About magnetism behind the original P-90s PAF

[Herbie]

For those who are interested in metal alloys and magnetic properties of an electric guitar pickup in general and particularly of P90s & PAFs of old Gibsons:

About AlNiCo-Magnets in Historic Humbuckers- and P-90 Pickups | Tube Amp Doctor

[skykomishone]

I have 2 guitars with early P90's, a '47 ES125, and a '55 ES175D. Both are outstanding, and very strong magnetically.

[achase4u]

I have heard similar things from my pickup making colleagues about early alnico. It really was kind of a dark art early on and alnico didn't really correlate to today's MMPA standards. Pretty cool. Definitely a part of their unique sound.

[icr]

I suspect no one working at Gibson back then imagined anyone would care about the composition of the magnets. Just like anyone working at a TV assembly plant at the time would imagine interest in the type of phosphor in the TV tubes 50 years later (and in fact there is almost no interest in 50 year old TV tubes).

[achase4u]

I suspect no one working at Gibson back then imagined anyone would care about the composition of the magnets. Just like anyone working at a TV assembly plant at the time would imagine interest in the type of phosphor in the TV tubes 50 years later (and in fact there is almost no interest in 50 year old TV tubes).

Precisely. Did the pickup give appreciable output? Result achieved. That's about the size of it.

[Crm114]

I’m one of the few guys that has an array of older gibson P 90s I have one from the early 40s one from the early 50s one from the mid-50s and a staple P90 from the mid-50s

there’s an appreciable difference between the one from the early 40s and the ones from the 50s the one from the early 40s has got a fat tone and it’s an a bridge position not harsh at all really very nice

I don’t think there’s an appreciable difference between the 53 and the 57 P90 I have


add the staple P90 L5 is from 1956 of course it’s a whole Nother beast

I’m also including pictures of my Unity Rocky Mountain Special which had Lundy zfrslins it just look at


i’m telling you this 39 L5P I’ve got, that’s just one crazy score if I ever ever scored anything really crazy wild and unusual it’s this guitar. That dog gone Charlie Christian pick up in it / it’s one with her cobalt steel magnet in it
I had Pete Moreno work on that guitar because the wiring was crapping out and I had him buff off 20 years of sweat and nicotine. He looked at the CC pick up and the P90 and he said yeah those are the old old stuff.

[Crm114]

Early 90s Unity Rocky Mountain Special was Lindy Fralin P 90s added later
Nicr tone but definitely different than any of the earlier designs

[achase4u]

Fantastic stuff. The old CC pickups sound so great. I love the sound that guys back then were getting like Barry Galbraith on his Byrdland etc. Great stuff.

[Litterick]

I suspect no one working at Gibson back then imagined anyone would care about the composition of the magnets. Just like anyone working at a TV assembly plant at the time would imagine interest in the type of phosphor in the TV tubes 50 years later (and in fact there is almost no interest in 50 year old TV tubes).

These things started to matter during the 1960s, when the admen took control:

Harmony Golden Tone electric guitar pickups are made with superior magnetic materials which assure peak performance and long pickup life.

The Purchaser's Guide to the Music Industries.
Englewood, NJ: Music Trades Corp., 1968, 216