Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Sergio: Some toasters seem to have shorter magnets than others. Do you know during what period these were produced? It is helpful as it allows for adding a middle pickup without routing. Have you noticed whether these shorter magnets produce a sound that is different from the longer type?

If I had to take a wild guess I'd say toaster pickups with the short magnets were produced until the early '70s. As for their sound, all else (= coil characteristics) being equal the difference can only be their lower output.

If anyone has a toaster, or has seen one for sale, where the magnets are NOT protruding I'd be interested in buying.

These usually come from around the late 60's and early 70's.

My 4005WB has the short magnets on the neck toaster but the output seems about the same as the long magnet toaster in the bridge position.

68 toaster ...



modern toaster ...

A very nice comparison. Jeff, if these are yours can you comment on any difference in KOhm rating between the two?

they are both about 7.4k ... all of the toasters that I have tested were 6.9 to 7.9 range ... I have heard about 11k ohm toasters ... but I have never owned one ... the shorter magnets were a little weaker than the longer ones ... also old pickups degauss slightly ... so the old toaster was slightly weaker than a new toaster ... a little smoother sounding as well ... but almost identical to the new ones ...

Toaster pickups with the pole length that Jeff has labeled as 'modern' were around in the early sixties for sure, maybe earlier..but how far back I can't say. You'll find them in just about all of the hollow-body Rickenbackers, sometimes in both the bridge and neck positions. Long-pole toasters are usually found in the bridge position on most of the 60's twelve-strings I've handled.

Here's a pic from another Forum thread of an early toaster on Larry Wassgren's '58 325, no poles showing and a solid aluminum back...

Here's a reissue of a Toaster top I got from Pick of the Ricks. It has the longer poles and it reads 7.6K ohms.

A couple of 50's toasters here...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22670&item=170016876316

Short magnet toasters have a markedly different (flatter) flux pattern than their long magnet cousins. I can hear the difference and actually prefer it.

I wonder what the differences are between the short and long pole toasters as far as inductance and AC resistance are concerned? Those specs would give more of an indication into the sound differences and overall strength of the pickups than the DC resistance reading would. It requires an Extech 380193 meter or equivilant to check it though. I have one of these meters if someone wanted to send me an example of each pickup to test? To be most accurate, the DC resistance of the two pickups would have to be rather close to each other.

To rekindle this thread: whatever the virtues of 'short' magnet toaster pickups, it is a fact that they're not that hot. An ideal way to make them hotter is by means of a suitably-sized (roughly 2 1/3 x 1/4 x 1/4") bar magnet fitted to the bottom of the bobbin and spanning all six slugs thereon. A useful, totally reversible mod.

I built a 325V59 for Elliot Easton in which I replaced the Alnico slugs with Samarium-Cobalt ones instead. Now THAT was hot.

Greg, be sure you're using the 1K Hz setting with that Extech if you want any real world readings.

Hmm... Then why not start fitting toaster pickups with SaCo slugs instead? Would it make them pointlessly expensive?