Fan for life...

[bradcole]

So,
   After taking way too long to decide whether or not to try one the handwound pickups, I stumbled on an absolute steal of a Rebel Yell (which was one of my original considerations) and I must say I am taken. After going through the better part of the Seymour Duncan catalog, as well as quite a few Dimarzios and a couple of EMG's... I am convinced the handwound pickup is the way to go. I found the Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pretty awesome and then put the Rebel Yell in my Les Paul and was floored. I loved the clarity and big open sound of the 59 but wanted more bite and more mids. The Pearly Gates was the sh*t, perfect almost until the BK was dropped in. So now I am wondering....  What would be the BK version (i.e. superior) version of the Pearly Gates? Vintage hot or whatever.....

[ericsabbath]

probably the riff raff would do the job
maybe with a different magnet
alnico 2 or an isotropic/unoriented alnico 5

[bradcole]

What is the isotropic/ unoriented alnico 5 all about?

[Alex]

Sounds like snake oil to me. :lol:

[ericsabbath]

Sounds like snake oil to me. :lol:

not really

alnico 5 is usually anisotropic (there's some kind machine to force the orientation)
I think alnico 2 and most ceramics are unoriented
isotropic alnico 5 is said to sound more like alnico 2 (warmer and middier?)
the alnico 5 bars used by gibson till mid 60's were unoriented (I know, they used other alnico grades as well)

the new MBK3 neck model has an isotropic alnico 5 magnet
not sure if Tim uses them in some other model

[gordiji]

very interesting eric, but put me out of my misery and tell me what an mbk3 is.

[MDV]

mbk3 is a pickup for mansons guitars that BK make.

Isotropic is a misnomer to describe weakly aligned and/or unaligned/unalignable magnets. It just means the magnet has been weakened. (Thats how Tim refers to it).

[ericsabbath]

mbk3 is a pickup for mansons guitars that BK make.

Isotropic is a misnomer to describe weakly aligned and/or unaligned/unalignable magnets. It just means the magnet has been weakened. (Thats how Tim refers to it).

I have no idea what Tim uses in fact, but they aren't naturally oriented and then weakened
they are first unoriented and then they go through a process to make them anisotropic (high temperature heating and then cooling under a directional strong magnetic field that enforces orientation)
a weakened alnico 5 magnet is not necessarily isotropic, and an isotropic magnet wasn't necessarily weakened... just might have skipped the orientation process

[bradcole]

I would like to go as vintage as possible for the max clarity but with a tight low end, chimy highs, and some bite when I mute. 76 Les Paul Custom and an Ibanez semi-hollow through a JCM800 reissue gain 6 or 7 with Maxon od808 to add a boost. Melodic rock is played with said stuff.  Suggestions for both would be awesome.

[Twinfan]

A Pearly Gates is a hot-ish AII, so the closest BKP would be an AII Mule....

[MDV]

mbk3 is a pickup for mansons guitars that BK make.

Isotropic is a misnomer to describe weakly aligned and/or unaligned/unalignable magnets. It just means the magnet has been weakened. (Thats how Tim refers to it).

I have no idea what Tim uses in fact, but they aren't naturally oriented and then weakened
they are first unoriented and then they go through a process to make them anisotropic (high temperature heating and then cooling under a directional strong magnetic field that enforces orientation)
a weakened alnico 5 magnet is not necessarily isotropic, and an isotropic magnet wasn't necessarily weakened... just might have skipped the orientation process

Weaker then, if you prefer.

Still doesnt change the facts that

- There can be no such thing as an isotropic magnet, its impossible. It was a very poorly chosen, and to someone whoe quite often uses the word in its real meaning where it should be applied, confusing and misleading term.

- Tim does call it weakened, so feel free to ring him up and correct him on pickup design.

[kevinr]

I have an AII Abraxas in the neck position in an Eggle Berlin and it sounds really sweet and full.

[ericsabbath]

There can be no such thing as an isotropic magnet, its impossible.

alright
why?

[MDV]

It may be what some are called, bit isotropic means 'the same in every direction'. Iron, to all intents and purposes, to a magnet field, is isotropic, the field itself and the required alignment of magnetic moment of at least some atoms in a magnetic material, is not isotrpic and never will be unless someone changes the meaning of the word isotropic and its application in science.

He says just before linking to a wiki article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotropic_material

ho ho.

Whereas magnets, you know those field line thingies, well atoms have to line up, in a way, for that to happen, and the material is therefore not the same in one direction as in the other two. Each atom in a magnetic material is itself a magnet: it has a magnetic moment, a north pole and a south pole. The material becomes a magnet as a whole that you would recognise as a magnet, when all the magnet-atoms magnetic moments line up so (virtual) photons can go through all the atoms (or a lot of them) in a big loop.

Its a dumb use of the word, is all. Magnets cant be isotropic. Its nothing but linguitistic unresourcefulness on the part of whomever decided that one particular process to make magnets should be called this, and another that. Or they made magnets but didnt know the quantum mechanics that underlies their behaviour (which is forgivable, I'm hazy on the details, but then the detials will make your eyes bleed).

I hope this horribly laboured explanation is enough :lol:

[pagan7]

So, would degaussing a standars A5 pup have the same effect ?
As for the MBK, Guitar and Bass magazine describe the bridge pup as having 3 ceramic magnets - which sounds a lot like a c-pig