Tone Zone with Ceramic Magnets?

[Trussrod]

Has anyone swapped out the alnico magnets for ceramic magnets in a Tone Zone? Did it sound like a Super Distortion on steroids?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I think it already sounds like a Super Distortion on steroids with the A5 magnet... But I do wonder what it would sound like with a ceramic.

[GuerillaPete]

How do you swop-out the magnets on a pick-up? This thread got my curiosity going.

[Grandturk]

I always have wondered how they got the tone zone to sound like a monstrous super distortion when the super distortion has the big ceramic mags on it.

[Newc]

1 - Loosen the 4 coil retainer screws on the baseplate.
2 - Loosen the coil screws so the bobbins can move.
3 - Take something small like a screwdriver and push the magnet partially out from between the coils, but not fully.
4 - Compare the new magnet you're putting in to the one you're taking out to make sure you've got it aligned correctly (North to North). Remember, opposites attract.
5 - Slide the new magnet in from the other side, using it to push the old one out.
6 - Screw everything down and go.

You might have to melt the wax, but since the coils themselves weren't touched, you should be ok.

Be sure to mark the old magnet's rating (A5) and North/South with a sharpie for future reference.

[GuerillaPete]

Thanks Newc for the steps!
Might have to make a Modded JB or a Custom 5. Got a few laying about.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

JB with a ceramic magnet is pretty cool.

I don't like the Custom 5 much, or at least I haven't found a guitar that needs it. It's all bass and treble. :dunno:

[toejam]

I don't like the Custom 5 much, or at least I haven't found a guitar that needs it. It's all bass and treble. :dunno:

It's got the same EQ curve as the '59 (just a little more output), but the '59 sounds better. The C5 does work better in mahogany than alder, that's for sure.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yeah, it wasn't what I expected. I thought the whole "less winds on a JB" would just tighten it up and it would be like a custom with a sweet top end... More like a Tone Zone, really.

The JB/Ceramic is definitely the winner out of that swap.

[GuerillaPete]

I agree with Toe. The C5s work in my mahogany and koa bodies guitars. Got a maple body coming in, not sure what to put in it. Might have to be a JB/Ceramic.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I have the JB/Ceramic in a Mahogany body with a maple top and a Korina neck - It sounds great! It's really similar to a Custom so I wouldn't go breaking a Custom to fix a JB if you get my drift.

But if you have a JB laying around (and if you play Jacksons, and aren't a fan of the JB... Who doesn't?) and a spare ceramic magnet (or you can buy one off Ebay) it is a pretty cool pickup.

[Newc]

EMG HZ3s are great, cheap sources for ceramic magnets. And you help the tonal environment by removing HZ3s from the world

And yeah, a ceramic in a JB really fixes everything that's wrong with a JB

It's commonly referred to as a Distortion Lite, or JB+.

The C5 does sound different in different guitars. For a mahogany/mahogany with maple cap, the Custom works for me better than the C5. But the C5 does sound good in an Alder bolt-on Strat like the SoCal.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I tried that Newc, (C5 in a alder Charvel) and I didn't like it.

Then again, that one was kind of a tone dog all over, so maybe I'll try it in a different one. :dunno:

[GuerillaPete]

Found two Alnico 8 magnets I had. Might make a JB-8 instead. Hmmm.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I put an Alternative 8 in a Mahogany/Maple guitar and it rocks. That's a good pickup, too. I bet a JB with the A8 would sound pretty good, too.