Aluminium baseplates

[rhoads]

If you were to replace a nickel silver base plate (humbucker), with aluminium, what would the difference be tonally?

I have to make a set of baseplates for an unusual instrument, but sourcing nickel silver seems to be a little difficult, and aluminium is much easier for me to work with on this particular project.

[trevorus]

If you were to replace a nickel silver base plate (humbucker), with aluminium, what would the difference be tonally?

I have to make a set of baseplates for an unusual instrument, but sourcing nickel silver seems to be a little difficult, and aluminium is much easier for me to work with on this particular project.

No soldering to that, so that might be something to get around. Aluminum oxide is also an insulator, and be easy on the spring tension on the pickup mount to keep the threads from stripping out.

[Peter Naglitsch]

If you use thick forbon you can add soldering eyelets. That (using forbon) will of cause change the inductance quite a bit. I have made 8-string pickups without baseplates (casting them in resin) and I can imagine that the effect of that (no bace plate) would be similar to that of using a forbon baseplate.

[ScottA]

The relative permeability of aluminum is 1, and I believe that nickel silver is pretty close to 1 as well, but I can't find a number for it. It is generally characterized as "non-magnetic". I doubt you'd hear anything significant.

[Mike Sulzer]

The relative permeability of aluminum is 1, and I believe that nickel silver is pretty close to 1 as well, but I can't find a number for it. It is generally characterized as "non-magnetic". I doubt you'd hear anything significant.

Commented earlier, but somehow it did not take. So, to add to Scott's comment, yes, effects from its magnetic properties are very small, but Al does have a high conductivity, and so the eddy currents would be even larger than with a brass base plate. I would expect the sound to be dulled a bit, and that might or might not be what you want, but it is not something to do without listening carefully to the result.

[David King]

Mike I was wondering about that as well but the base plate is pretty far from the action. I bet eddy currents are non detectable. Has anyone ever seen an aluminum pickup cover? It would be interesting to test that.

[apguitars]

Commented earlier, but somehow it did not take. So, to add to Scott's comment, yes, effects from its magnetic properties are very small, but Al does have a high conductivity, and so the eddy currents would be even larger than with a brass base plate. I would expect the sound to be dulled a bit, and that might or might not be what you want, but it is not something to do without listening carefully to the result.

Yes, it's true, simple electrodynamics. Brass is better, but change sound to, conductivity still so high. Easy way for You buy nickel-silver base plate (3$-9$) or if Your project is not standard, use any no metal material, like ABS or PCB. Another way - Austenitic stainless steel 316, easy to find. This steel have conductivity equal to nickel-silver and without any problem can be cut by Laser CNC (nickel-silver can't be cat).

[ScottA]

Commented earlier, but somehow it did not take. So, to add to Scott's comment, yes, effects from its magnetic properties are very small, but Al does have a high conductivity, and so the eddy currents would be even larger than with a brass base plate. I would expect the sound to be dulled a bit, and that might or might not be what you want, but it is not something to do without listening carefully to the result.

I didn't realize the conductivity of N-S was as low as it is, about an order of magnitude lower than Al. I was thinking they were similar and that the permeability would be the primary driver.

[apguitars]

Good source about that
Bill Lawrence: All About Tone