dimarzio super distortion with a alnico 5 magnet-WOW!!!!!!

Gainiac · Post by **Gainiac** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:28 pm

I took my WCR Crossroads neck pickup, put it in the bridge - DCR 7.54. I put an Alnico 8 magnet in there. That tone is closer to VH tone than anything I could get with a Super Distortion (with either an Alnico II or a ceramic magnet). A 7.54 DCR PAF copy with an Alnico 8 magnet of course describes a Super 70s pickup fairly well. So my ears argue that he used a stock Super 70s pickup when recording YRGM and RWTD.

So just because this is such a fun hobby, I just bought some Super 70s off eBay and we'll see.

nitro · Post by **nitro** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:41 pm

Seymour duncan makes a humbucker called the"alternative 8" which a alnico 8 magnet is used,17.68k.

Strat78 · Post by **Strat78** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:11 pm

Gainiac wrote:I took my WCR Crossroads neck pickup, put it in the bridge - DCR 7.54. I put an Alnico 8 magnet in there. That tone is closer to VH tone than anything I could get with a Super Distortion (with either an Alnico II or a ceramic magnet). A 7.54 DCR PAF copy with an Alnico 8 magnet of course describes a Super 70s pickup fairly well. So my ears argue that he used a stock Super 70s pickup when recording YRGM and RWTD.

So just because this is such a fun hobby, I just bought some Super 70s off eBay and we'll see.

Did you pick up those two zebra super 70? If you don't like them, I'll take them off your hands. Try them with nickel covers or a 250k volume pot to roll off the highs. I took an a8 out of a broken super 70 and put it into a vintage mighty mite distortion. It was like cleaning mud off your glasses.

Gainiac · Post by **Gainiac** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:23 am

Didn't grab the pair you mention. Mine are double creme.

I know what you mean about the Alnico 8. This magnet seems to represent all the frequencies very well even as it significantly ups the output of the pickup. It is very distinctive. I think the Alnico 2 is probably the second most distinctive Alnico pickup magnet.

vkaxeman · Post by **vkaxeman** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:06 pm

bmf5150 wrote:i found my old vanhalen interview where VH talks about taking dimarzio pickups and swapping out the magnet for old paf magnet.well chris aka gnugear bought one last week and swapped out the ceramic magnet with an alnico 5.i heard it over the phone and i was impressed.so i ran to guitar center today and got one,switched the magnet to the a5 and holyshit,this thing sounds great!!!sounds good with the plexi eq or no eq even sounds great with the 5150-III..i have seen pics of this pickup in the destroyer guitar,the black and yellow guitar and even the frankenstrat and never gave it much thought...im just really shocked at how good it sounds.its starting to change my thought that EVH used stock PAFs......
stan

Stan, I have an older Dimarzio Super Distortion that I want to modify. This work/same thing you used?
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics ... Parts.html

bmf5150 · Post by **bmf5150** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:10 pm

yes,that should work fine.you just need to shim the magnet up,since the alnico 5 is thinner than the ceramic.i used folded paper..

vkaxeman · Post by **vkaxeman** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:26 pm

bmf5150 wrote:yes,that should work fine.you just need to shim the magnet up,since the alnico 5 is thinner than the ceramic.i used folded paper..

Thanks Stan!

Smokin Tone · Post by **Smokin Tone** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:39 pm

bmf5150 wrote:yes,that should work fine.you just need to shim the magnet up,since the alnico 5 is thinner than the ceramic.i used folded paper..

If you have anything decent to cut with the wooden paint stir sticks work well. They are about the right thickness and you can cut to the height you need. Works well in a pinch.

Gainiac · Post by **Gainiac** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:44 pm

I didn't shim mine, just screwed it tighter.

Do we really think he used an A5, not an A2?

rgorke · Post by **rgorke** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:40 pm

I got a new Super D and put an A 5 from Martins six string and it fits perfectly. I also got an A 2 but haven't tried that one yet.

The A 5 sounds AMAZING.

mentoneman · Post by **mentoneman** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:43 am

Gainiac wrote:I took my WCR Crossroads neck pickup, put it in the bridge - DCR 7.54. I put an Alnico 8 magnet in there. That tone is closer to VH tone than anything I could get with a Super Distortion (with either an Alnico II or a ceramic magnet). A 7.54 DCR PAF copy with an Alnico 8 magnet of course describes a Super 70s pickup fairly well. So my ears argue that he used a stock Super 70s pickup when recording YRGM and RWTD.

So just because this is such a fun hobby, I just bought some Super 70s off eBay and we'll see.

my 450 neck holmes reads 7.8 and is in the bridge of my tyler. vic's 455 holmes came in at 8.5 and gets more chirp but has a faster harder attack that i didn't think responded as nicely to subtle finger picking things.

regardless your numbers make way more sense to me for tone than the 13-14k range. i had a super distortion early on and hated it famously.

it's still in a box somewhere...i'd love to tear it apart and try this magnet thing, even if the pickup doesn't make it! cannot stand dimarzios in general.

Gainiac · Post by **Gainiac** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:52 pm

Well, now I have the Super 70s in my '76 Greco. This the pickup. Tried mid-70s SD with ceramic, A2, and A5, but in a Japanese sen bodied, maple necked guitar made in the Fujigen factory in 1976, the Super 70 pickup does the YRGM tone by far the best. Suddenly much of the sizzle and bite and complexity and rush of YRGM comes out of this Greco. So count me as convinced that he used a stock Ibanez Destroyer with Super 70s for that album.

My Super 70s read 7.9 DCR in the bridge, 7.7 in the neck.

As my Crossroads with the Alnico 8 is pretty close in another guitar, I think possibly the Alnico 8 in a PAF-style pickup is the key...

There are two types of Alnico 8, cast and sintered, and they have different properties. The one in my Crossroads is sintered I believe. The Super 70s are cast - and you can't find cast Alnico 8 magnets too easy anymore.

bmf5150 · Post by **bmf5150** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:12 pm

does it do the other VH1 songs good too?i just got one off of ebay for $75.00 shipped.is it a brighter pickup?how is the lows and mids?

hammered · Post by **hammered** » Thu May 01, 2008 1:24 am

I`m on the verge of swapping a A5 in Super D with some info from bmf5150. I haven`t played a Super D in years and the Dimarzio specs show it to be somewhat mid and bass heavy with less treble. For those that have swapped out ceramic mag with an A5 what would you say it`s done for the EQ of the pickup. Is it brighter and not so heavy on the mids with the A5?

hammered · Post by **hammered** » Thu May 01, 2008 9:23 am

tx802 wrote:
nitro wrote:Seymour duncan makes a humbucker called the"alternative 8" which a alnico 8 magnet is used,17.68k.
Any one used one of these ?

I noticed there was some listed on Evilbay.

I`ve got one right now. It`s a pretty dark(or warm) sounding pickup with lots of output. It`s just really not the tone I`m looking for but I bet it would sound great in a really bright guitar.

Metropoulos Forum

dimarzio super distortion with a alnico 5 magnet-WOW!!!!!!

Re: dimarzio super distortion with a alnico 5 magnet-WOW!!!!