How to Bevel Magnets on Guitar Pickups

Electric guitars use magnets to help convert vibration to sound.

A guitar’s pickup is basically an electromagnet. The pickup consists of a magnet pressed between a mounting plate and a coil. The coil has a few thousand windings of very thin copper wire. As the string’s vibrations disturb the magnetic field of the pickup, the pickup transfers the vibrations to electrical current and then sends the current to the amplifier. It is possible for a guitar builder to build his own pickups either from scratch or from a kit. Before you assemble the pickup, it is a good idea to bevel the edges of the magnet so it fits between the bobbins and the mounting plate. A small “chamfer” is usually adequate for installation.

Things You'll Need

• Vice
• Fine-tooth file
• Cotton rag

Instructions

1. Grip half the magnet lengthwise in a vice so that half of the magnet sticks up. Magnets are brittle and crack easily. Grip just hard enough to hold the magnet while you file it.

2. Hold the flat edge of the file at a 45-degree angle to one corner edge of the magnet. Slide the file the full length of the magnet to create a 45-degree chamfer along the length of the magnet.

3. Position the file on the other corner edge protruding up from the vice. Hold the file at a 45-degree angle and bevel the edge just as you did with the first edge.

4. Remove the magnet from the vice, flip it over and grip it in the vice again. This exposes the other two edges of the magnet. Chamfer both edges just as you chamfered the first two edges.

5. Wipe the magnet off with a cotton rag to remove any dust.

References

• "Guitar Player Repair Guide"; Dan Erlewine; 1994
• Stewart MacDonald: Pickup Building Examples

Resources

• Stewart MacDonald: Pickup Kit Example