Is it broken beyond repair?

[nicholaspaul]

I've wound a few pickups but this is the first time I've come across this. One of the poles doesn't work. Bending the A string to the next pole makes it sound, but otherwise there is no A string! Before I start ripping things apart, is it likely to be an upside down magnet or what?

[the great waldo]

Hi Nick

Try remagenetizing the whole pickup if it's a strat type. Plenty of info on the forum on how to do this.

Cheers

Andrew

[nicholaspaul]

I can do that - thanks Andrew!
While I'm at it, do you know how to tell an Alnico 5 from an Alnico 2? Can I measure it somehow?
And, er, is it wise to swap poles on a single coil?

[the great waldo]

Hi Nick

You would really need a gauss meter to check wether Alnico 5 or 2 and the magnets would have to be fully charged. The magnetic pull on an Alnico 2 is less than a 5. If you have both you can check it with a steel screwdriver to see which one pulls less. the colour of the cut (top or bottom) varies with the different alnicos but again you need a reference point to check which is which. One of your magnets could be upside down remagnetizing the whole pup should sort that out. I wouldn't try and swap out the magnets on a single coil unless the bobbins are moulded plastic like some of the standard strat usa and mexico. If it's a traditional vintage pup with fibre bobbins you'll kill the coil trying to swap out the magnets unless your'e dead lucky, and if you try to change the e string magnets you're pretty certain to bugger up the coil.

Cheers

Andrew

[nicholaspaul]

Thanks for the advice Andrew. I don't have a gauss meter but will try the other methods. It is a fibreboard flatwork pickup so swapping probably instead good idea! At worst I've wasted a few feet of wire.

[Possum]

You really can't tell alnico grades by gauss readings. Some alnico 5 and 2 charge the same amount, just depends on what company made the magnets and to what energy level. I have alnico 3 that charges up as high as some of my alnico 5, yet it doesn't sound like alnico 5 because it isn't. In "general" alnico 2 is weaker than alnico 5, but not always. When you read gauss readings in an assembled strat pickup the two end magnets will read higher because the magnets are working together as one larger magnet in general and the edges of magnets always have a higher reading there. Its a good idea to have a gauss meter but they are expensive and not really need by hobbyists....

[nicholaspaul]

How about serious hobbyists? I haven't researched gauss levels yet, but if I'm going to create pickups with any sort of predictable results I know I'll need one soon. Are you able to tell AlNiCo V from II visually then, Possum?

[LtKojak]

Are you able to tell AlNiCo V from II visually then, Possum?

I'm not Possum, but I can tell you that's just not possible to tell apart alnico grades by observation only.

The layman's way is by the fridge trick. If you're SURE one is an A5 and the other is an A2, stick'em to the fridge; the one with the hardest pull is the Alnico V. But this trick doesn't work to tell apart A2, A3, A4 and UOA5, as their pull factor is quite similar.

HTH,

[nicholaspaul]

Thanks Pepe. Using a small ruler I can detect the differences in pull and found three much stronger ones. Times to pull the pickup apart and start again.

[the great waldo]

Hi Nick

You shouldn't have to tear the pickup apart. Just run the whole thing between a couple of strong neo magnets to remagnetize it. If you've mixed up different alnico polepieces it should'nt make an unusable pickup, think of the seymour duncan pickups with Al5 and AL2 magnet combinations.

Cheers

Andrew

Thanks Pepe. Using a small ruler I can detect the differences in pull and found three much stronger ones. Times to pull the pickup apart and start again.

[nicholaspaul]

Hey Andrew,
Yea, I've made a couple of A5/A2 pickups and they sound great. Nice and smooth.
I ran the pickup through a pair of magnets that I used to magnetize some other pickups - big hardware store things! The only thing is that it appears that the A5s are on the D, G and B strings whereas I would have preferred them on the E, A and D.

[the great waldo]

Hi Nick

Looks like you've got to rebuild. Probably less hassle to make a new pickup. If the magnets are big they may not be Neodyium magnets but ceramic which I wouldn't think would be strong enough to magnetize the alnico. Something like this Super Strong Neodymium block magnets F50mm x 10mm x 5mm N35 grade Rare Earth | eBay should work put one each side of a metal vice. Watch your fingers these things can really slam together. Are the magnets that you have a dark grey colour ? if they are, they are ceramic.

Cheers

Andrew

[nicholaspaul]

Hi Andrew.
Oh well. Rebuilding is fine!
They're definitely ceramic. I used them for a few pickups and while their pull is not gargantuan, the pickups seem to be ok. It can be a bit tricky to get the pickups going straight through and not getting pulled in so I imagine the neodymiums will be even trickier! What if I put a strip of foam, or bubble wrap in between to push the pickups through and save losing my fingers? I've already had a week off playing guitar thanks to a chile pepper slicing incident! One cut on my left hand ring finger pad was enough. I know, I'm a wuss!

[the great waldo]

Hi Nick

Watch out cutting chilies, and definitely don't rub your eye or go for a pee without washing your hands! (I reckon Spence could probably add some comment here) If you put one magnet on each jaw face while the vice is open with a piece of wood in between otherwise its hard to separate the neos, open the vice up and your good to go. I put some gaffa over the magnets to stop the alnico poles touching the neos, i'm not really sure why but I think I read somewhere that the alnico shouldn't touch the Neos. I pull the complete pickup through the vice jaws between the magnets end to end, the pickup will tend to pull to one side or the other. Just to be safe you could put a spacer over the neos wood/polystyrene to give you a bit more distance to make things a bit easier. You can always adjust the vice jaws with the vice screw to strenghten or weaken the the magnetizing force. I just keep the spacing close and hang on to the pup. Good luck. By the way you can always use some thick warehouse gloves if your nervous about doing it.

Cheers

Andrew

[nicholaspaul]

Thanks for the tips, Andrew Nasty little things, aren't they? There has to be a way to handle knives and still have your fingers in playing conditiong...

That's a good plan for using neos with a vice. I'd be happier with something to buffer the magnets from sucking the pickup into its grip. Small fabric cushions, perhaps, so I can squeeze the pickup between them.
Do you have a method for timing the speed at which you pass them through? I'm taking about 2-3 seconds per pass.