Size of the magnets for pickups

[tiococo]

Guys!
I'm new in this extrange force called pickup winding and need to know what size are the magnets I have to buy.

I been thinking in rods of alnico with 5mm of section and 20mm long

And bars of ceramic and/or alnico with 60 x 12 x 5mm (width x height x thickness) for humbuckers

Am I Right?

[black_labb]

those seem right. for humbuchers it can be a bit leanient and you coud use odd sizes and get it to work aswell, but using the right stuff is a good idea.

[pupoholic]

Hello.
If yer' new? I would start slower.. got to:
buy some parts kits at Mc Donalds .. www.stewmac.com

hope this helped?
DonM

[tiococo]

Thanks guys.
Those sizes are more or less the standards no?

In response to Don, I don't like StewMac stuff. Pretty much everything. It's ok when you're starting but there are other resources wich are cheaper, or have better quality, or are more specific on some subjects (don't handling 5 million things from diverse nature in their catalog), etc

I mean. They re good but I prefer other resources.

And having already bought a 2.6 kg spool of AWG42 and having all the other materials around, the magnets are the only thing I need to start. I doubt they sell me only some magnets when the minimum order is 30 and I have to pay the shipping to Argentina. :lol:

[black_labb]

Thanks guys.
Those sizes are more or less the standards no?

In response to Don, I don't like StewMac stuff. Pretty much everything. It's ok when you're starting but there are other resources wich are cheaper, or have better quality, or are more specific on some subjects (don't handling 5 million things from diverse nature in their catalog), etc

I mean. They re good but I prefer other resources.

And having already bought a 2.6 kg spool of AWG42 and having all the other materials around, the magnets are the only thing I need to start. I doubt they sell me only some magnets when the minimum order is 30 and I have to pay the shipping to Argentina. :lol:

with 2.6 kg you will need alot more than 30 magnets.

[David Schwab]

Thanks guys.
Those sizes are more or less the standards no?

In response to Don, I don't like StewMac stuff. Pretty much everything.

StewMac makes a lot of VERY useful things for building and repairing that you aren't going to find anywhere else. Period! Don't write them off that fast! I've been buying stuff from them (mostly tools and fret wire) for about 25 years now. And Luthier's Mercantile too.

Their pickup kits are quite handy for small runs. I avoid some of their stuff that I can get elsewhere cheaper.

[kevinT]

I agree w/ Dave. Keep them on your list as a possible resource for parts. You never know...during a pickup emergency you may have to resort to them for components.

Their kits aren't all that bad in terms of cost and quality if you're not producing large quantities of pickups. I broke out the costs of all my separate parts from various vendors and compared them with their kit. The savings from using various vendors is not that great. Plus you're saving time and energy not having to deal with multiple vendors. Shipping to South America is where it starts to hit your wallet.

I think their magnet wire is probably the worst (in terms of cost and the quantity you get) thing to buy from them. It is very expensive.

[Ruel]

Thanks guys.
Those sizes are more or less the standards no?

In response to Don, I don't like StewMac stuff. Pretty much everything. It's ok when you're starting but there are other resources wich are cheaper, or have better quality, or are more specific on some subjects (don't handling 5 million things from diverse nature in their catalog), etc

I mean. They re good but I prefer other resources.

And having already bought a 2.6 kg spool of AWG42 and having all the other materials around, the magnets are the only thing I need to start. I doubt they sell me only some magnets when the minimum order is 30 and I have to pay the shipping to Argentina. :lol:

I would think that shipping to Argentina couldn't be much worse than shipping to Asia. I also get most of my tools and some pickup parts from StewMac and have them shipped to the Philippines. Sure, it is quite expensive. Luckily, I just discovered a better source for magnet wires, right under my nose so I won't need StewMac for this stuff from now on.

But if you compare the cost of a finished pickup, say a DiMarzio or SD from where I come from, buying materials from StewMac and DIYing is well worth it.

[tiococo]

I knew that my opinions about StewMac will lead to this kind of discussion.

I'm saying I prefer to buy in another resources.

Per example I prefer Dick tooling.

I'm not saying I wount buy in SM if I need something they issue in their catalog

They're very very good when you're starting and when you move to a more focused area, per example violin making they not "fit the bill" (I think thats the correct expresion :lol: :latin user

I have several magnets manufacturer here in my country so it's impractical to buy international when I have tha thing to the distance of a telephone call.

By the way. Thanks a lot for the responses!

The next question will be: those are the standard sizes for magnets? I mean, the sizes that comercial PUPs uses?

[Zhangliqun]

I think some Stew Mac is quite good (speaking strictly of pickup making parts/supplies) and some not. But that's true of any vendor in my experience.