What Happens To The Pickup With Age

Discussion in 'Guitar Gear Talk Forum' started by rust_in_pain, Dec 10, 2005.

  1. rust_in_pain

    rust_in_pain <:Rising Rockstar:>

    Hi,

    I am just curious to know what happens to a passive pickup with time like 4-5 years.Does it becomes weak or stays as it was new?

    Regards
     
  2. Luthier

    Luthier New Member

    Nope nothing happens to the magnets atleast. The alnico magnets have a life of 3500 years after which their strength would become half and even if ur guitar doesnt survive that long ur pickup magnets will. The only thing that could happen is the coils dying out since the coatings on the coil wire seems to harden with age and the coils shorting out. But if ur coils are properly wax potted then there wouldn't be much problems since there would not be any rattling of the internal assembly since all moving parts are now embedded in wax.
    And 4-5 years is too short for anything to happen to a good pickup . But still there are those unseen enemies of the electronics world that play havoc.
    Regards
    Luthier.
     
  3. shak

    shak Harrr!

    hey nice info luthier .. its just awesome to have you on board ..
    and yeah i agree nothin happens to pickups in this short period of time .. i know guitars which had beers spilled in the cavities .. water and all sort of other grime .. but the pickups still do work good ..
     
  4. Aka Oz

    Aka Oz /\K/\ - Ozy

    thxxsssss for da info luthier
     
  5. Luthier

    Luthier New Member

    Hey AkaOz
    Do u get good pickups in Abu Dhabi...??
     
  6. hindiRox

    hindiRox Banned

    PLayed in rain in IISC still nothing happened to the Pickups.. My cellphone on the contrary stopped working.. So imagine the kind of research gone into both these little creations..
     
  7. Luthier

    Luthier New Member

    Hey hindirox play a few more times in the rain and see what happens to ur pickups polepieces. RUST RUST and nothing else. So after every "rain session" go dry ur pickups with a blow drier and not the hot air one's . Heat would make ur pickups go into a comma.
    One more thing to keep ur control knobs in good sounding condition is to fill the cavity of the pots with VASELINE PETROLEUM JELLY so that it grabs all the loose carbon particles and does not give a scratchy sound when turning ur knobs. Thats a home remedy fom "dadimaa ke haseen nuskhe"...hehehehe....
    If your(refering to general public) pickup has good brass cover plates then no problem but if they are a cheapo then corrosion underneath would be the first thing to kill ur pickups.
    Thats a lot for now have to save some for future posts...
    Regards
    Luthier
     
    dennis likes this.
  8. Nanda

    Nanda Bassist

    Hey luthier thats good ... Now i can use old pickups without worrying ............
     
  9. abhijitnath

    abhijitnath Fighting GAS frantically

    As a corollary..Seymour Duncan artificially 'ages' their pickups to make them weaker..apparently to give it a vintage sound. I think its just a marketing ploy to attract more buyers:)...
     
  10. hindiRox

    hindiRox Banned

    @ Luthier : Why will Ceramic magnet polepieces rust? ;-)

    @ Abhi : I've experienced that.. I changed to DiMarzio then on..
     
  11. chintan9

    chintan9 yay! i won the ipod!

    Apparently the seymour duncans sound really good when aged. A guitarist near my place got hold of a few pups from guitar center and he loves it.
     
  12. Aka Oz

    Aka Oz /\K/\ - Ozy

    well ya like some cheap ones are 35 dhs(which are crp) nd some 75 dhs(sound ok) but frm yamaha shop u can get good ones for 175 dhs(thy are gr8).........in dubai dere r very varities
     
  13. Luthier

    Luthier New Member

    Hey hindirox
    When u say that a pickup ic ceramic that DOES NOT MEAN that the polepieces are ceramic. It is only the magnet that is ceramic and the polepieces are always metallic.
    Magnets are alnico and ceramic.
    Single coils like strat style have alnico magnets for the polepieces whereas ceramic single coils have a ceramic bar magnet under the pickup and the polepieces are just metal rods stuck over it.
    Humbuckers have the same case too. A good humbucker like the Gibson 57' Classics have a metallic cover on top of the pickup assembly. This cover is made of brass and does not rust. But the cheaper look-alikes have steel or similar metal covers that will definitely corrode in moisture.
    So thats what it's like inside a pickup :rock:
    Regards
    Luthier
     
    rust_in_pain likes this.
  14. hindiRox

    hindiRox Banned

    Oh in any case these are not metallic..
     
  15. rust_in_pain

    rust_in_pain <:Rising Rockstar:>

    I was busy in my exams so couldnt check up......all the info is very nice...and thanks
     

Share This Page