Pickups

[phill_up]

I am hoping to get some insight from a number of people as to what they believe are the 1st indications of a pickup going micro phonic. I have read that if you are able to speak in your pickup and hear your voice through the amp that it is micro phonic. Are pickups always worth potting or should you just replace them? What is the life expectancy of pickups? Is there really a noticeable difference between alnico and ceramic pickups? and if so what are they?

[Sunbane]

I have read that if you are able to speak in your pickup and hear your voice through the amp that it is micro phonic.

I have yet to have this happening to me, but yes, I think so. If you can hear yourself in the amp by speaking into the pickup - imagine what would happen on stage at gigging volumes. I imagine that pickups go microphonic when the coil windings start getting slack, and that potting remedies this.

If you were going to throw them away otherwise, definitely try wax potting them first. It may even be worth it to pot pups that just sound muddy. Some people claim it works wonders on the pups that come in Epiphones for instance.

[phill_up]

Thank You Sir!

[dg]

As far as your other questions, life expectancy is a long, long, long time as long as there's no physical damage. Some of the first pickups ever wound are still going strong and commanding huge prices. The magnets will weaken a bit over time, but not so much that the output drops too much. I have a few that are in the 20 - 26 year old range that sound great, and a couple that I've had long enough to notice that they've changed a little in tone.

As for magnet types, I'll just go with what Seymour Duncan says, since I agree 100%:

Alnico 2 is slightly weaker than Alnico 5, tends to have a smoother, warmer, rounder tone with softer attack.

Alnico 5 has a brighter, more dynamic tone with a tighter bottom end than Alnico 2.

If you are looking for power and extended range in your tone, ceramic is the way to go. Ceramic creates a magnetic field more powerful than that of Alnico, is more resistant to environmental aging, and it produces a more aggressive tone with a punchier bass end and enhanced upper mids.

Lots more info here, where I stole that:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support...k_a_pickup.pdf

[Freyr]

Neodymium magnets are the only way to fly

[dg]

I was watching Mythbusters last week and they were using neodymium magnets to deflect steel bullets. That was pretty amazing!

[phill_up]

Okay another question. I have Swapped out SD pickups going from the SH to the TB and use the same mounting rings. Are all mounting rings standard meaning you can put a dimarzio in a SD ring? a dimarzio F space humbucker in a "non F" spaced ring?

Okay one more question while we are at it please. Why did charvel and Jackson put so many SH spaced bridge pickups in so many Trem Guitars that should have been F spaced? were they looking to roll off some of the lows and high? Was it just another way to cut cost?

I cant believe I waited this long to join this forum and want to thank you guys for the help!

[Sunbane]

Why did charvel and Jackson put so many SH spaced bridge pickups in so many Trem Guitars that should have been F spaced? were they looking to roll off some of the lows and high? Was it just another way to cut cost?

There was a time before there were "F spaced" humbuckers, when putting an ordinary humbucker in a trem guitar worked fine.

[dg]

Another thing to consider is that the first Jackson licensed floyd, the JT-6, had narrower string spacing than an OFR (2" vs 2 1/8"). The Jackson bridge pickups made after they switched to the JT-590 trem were F-spaced.

[phill_up]

What do you guys know about the "Sustainer" or sustainiac that was available on some of the DK2's? They were called drivers instead of pickups. I have never heard one. Does it work in conjunction with the other pickups?

[j2379]

they will also squeal badly. same as really POS pickups at gigging volume.