Guitars

Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 1951 Location: NY

I had a Dimarzio PAF Pro in the neck position of my old Kramer focus 2000. Since I got it I wasnt really happy with it's sound. Today I decided on a whim to swap the magnet to an A2 as opposed to the A5 that pickup comes with.

It was easy to take the pickup apart, just 4 screws on the bottom, scratched away the tape covering the base plate, and I was in. I took note of the polarity of the magnet with a polarity tester,

I went to install my A2 magnet and it was too wide to fit between the metal spacers under each coil.(the pole pieces go through this part) I had heard you can create the "Air mod" by removing one of these spacers and taking up the remaining space with plastic or wood.

So I removed the front spacer, slid in the A2 magnet took up the space between the pole pieces and magnet with a cut up zip tie (you just dont want the adjustable pole pieces touching the magnet), and put it all back together.

I LOVE THIS PICKUP. It has killer tone, sustaining notes and a bell like clean sound. Pretty much everything I want from a neck pickup.

The mod is completely reversible too.

I figured I would share here in case anyone was bored and wanted to try something different. Peace. Wink

Joined: 06 Jan 2013 Posts: 9

another great mod for the PAF pro is to "air" it.
All you do is remove the metal keeper bars that the poles go through
make sure the "air" spaces on each side of the magnet are the same and you are done.
this sounds very similar to the A2 swap but it stays tighter than the A2 swap does.

Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 1951 Location: NY

Yeah, I "half aired" it.

Joined: 23 Nov 2005 Posts: 8293 Location: Ontario, Canada

I recently A2'd a Duncan JB. I love the tone so much I'm considering using this setup in my custom explorer. Just need to choose a neck pickup now.

Joined: 20 Dec 2007 Posts: 4938 Location: Brooklyn, NY

I think it's great that the forum is finally discovering why I have A2 love. Haha. I've been using the APH1's for years now.

Joined: 04 Apr 2005 Posts: 2435 Location: Midwest, Sweden

Berserker829 wrote:

I think it's great that the forum is finally discovering why I have A2 love. Haha. I've been using the APH1's for years now.

you know how Bill Lawrences feels about magnets don't you? Wink

Joined: 23 Nov 2005 Posts: 8293 Location: Ontario, Canada

I M Evil wrote:

Berserker829 wrote:

I think it's great that the forum is finally discovering why I have A2 love. Haha. I've been using the APH1's for years now.

you know how Bill Lawrences feels about magnets don't you? Wink

They make them very hard to change thats for sure. Especially on the L500's (the only ones I have ever seen actually)

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 12280 Location: PEORIA ILLINOIS

one of the pickup makers just needs to design a pickup where you can buy different bobbins and different magnets. Have it designed so the magnets can just snap on or something or at least easy to interchange in seconds. So you can just buy everything you need and change them out whenever you feel like it to get different sounds. I have no clue what one looks like inside or how one works. Nor do I really care as long as I can find one I like. It would be a nifty idea if someone could design it though for the tweakers out there.

Joined: 23 Nov 2005 Posts: 8293 Location: Ontario, Canada

I haven't tried a PAF pro yet. I was tor between a super 2, super D and the PAF Pro for the neck of my LP. I ended up using double Super D's. Its a very flutey tone but still pretty rude.

Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 1951 Location: NY

I would never have suggested using the PAF pro.....I hated it.....until now.

Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 1392 Location: Lutz, Fl.

BLOODROOT wrote:

one of the pickup makers just needs to design a pickup where you can buy different bobbins and different magnets. Have it designed so the magnets can just snap on or something or at least easy to interchange in seconds. So you can just buy everything you need and change them out whenever you feel like it to get different sounds. I have no clue what one looks like inside or how one works. Nor do I really care as long as I can find one I like. It would be a nifty idea if someone could design it though for the tweakers out there.

There is a guy on Ebay that makes/sells high end pickups that has that idea. You can change magnets really easily in his pickups. The magnet is located underneath the baseplate, and it slides right out. In fact, he ships his pickups with 2 different magnets. And you can always buy more from him if you want.

Joined: 29 Nov 2012 Posts: 39 Location: Dallas, TX

it's actually quite easy to work on pickups. my first mag swap was literally like an operating room. lol! now it's where I don't even have to unwire it from the guitar, and barely moving the coil tape.

it's actually fine for the magnet to touch the pole pieces. every pickup I've opened has been that like on at least 1 bobbin. those metal spacers under the bobbins that the poles go through are the keeper bars. most magnets have some sort of mark along the skinny part of the long edge to indicate north (usually a mark made by a sharpie). if not, lay them flat on your work station and move them toward each other... attract is good, repel is bad... when they attract, they are in the same orientation and you'll know where your north is... slide that north in toward what is typically the slug side. if it doesn't have slugs (like double screw or blade or double blade), be certain to make note of the way the original one is when you take it out.

after swapping mags, you get in to fun things like making hybrids and swapping old-school 2-con wiring for 4-con wiring. I just made 7 hybrids last week for a cat that sent me a bunch of pickups from Gibson and Epiphone (yeah, I know, same company) and DiMarzio and Duncan and Schaller.

so it seems my pickup customization kit is my soldering iron. lol! but seriously, get some coil tape and some 4-con wire from stewmac and you're pretty much ready to take on most pickup modding outside of making them from scratch.

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 12280 Location: PEORIA ILLINOIS

synzzzer wrote:

BLOODROOT wrote:

one of the pickup makers just needs to design a pickup where you can buy different bobbins and different magnets. Have it designed so the magnets can just snap on or something or at least easy to interchange in seconds. So you can just buy everything you need and change them out whenever you feel like it to get different sounds. I have no clue what one looks like inside or how one works. Nor do I really care as long as I can find one I like. It would be a nifty idea if someone could design it though for the tweakers out there.

There is a guy on Ebay that makes/sells high end pickups that has that idea. You can change magnets really easily in his pickups. The magnet is located underneath the baseplate, and it slides right out. In fact, he ships his pickups with 2 different magnets. And you can always buy more from him if you want.

what is his seller name? I figured it couldnt be that revolutionary of an idea.

Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 1392 Location: Lutz, Fl.

BLOODROOT wrote:

synzzzer wrote:

BLOODROOT wrote:

one of the pickup makers just needs to design a pickup where you can buy different bobbins and different magnets. Have it designed so the magnets can just snap on or something or at least easy to interchange in seconds. So you can just buy everything you need and change them out whenever you feel like it to get different sounds. I have no clue what one looks like inside or how one works. Nor do I really care as long as I can find one I like. It would be a nifty idea if someone could design it though for the tweakers out there.

There is a guy on Ebay that makes/sells high end pickups that has that idea. You can change magnets really easily in his pickups. The magnet is located underneath the baseplate, and it slides right out. In fact, he ships his pickups with 2 different magnets. And you can always buy more from him if you want.

what is his seller name? I figured it couldnt be that revolutionary of an idea.

Both his Ebay and www. name are Vintage Vibe Guitars. Of course due to Dean rules I am not allowed to post links. But type that in google, and he will pop right up. He has some really nice stuff.

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:33 pm

I am not a fan of the JB. That is, until I put an A8 in it!!!!

It is now happy at home in my 2003 DOA Caddy. A8 ROCKS!