Pickup Storage

anathemata

anathemata

New member
Looking around my workbench the other day, it occurred to me there might be a better way to store unused pickups rather leaving them lay around or shoved into drawers. What's your solution? Anything one should watch out for in terms keeping magnets in proximity to each other?

 
I use cigar boxes that I get for free at my local liquor store. Makes the pickups smell good.

 
BadgerDave said:
I use cigar boxes that I get for free at my local liquor store. Makes the pickups smell good.
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That's an interesting idea. The problem I run into is that when I pull pickups out of guitars I don't really have anything that would fit them well. Maybe this is the solution!

 
When I had a stash, I used a Cork Board. Framed it and hung pickup with a tack. It was a nice display of Cream and Zebra goodness.

 
This?

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Or this?

1965_Chevrolet_C10_Pick_Up_Garage_Find_For_Sale_Storage_1.jpg


/emoticons/default_biggrin.png

 
murkat said:
I use something like this for all parts, stuff, etc.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Storage-Boxes/product/13316/
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That would be perfect. Is there anything to worry about with all those magnets in close proximity to one another? For example, I've read warnings before about leaning a guitar against an amp for long periods of time due to the effect the speaker magnet will have on the pickups. Don't know if all that is apocryphal or not, though.

 
Cigar boxes are sometimes built as mini humidors... not good for anything made of metal.

You should store them face down and preferably on paper, cloth or wood... something absorbent. That way the moisture will never condense on the metal because the wood, cloth or paper will wick it away.

You can store them in a myriad of ways as long as the environment that they are in is not humid and fairly dry. Moisture condenses on plastic too, but Murkat's shop is dry so that's not a problem.

I accidentally put an engraved metal part in a cedar cigar box for a few months a while back... came back and pulled it out to see a big fat rusty spot right on the engraved part... nice.

 
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A friend of mine had a bad car accident a year ago. After 12 operations and metal rods in his leg and arm and a metal chest plate and one in his head.....he just lets me stick my spare pickups onto him.

Only catch is I had to loan him a guitar to use (Hamer TLE at the moment.) But it sure saves me space. /emoticons/default_smile.png

 
In my opinion, nothing to worry about. Did you ever make a magnet out of a nail? You wipe a magnet along the nail a bunch of times and it magnetizes the nail. Well you can de-magnetize a magnet too. But it takes repetitive changes in the magnetic field. Putting two magnets next to each other does not cause repetitive changes, or oscillations, in the magnetic field. So no big deal. In fact, magnets are shipped in stacks together. But a speaker has a varying magnetic field in the coil when music is played through it. That oscillating field could slowly de-mag a magnet. I doubt it could do it much to your pickup at those distances, though. Most speakers, electric motors, and microphones are built with one coil and one magnet. The magnet doesn't weaken with use. So, while theoretically your speaker might de-mag a pickup very close to it, I really doubt it is a real world issue.
 
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