The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Anyone have any experience with this pickup? Is it reasonably full and warm for an under wound pickup? Thanks!

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  3. #2

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    the lollar or other lower wind p90 style pups (like the classic guild franz pickups) will lose some of that midrange boldness and have a more even clarity throught the entire frequency spectrum...also adjusting the pickup height and magnets will have profound effects on determining your tone

    cheers

  4. #3

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    Before I put an original 1947 P90 in my ES-125 I had a Lollar underwound in it. Sounded very good! In the end I preferred the original 1947 for being slightly more open and clear, but my ES-125 is all mahogany and sounds a bit darker by itself already.

    I can imagine a guitar with maple/ash/spruce would really benefit from the little extra mids - inspite being underwound - the Lollar delivers.

    Here's a vid I made right after installing the Lollar:



    So to answer your question: yes it is reasonably full and warm for an under wound pickup!
    Last edited by Little Jay; 11-14-2019 at 02:28 PM.

  5. #4

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    Anyone know the history of which magnets Gibson used at different times and which contemporary make/models use the same magnets?

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
    Anyone know the history of which magnets Gibson used at different times and which contemporary make/models use the same magnets?
    Alnico III until 57, then A5. I believe Gibson MHS are A3. It’s easy to swap anyway. You may be better off focusing on not getting overwound P90s, which seem to be popular.

  7. #6

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    Interesting. The Lollar underwound is A5, but the Lollar 50s wind is A2. I have Throbak 55 in a guitar, which is also a A2. I don't know of a lot of contemporary builders using A3, even among those claiming to be vintage spec.

  8. #7

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  9. #8

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    the lollar underwound uses de-gaussed alnico v!!! very important distinction!!..he's getting it closer to alnico II...and remember alnico III is actually less gauss than alnico II..it doesn't go in strict gauss order!!

    also any pup that uses non magnet screw polepieces and below the bobbin bar magnets like the p-90 does can be dramatically impacted by its height and relation to the strings...also the string material used...alnico is also vulnerable to losing charge with time and conditions...so dont get too hung up on the magnet designations per se...or at least be aware there's other factors

    cheers

    ps-


  10. #9

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    Yep. As I understand it, the magnet has no direct contribution to the sound of the pickup. All it does is magnetize the string, which then is effectively a moving magnet vibrating over the coil, generating the signal. The magnetic field of the magnet is stationary over the coil, but the magnetized string moves and that's what we hear through the amp. This is why inductance is important, along with the shape of the magnetic field (which you can reveal by putting a sheet of paper or cardboard on top of the pickup and sprinkle iron filings on the paper- the filings will follow the magnetic field).

    Also as I understand it, A2 magnets are more prone to lose strength, A3 and up are stable as are ceramic magnets. The kind of magnet apparently doesn't have the tonal significance most people think it does.

  11. #10

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    ^ well yes and no..its semantics...the magnet ultimately affects tone. but doesn't determine it

    thats why the original real true charlie christian pickup style cant be matched by any humbucker sized version...or shortcut...it used two large plate cobalt magnets..under the archtop...that were relatively weak...but were so huge that the magnetic field reacted with a long section of the strings...but weakly... resulting in a completely different tone from the average very magnetically focused pickup!

    also why if you stick a fender pickup..which uses the actual magnets as pole pieces too close to a string..you get what is called strat-itis...a magnetic interaction which is detrimental to the tone...it literally pulls the string out of tune

    think of holding two magnets in your hands...the proximity they are to each other changes the force with which they attract or repel

    cheers