Replacing a magnet

[Hunter1974]

I want to put a alnico 2 magnet in my custom 5 is it possible to do without desoldering the wires from the tone and volume pots?

[Jessie Sammler]

As long as there's some pickup lead to work with, it shouldn't be a problem. I just put A2 magnets in two guitars that had 59's in the neck, and I desoldered nothing.

[misterwhizzy]

One of our forum members explained it pretty well.

[blueman335]

I've swapped dozens of magnets, and never had to disconnect the pots. There's usually plenty of slack in the wires. It's a 10 minute operation, most of which is loosening & tightening strings.

What guitar is the C5 in? CC's (A2) can be a little too rounded on top for some players; you might want to make it a C8 instead, which is becoming very popular here. In my experience, the CC lacked bite & cut, and I've gone with C8's in SG's and 335's, & C5's in LP's.

[Hunter1974]

I want a little less treble and more sustain.It is in a 91 les paul classic.My friend has a 498t in his les paul studio and its awesome sounding I want that kind of sound.

[blueman335]

I want a little less treble and more sustain.It is in a 91 les paul classic.My friend has a 498t in his les paul studio and its awesome sounding I want that kind of sound.

I use 498T's and C5's interchangeably, as they sound similar (and both have A5's). 498T's and C5's usually are fine with the stock A5's in LP's, and the thick mahogany fills in the mids. In thinner or brighter woods, an A8 or A4 will give both PU's more mids & less treble. An A2 is a big jump in EQ from an A5, and may be more than you want. I've used A2's in 498T's and C5's, and they killed too much treble, even in an SG. No edge, no cut. Other than my LP's, I use A8's in my C5's and 498T's now. Much better than A2's. Besides giving both mids & treble, A8's have more output and a tighter low end.

[Gearjoneser]

If you ever work on pickups, while dangling out of the top of the guitar, make sure you wrap towels around the body, so a tool or dropped pickup doesn't mar the finish.