rehab epi humbucker?

[dmartn149]

I have a pair of Epiphone humbuckers that came out of a guitar that I got on ebay. After I took them out I could see that someone has been monkeying around with them. They are both missing the metal spacer that goes under the pole screws. If I am going to rehab these can I just slip a piece of steel between the pole screws and the magnet, or do I really need that part so that the metal surrounds each screw? I'm thinking that spacer must be important, or they would just make the magnets wider so that they contact the screws.

[big_teee]

The keeper bar is a convience, but not absolutely necessary.
The 1/2 inch wide magnet is universal and made to fit many pickups.
The keeper is just a steel shim to fill the gap.
In your circumstance you just need a of steel strip to shim up the difference.
Just make sure it is steel and will magnetize.
The keeper bar is also designed to be used for P-90s, where you would put a magnet on each side.
Send me a PM, and if you are in the U.S. lower 48, I can send you a couple of keeper bars.
T

[dmartn149]

Done, Thank you so much.

[dmartn149]

Got your PM teee. Thanks
I just noticed another thing about these pups. The magnets are not the standard 1/8" they are 2/10" or 5mm Is that unusual?

[big_teee]

Ok, well we may need to regroup.
Are those the ceramic magnets?
You may want to post a few pictures.
Some pickups that have thicker magnets use two slug bobbins.
Or they use the larger allen screws, they don't need steel keepers.
T

[dmartn149]

Yes I think they are ceramic. I can't scratch them with my pocket knife (it's cpm-d2, very hard) The slugs and screws look like standard size to me. The bobbins look like they might be under wound. I'm working on those pictures.

[dmartn149]

[dmartn149]

[copperheadroads]

Yes I think they are ceramic. I can't scratch them with my pocket knife (it's cpm-d2, very hard) The slugs and screws look like standard size to me. The bobbins look like they might be under wound. I'm working on those pictures.

you can easily tell the difference between ceramic & Alnico ,once you are familiar with them visually . (Alnico looks like metal ,Ceramic are grayish black )
one way to check if you are not sure is with an multimeter on the continuity setting ..Alnico is a conductor , ceramic is not

[Joe Gwinn]

Yes I think they are ceramic. I can't scratch them with my pocket knife (it's cpm-d2, very hard).

Alnico is also too hard for most or all steel knives to scratch.

The better test is that alnico is a kind of steel and conducts electricity fairly well, while ferrite ceramic is a kind of pottery, and conducts electricity hardly at all, so an ohmmeter will tell.

[big_teee]

Those are the pickups everyone takes out and replaces.
They have brass baseplates, not nickle silver.
Have the thick ceramic magnets.
probably 44 gauge wire.
So to make them a vintage pickup you would keep the bobbins, screws and slugs.
Rewind the bobbins, replace the magnet, and keeper, and put on a new baseplate.
Or do like most of us do, throw them in a box.
I have a whole box full of humbuckers, and single coils, that's been replaced like that.
T

[dmartn149]

Okay, (I got your pm teee) Thanks for the help and education everyone. I guess I'll throw them back in the box. They were already replaced, but I was just wondering why they sounded so bad, and if I could fix them.
I never would have guessed that alnico would be so hard. Must be the cobalt.

[big_teee]

Okay, (I got your pm teee) Thanks for the help and education everyone. I guess I'll throw them back in the box. They were already replaced, but I was just wondering why they sounded so bad, and if I could fix them.
I never would have guessed that alnico would be so hard. Must be the cobalt.

If you plan on winding, or already wind, those would be great to practice on.
I've made some sound pretty decent, but I always rewound the coils.
GL,
T

[David Schwab]

There's nothing wrong with the parts, since there are some good sounding pickups made like that. So rewinding them should be a big improvement. Even if you rewound them the same way.

[dmartn149]

Well I don't wind now, but I may in the future if I can get started on the cheap.