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Magnets:
It’s a well-documented fact that Gibson actually used alnico 2,3,4, in early PAFs, alnico 5 later as they evolved into the TTop… with no rhyme or reason to it. They simply used whatever their supplier had in stock. What the magnets did have in common was that they were rough cast not polished as a rule. Rough cast magnets ironically are more expensive than polished ones these days, but there is a subtle but noticeable difference in their sound. For the want of a better word, rough cast magnets seem a little more rounded and musical … suited to the vocal and expressive nature of the PAF (and the P90).
Rough cast alnico 4 magnet
Polished alnico 4
Later in about 1961 Gibson started to use shorter but more powerful alnico 5 magnets ... see the difference here
My masterwound series PAF-Alikes can be ordered with alnico 2 or 4 or 5 in rough cast or polished, depending on preference and pickup style ... alnico 3 to follow shortly.
The low down on potting and pickup components next time ...
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Comments
Potting: or rather not potting is also a subtle factor in the PAF tone. Personally I don’t believe you can take a modern pickup, use modern building methods and leave it un-potted successfully. It will squeal like a pig. The actual construction of 50s PAFs were more structurally rigid than many of today’s pickups, causing less ‘free play’ between components … and so the design could get away with being un-potted at relatively much higher gain levels than a modern pickup with sloppily fitting components. To that end in my Masterwound PAF-Alikes I use threaded nickel silver base plates, where the pole screw has no ‘slop’ as it passes through.
This is a modern base-plate with over sized holes
And I use drawn and drilled ‘keeper bars’ or ‘pole shoes’ exactly as used in the 50s, as they are a much tighter fit on the pole screws.
Left is a modern spec one, punched out. Right is one of our US made, drawn and machined steel ones.
More on bobbins and wire shortly :-)
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
http://www.theboxwoodchessmen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tingiants/?view_public_for=231700547508938
The bollocks spoken by some winders on this subject could fertilise a lawn.
An old friend owns a 1961/2 Les Paul SG. The bridge pickup had been switched for a DiMarzio, but the original came with it. I swapped it back for him and it sounded weedy and yet middly and honky.
The DiMarzio is back in there - where it will probably remain as he loves it!
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message