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Hello MEF -- lovely to see you again, it's been too long!
I plan to build a set of Jazzmaster pickups using HB slug side bobbins and AlNiCo rod magnets. Ideally, the pickups should have moderate output and moderate treble response with some fairly ordinary number of winds and volume pot value. I'm considering starting with something like 5000 turns of 42 awg spn wire, and either .193x.630 A3, 193x.630 A2, or .187x.531 A5 rod magnets. These dimensions are chosen in part due to availability and convenience, but might be changed as necessary.
While contemplating a starting point for this design, I considered the old "wide range" Fender pickups, as well as the Seymore Duncan "stag-mag". The stag-mag pickups seem to have a fairly high number of winds relative to a traditional humbucker, while using staggered A2 magnets similar in size to those used in strat pickups. I infer that these are very powerful magnets relative to the bobbin size, and would probably be very bright if wound to a traditional turn count for a humbucker, with 42awg wire. Also, it has been remarked that the old CuNiFe magnets in wide-range pickups were approximately similar to A5 at %60 charge.[1] This seems truthy when comparing material properties documentation.[2][3] At a passing glance, Coercivity and BHmax seem to be in the ball park of lower grades of AlNiCo.
It seems to me that relatively smaller and weaker rod magnets would be a good starting point. Since I can't find the dimensions of the old CuNiFe magnets, I am simply considering the smallest convenient size A2 or A3, which is .193x.630" and hoping that these will not be overpowering in this application. I could also use .187x.531 A5 rods, but I suspect that their slightly smaller size would be more than offset by their greater strength. The bobbin slug holes are tapered, and I find that the rod magnets can pressed in with little difficulty, so I believe that either size will fit, provided that the slightly larger diameter magnet does not crack the bobbin when fully pressed in.
The most mechanically convenient thing to do would be to use .187x.531 A5, but I'm afraid this might be too bright for a turn count that will comfortably fit on the bobbin.
Has anyone here tried something like this? What do you think of my plan?
Cheers
[1] https://forum.seymourduncan.com/foru...nt#post5210479
[2] https://www.arnoldmagnetics.com/wp-c...psn-hi-res.pdf
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnico#Properties
I plan to build a set of Jazzmaster pickups using HB slug side bobbins and AlNiCo rod magnets. Ideally, the pickups should have moderate output and moderate treble response with some fairly ordinary number of winds and volume pot value. I'm considering starting with something like 5000 turns of 42 awg spn wire, and either .193x.630 A3, 193x.630 A2, or .187x.531 A5 rod magnets. These dimensions are chosen in part due to availability and convenience, but might be changed as necessary.
While contemplating a starting point for this design, I considered the old "wide range" Fender pickups, as well as the Seymore Duncan "stag-mag". The stag-mag pickups seem to have a fairly high number of winds relative to a traditional humbucker, while using staggered A2 magnets similar in size to those used in strat pickups. I infer that these are very powerful magnets relative to the bobbin size, and would probably be very bright if wound to a traditional turn count for a humbucker, with 42awg wire. Also, it has been remarked that the old CuNiFe magnets in wide-range pickups were approximately similar to A5 at %60 charge.[1] This seems truthy when comparing material properties documentation.[2][3] At a passing glance, Coercivity and BHmax seem to be in the ball park of lower grades of AlNiCo.
It seems to me that relatively smaller and weaker rod magnets would be a good starting point. Since I can't find the dimensions of the old CuNiFe magnets, I am simply considering the smallest convenient size A2 or A3, which is .193x.630" and hoping that these will not be overpowering in this application. I could also use .187x.531 A5 rods, but I suspect that their slightly smaller size would be more than offset by their greater strength. The bobbin slug holes are tapered, and I find that the rod magnets can pressed in with little difficulty, so I believe that either size will fit, provided that the slightly larger diameter magnet does not crack the bobbin when fully pressed in.
The most mechanically convenient thing to do would be to use .187x.531 A5, but I'm afraid this might be too bright for a turn count that will comfortably fit on the bobbin.
Has anyone here tried something like this? What do you think of my plan?
Cheers
[1] https://forum.seymourduncan.com/foru...nt#post5210479
[2] https://www.arnoldmagnetics.com/wp-c...psn-hi-res.pdf
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnico#Properties