Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Here's the answer to a debate that started a good while back:

And that's just the horseshoe, no toaster.

Uh, what was the question? I don't really hear any difference.

Man, that's one honkin' horseshoe. Not my go-to kind of tone but it sure is gnarly.

The original debate was: Would a horseshoe pickup work with the two magnets set with their fields opposed (North & South) instead of the same direction (N & N). Some speculated that the two would cancel each other out if one was flipped upside down. The disadvantage to the pickups as they're designed (N & N or S & S) is that they repel each other in that position, and that contributes to the magnetism dissipating and losing the charge. When they face each other N & S, the magnetism pulls them together and contributes to the longevity of the charge.

Also, if you set your stereo balance all the way to the right, you'll hear the pickup direct without the gnarly cab tone.

Well, I guess that settles it. Thanks, Mark.

I think next time I gauss my shoes ill try reversing one...
Eden.

Interesting!


One of these days I'm gonna have to think about how the magnetic field configuration around a pickup really behaves, especially with a horseshoe...

cjj wrote:Interesting!


One of these days I'm gonna have to think about how the magnetic field configuration around a pickup really behaves, especially with a horseshoe...

I think it's explained in the original patent draft, I got a bit lost though as it's in 1920's Lawyer/Patent speak.

Seans wrote:

cjj wrote:Interesting!


One of these days I'm gonna have to think about how the magnetic field configuration around a pickup really behaves, especially with a horseshoe...

I think it's explained in the original patent draft, I got a bit lost though as it's in 1920's Lawyer/Patent speak.

Yes, I've read through that, they specifically state that the magnets be opposed, North to North, South to South. I just haven't really thought about/understood why you would want one polarity configuration over another. One would think that they picked one over the other for a reason, but Mark's test makes you wonder.

My first guess is that it would affect the phase of the signal, reversing one magnet would invert (180 degree shift) the signal coming from the poles on that magnet. The change in sound wouldn't be obvious with individual strings, but the additive aspects (comb filtering) of signals from the 2 halves would change.

It's also possible that strings in the vicinity of the gap (such as a 6/12 string) would be in a weaker field since the field would tend to circulate from magnet to magnet instead of coming through the pole pieces from the opposite side of the shoe...

Good points, CJ. I should have brought in the toaster for part of the test as well. Maybe I'll do another test with that in mind. And although it's not clearly evident in this video, the E string seemed to be a little weaker with the magnets North & South.

now, you will explain to the board, why is it only the bass horseshoes die and guitar or steel guitar horseshoes live forever ??? could it be the larger movement in the magnetic field as opposed to the smaller guitar string movement ??? (opposed...get it ?? tee-hee !)

BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS wrote:now, you will explain to the board, why is it only the bass horseshoes die and guitar or steel guitar horseshoes live forever ??? could it be the larger movement in the magnetic field as opposed to the smaller guitar string movement ??? (opposed...get it ?? tee-hee !)

No, I can't explain that one. I've never had a real bass horseshoe to play with. My steel guitars seem to have higher output than even hi-gains, the oldest if from 1958 and the magnets are still going strong. Does anyone know if the steel guitar pickups, which seem to not have degaussing problems, lose their charge when transplanted into a bass?

I'm wondering if there were different mixes of steel in the shoes, not specifically made for guitar or steel or bass, but with different ability to retain a charge, spanning the tears. I have two sets of magnetic shoes; the ones from the '62 lap steel hold a charge quite fine, whereas the set of an unknown vintage lap steel will not hold a charge very long; read not for many months.

Discussed here, with no resolution...

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