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Have you noticed how much deeper the Alnico V sits on the originals?

zhivago

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Messages
1,417
It has been something that has always made me wonder...when I see pictures of Historics, the pickup is a lot higher and closer to the strings

this is my 2003 R4...I have lowered the individual pole pieces as far as they'd go...

Alnico-V.png


here's a pic of my R4 that shows the cavity...

214.jpg




now, here are a few shots of vintage examples (all sourced from the internet)

alnicodeep.jpg


Screenshot2012-03-29at65300PM.png


LOWSTAPLE.jpeg





I'm pretty happy with the sounds of my R4...in fact it sound amazing! :)

I'm just bringing this up as more of a general point for conversation...I know that the bridge pup route is also wrong, as rumour has it that they modelled the '54BB on the 70s RI...are the neck pup routes on the 70s RI shallow like the Historic?


and finally, a pornographic image of my R4, for no reason whatsoever! :)

DSC_0130b.jpg
 

LCP

New member
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
324
Are the pickup cavities deeper on the vintage guitars?
 

zhivago

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Messages
1,417
Not sure...these are the only two vintage cavity shots I have on my hard drive...

54LP-alnico.jpeg


54LP-dovetail.jpeg
 

zhivago

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Messages
1,417
Curiosity got the better of me, and since it is my day off, and I was going to re-string the R4, I took some snaps of the alnico V pickup on my R4...

Alnico-nocover.jpg


pupcover2.jpg


pupcover.jpg


IMG_0132.jpg


IMG_0136.jpg


IMG_0137.jpg


IMG_0151.jpg


IMG_0156.jpg


IMG_0165.jpg


:)
 

Gold Tone

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2002
Messages
6,825
They're a little higher but on my 2006 it's the angle of the route being parallel with the strings rahter than the back of the guitar that causes what you are talking about. I had my rear P-90 route redone flat with the back of the guitar and am going to do the same to the AlnicoV pickup. That brings the bridge side of the pickups down quite a lot and, especially for the neck. lets you adjust them properly (pole pieces).

As it is now you need to do what you did and lower them as much as possible because of the huge pull the pole pieces have...this makes the pickup too muddy sounding. Idealy you would have the pickup lower and the magnets raised higher to get a better attack and crispness from the tone of the AlnicoV
 

DonRowe

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
840
I have a '11 and the bridge is great as far as positioning.. on the neck I have the poles lowered a bit..anybody tried a cap on it ?
 

zhivago

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Messages
1,417
They're a little higher but on my 2006 it's the angle of the route being parallel with the strings rahter than the back of the guitar that causes what you are talking about. I had my rear P-90 route redone flat with the back of the guitar and am going to do the same to the AlnicoV pickup. That brings the bridge side of the pickups down quite a lot and, especially for the neck. lets you adjust them properly (pole pieces).

As it is now you need to do what you did and lower them as much as possible because of the huge pull the pole pieces have...this makes the pickup too muddy sounding. Idealy you would have the pickup lower and the magnets raised higher to get a better attack and crispness from the tone of the AlnicoV

many thanks for this :)

I might actually go ahead and deepen the cavities at some point, then :)
 
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