peskywinnets
Computer
- Jun 3, 2009
- 23
Trying to wrap my head around the optimum design for a sustaining device for guitar.
What would be the best arrangement (material/magnet wise) for the following...
Think of (loosely) a guitar pickup...permanent magnet on the bottom, a coil with a steel core. This results in a 'throw' (for want of a better word) of magnetic field from the top of the pickup. What I want to do is augment & retard that magnetic 'throw' by way of running an AC current through the coil. Another way of looking at this is to say I wish to know the best way to modulate the permanent magnet 'pull' on the guitar strings. (i.e. I'm trying to 'gate' the magnetic pull on the guitar strings)
Some observations of tests that I did ( a good while back)...
using a standard guitar pickup, but with a small thin coil I built placed on top of the pickup (circumferencing the guitar pickup pole pieces)...had good results modulating the magnetic pull (the guitar strings sustained well) ...this suggests that it was possible for my coil to successfully impede & augment the 'static' pull of the magnetism permeating out the top of the pickup pole pieces).
using a custom built 'sustaining coil' which was physically much more squat (about 5mm tall vs a standard pickups 20mm height), with strong neo magnets on the base ....had somewhat more erratic/worse results.
Now I don't know a whole heap about magnetism, but my thoughts are that because the device I built was so squat & the magnets on the bottom so strong, that it was difficult for the ac coil surronding the core to choke off the permanent magnet 'throw'.
therefore to my questions, to modulate the static permanent magnetic 'throw' from the top of such a device, what would the optimum set up be? By this I mean, neo magnets on the bottom, ceramic magnets on the bottom, type of inner core (steel, or even alnico magnets), height, should the coil surround the whole core, or just the top etc etc.
Any input welcome!
What would be the best arrangement (material/magnet wise) for the following...
Think of (loosely) a guitar pickup...permanent magnet on the bottom, a coil with a steel core. This results in a 'throw' (for want of a better word) of magnetic field from the top of the pickup. What I want to do is augment & retard that magnetic 'throw' by way of running an AC current through the coil. Another way of looking at this is to say I wish to know the best way to modulate the permanent magnet 'pull' on the guitar strings. (i.e. I'm trying to 'gate' the magnetic pull on the guitar strings)
Some observations of tests that I did ( a good while back)...
using a standard guitar pickup, but with a small thin coil I built placed on top of the pickup (circumferencing the guitar pickup pole pieces)...had good results modulating the magnetic pull (the guitar strings sustained well) ...this suggests that it was possible for my coil to successfully impede & augment the 'static' pull of the magnetism permeating out the top of the pickup pole pieces).
using a custom built 'sustaining coil' which was physically much more squat (about 5mm tall vs a standard pickups 20mm height), with strong neo magnets on the base ....had somewhat more erratic/worse results.
Now I don't know a whole heap about magnetism, but my thoughts are that because the device I built was so squat & the magnets on the bottom so strong, that it was difficult for the ac coil surronding the core to choke off the permanent magnet 'throw'.
therefore to my questions, to modulate the static permanent magnetic 'throw' from the top of such a device, what would the optimum set up be? By this I mean, neo magnets on the bottom, ceramic magnets on the bottom, type of inner core (steel, or even alnico magnets), height, should the coil surround the whole core, or just the top etc etc.
Any input welcome!