What's the story with unpolished magnets?

[HJM]

Tim,

Can you explain the idead behind teh vintage cut unpolished magnets Bare Knuckle use?

Cheers!

H

[Tim]

Unpolished magnets where used in all the early P90s and PAFs-predominantly Alnico II, III,and IV-the move to using alnico V didn't come till about '61.
An unpolished magnet has a rough finish to it and is also longer at 63.5mm as opposed to the newer polished magnets at 60mm.
The magnets are made individually and cast in sand, the magnetic axis are then ground for a flush fit up to the pole shoe on one side and slugs on the other.

There are various claims of benefits of unpolished over polished/ground magnets but for me the slightly longer length imparts a more balanced response from the pickup. It's particularly noticeable in the unpolished Alnico Vs we use, probably because they're the most powerful, the tone isn't as hard/blunt as a polished magnet and string sustain is better too.

Also they're nicer to work with :)

[motormouth]

Unpolished magnets where used in all the early P90s and PAFs-predominantly Alnico II, III,and IV-the move to using alnico V didn't come till about '61.
An unpolished magnet has a rough finish to it and is also longer at 63.5mm as opposed to the newer polished magnets at 60mm.
The magnets are made individually and cast in sand, the magnetic axis are then ground for a flush fit up to the pole shoe on one side and slugs on the other.

There are various claims of benefits of unpolished over polished/ground magnets but for me the slightly longer length imparts a more balanced response from the pickup. It's particularly noticeable in the unpolished Alnico Vs we use, probably because they're the most powerful, the tone isn't as hard/blunt as a polished magnet and string sustain is better too.Jesus!!See,thats why BKP whipps the horned one,No bullshitee!

Also they're nicer to work with :)

[TwilightOdyssey]

Uuuuh, okay.
I think you forgot to post, man.

[B3]

It's funny but lots of things you wouldn't think would affect the tone of a pickup do in practice. Unpolished magnets is one of those. Maybe the fact that they are cast individually rather than cut from a larger block, and that the rough surface grips the baseplate better have something to do with it. Anyway, the best old Gibson pickups used them and that's good enough for me!

[Tim]

Welcome B3, glad you've come along for the ride, your input will be invaluable and no doubt enlighten us all.
Now if only you could get a strap on that Hammond and jump around a bit :D