placement of another magnetic field, but the motion or movement of that field, that scrambles the alnico's magnetism degaussing it. Whenever I'm degaussing a pickup, I get better (or maybe, faster) results by moving the ceramic magnet side to side, up and down, and all around.

-Rob

[David King]

Why on earth would you think the two mags would degauss each other when they are side by side with their poles going in the same direction? That makes no sense folks. If you cut a magnet in half and then stick the two halves back together do they degauss??

[copperheadroads]

I agree with David ,why would they degauss when the 2 different alnico magnets are not pulling against each other .
Here's something to test , so if you cut a 2.5" bar magnet in half you end up with 2 pieces that are 1.25" so if the magnet is fully charged across the .5" diameter ,Will they hold the same gauss as if the were the whole 2.5" size magnet ?

[Mike Sulzer]

Why on earth would you think the two mags would degauss each other when they are side by side with their poles going in the same direction? That makes no sense folks. If you cut a magnet in half and then stick the two halves back together do they degauss??

The stronger (and more stable) ceramic magnet, if oriented in a direction so as to reinforce the alnico, would be more likely to prevent the alnico from being degaussed by other fields.

[David King]

Well in this case it looks like we are talking about an Alnico 2 and and alnico 5 so the differences in force will be even less. That's if I'm understanding the OP correctly.

[LtKojak]

what am I missing? What did I forget from previous threads on this topic that make it a no-no?

I don't remember any specific thread poo-pooing the idea.

Having said that, my money will be on the p'up sounding the about the same as if you'd put an UOA5 mag in it...

HTH,

[big_teee]

I know this idea has been poo-pooed here and elsewhere many times but I forget why. A few years back I bought some 1.25" A5 and A2 bars for such a design but didn't bother trying it after reading in here and other places and they collected dust. Then some guy asked me about it again today and I was going to tell him to forget it but then I remembered, hey, I've never actually tried it for myself.

So I tried it today and it seems to work just fine. No phasing problems, no volume drop problems, and it has that cool, at-last-all-6-strings-sound-like-they're-from-the-same-guitar sound that 5/2 rod mag pickups have. The only potential problem I see is the mags demagnetizing each other over time, but I don't think that would be any more of a problem than it is with P90's, especially if I put a millimeter or two of space between them.

Before I give this guy the green light, what am I missing? What did I forget from previous threads on this topic that make it a no-no?

I don't see where it is stated real clear how you are using them?
I guess your using them in a humbucker, in place of a 2.5 inch magnet?
Your putting a 1.25" A2 End to End with 1.25 A5 magnet?
I guess the A5 is on the bigger strings, and the A2s on the High strings.?
Why wouldn't that work?
I do a similar deal with fender type SCs.
I use 4 A2s on the high strings, and 2 A5s on the E and A strings.
As long as your 2 magnets are end to end and not bucking each other, I don't see a problem?
T

[Zhangliqun]

Yes, 1.25" A5 and A2 end to end. (Is there another way?) Just a humbucker version of the 5/2 concept on Strat or Tele pu's. As for whether they would degauss each other, the fact is they repel each other when placed end to end and magnets rammed against each other S to S or N to N in other circumstances would weaken each other some.

But yes, they have to be placed so that they repel each other; in order for them to attract end to end, you would have the A5 with the South pole facing the screws and the A2 with the North pole facing the screws or vice versa, which means phasing problems.

But at the end of the day, having tried it and hearing that it sounds pretty durn good, and seeing there seem to be few if any objections or cautionary tales in here, I will probably offer it as an option soon after a bit more R&D.

[David King]

When you break a magnet the two halves also repel when you try to push the break back together. That doesn't mean that the magnet will self-degauss since there is no movement between the pieces.