Is the chunky rectangular part at the bottom of the TB+ a magnet? If so, what part does that play compared to the coils? I ask partly because the vintage pickups don't have that.
I'm kind of curious about this too. The TB+ in my '94 Les Paul, also a pair I bought off eBay, AND the chrome guitar-sized ones on my Fenderbird look exactly like these on the bottom.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/y6oAAOSwiXtlpAv-/s-l1600.jpg)
Yes, it is the (ceramic) magnet, or better, magnets, since there are 3 (one big between the two blades and two narrower outside).
The vintage Tbirds have alnico magnets instead of steel blades, so no need for a magnet on the bottom, thats one of the reasons they don't need as much cavity depth as the modern ones.
Thank you! I think I see the three you're talking about side by side in the one without the sticker? What's the copper (?) tape ( ?) across them for?
Exactly, the copper is used to ground the steel blades.
Thanks a lot. This puts a lot in perspective. As far as the difference in depth between the ceramic and alnico, is alnico just smaller? Why does the ceramic have to be so chunky?
It is because alnico is both the blade and the magnet, on the other hand steel needs an external magnet.
Is it not possible for the ceramic magnet to be a blade?
Having, err, smashed one of these pickups out of frustration (an epoxy potted humbucker that is microphonic and prone to interference, how did Gibson f*** this up so badly?) the black rectangle on the back is a pad of epoxy over the copper tape that the coils and magnets are housed within.
Quote from: BklynKen on February 17, 2024, 03:44:51 PM
Is it not possible for the ceramic magnet to be a blade?
It is possible I think, the problem is that this pickup would sound very trebly. Iron in a pickup core gives it warm sound (alnico contains more iron and other ferromagnetic metals than ceramic magnets). Think of it like a recipe, too much salt and you are ruing it, everything must be balanced
Got it! Thanks so much. I'd love to have been in the room when they decided to go this route with the Thunderbird pickups. I guess the goal was a more "modern" sound than alnico gives. I like the TB+ a lot, but the construction seems way less elegant than the alnico ones.
Quote from: BklynKen on February 17, 2024, 03:44:51 PM
Is it not possible for the ceramic magnet to be a blade?
Ceramic magnets are brittle. A ceramic thin enough to be used as a blade would almost surely break with the tensioned wire wound around it.
True. Also a ceramic blade so thin maybe is prone to demagnetizing.
This is all great info, guys. Thanks.
I mean, if there was a way to do it, since it is cheap (ceramic is cheaper than alnico), our friends from the exotic east would have found it and produce it in millions...
I started a new thread, but probably should've posted this here. A friend sent me his old 1991 TB+ and the bottoms are flat. Where's the magnet in these?
I bet its ceramic like the newer designs, this must be one of the first TB+ designs. Can you remove the metal cover?
I'll see if I can remove them when I get home. Curious what's in there.
The bottom doesn't come off and I don't want to force it and break it. And I can't see anything through the other hole that's not either of the mounting holes.
Is this back cover magnetic? Or its something like brass?
That back cover is probably mounted there straight after the potting was poured into the cover. That's why it has stuck to the back.
Quote from: exiledarchangel on March 01, 2024, 02:56:50 AM
Is this back cover magnetic? Or its something like brass?
It's not magnetic. Not sure what metal it is.
It's special tone metal. :mrgreen:
Heavy metal?
(https://media.gettyimages.com/id/86473852/es/foto/nibbs-carter-of-saxon-performs-on-stage-at-wulfrun-hall-on-may-5-2009-in-wolverhampton-england.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=tvTgHRakzb6UGzQG-PRKciOy4maRgkkPK0VPU9IJPJg=)