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tell me about Super Ferrite pickups...need info...

#21
What string spacing are you looking at? Pickups with pole pieces are usually pretty forgiving, as the invisible magnetic field extends much further than the visible polepieces. Also, Nordstrand makes them in lots of different spacings.
 
#22
Not sure yet...so, fun fact, Warmoth Warhead 32" scale replacement necks seem to mount super well on Peaveys from the 80s and 90s (my Foundation has a 32" scale Pau Ferro Warmoth neck on it):

20220612_171109.jpg


I don't know what string spacing will be best for the 4 pickup bass I'm mentioning and how much I need to take into account what the 32" scale might do to it (possibly nothing? I'm not sure).
 
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#23
My advice: Figure out what string spacing you want/like. This is a personal preference/ergonomic thing.

Then find pickups that will accommodate that spacing, and fit into the space between the end of the neck and the bridge. Blade pickups make this a no-brainer, but as I mentioned, even pickups with polepieces typically work well for a range of spacings, despite what the polepiece locations might imply to your brain.

The 32" scale won't affect your spacing, but it will affect the relationship between string tension and string gauge and tuning. You can have the same gauge string at the same pitch with lower tension, or you can have the same tension string at the same pitch with higher gauge, or you can have the same gauge string at the same tension at a higher pitch.
 
#24
ctmullins said:
My advice: Figure out what string spacing you want/like. This is a personal preference/ergonomic thing.

Then find pickups that will accommodate that spacing, and fit into the space between the end of the neck and the bridge. Blade pickups make this a no-brainer, but as I mentioned, even pickups with polepieces typically work well for a range of spacings, despite what the polepiece locations might imply to your brain.

The 32" scale won't affect your spacing, but it will affect the relationship between string tension and string gauge and tuning. You can have the same gauge string at the same pitch with lower tension, or you can have the same tension string at the same pitch with higher gauge, or you can have the same gauge string at the same tension at a higher pitch.
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This is good advice. Thank you!
 
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#26
@xsogol I’ve wondered how the Sentell “Chem Dog” stacks up against a Super Ferrite.

I lucked out this week and scored a SF off Facebook marketplace for $25! It wasn’t very straight forward though. Guy was selling a bass that had been modded, and had before and after photos for the bass. In the before photo it had a SF, but had a split p in the after. I asked if they still had the SF and if they’d sell it. Worked out for me this time.
 
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#27
PennyroyalWe said:
@xsogol I’ve wondered how the Sentell “Chem Dog” stacks up against a Super Ferrite.

I lucked out this week and scored a SF off Facebook marketplace for $25! It wasn’t very straight forward though. Guy was selling a bass that had been modded, and had before and after photos for the bass. In the before photo it had a SF, but had a split p in the after. I asked if they still had the SF and if they’d sell it. Worked out for me this time.
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@PennyroyalWe Congrats on scoring the SF!

Fascinating! I've never heard of the Chem Dog before this and it does look promising. I am super interested to see/hear findings...are you going to shoot out the SF vs the Chem Dog? If not, I might have to acquire one and try them both out...
 
#28
The Sentell Chem Dog differs from the Super Ferrite in at least two major ways:
  • The Chem Dog uses AlNiCo magnets instead of ferrite (ceramic) magnets
  • The Chem Dog is a dual-coil sidewinder instead of a single-coil
However, neither of those factors would prevent it from possibly sounding like a Super Ferrite. It all depends on how Jerry designed it.
 
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#29
ctmullins said:
The Sentell Chem Dog differs from the Super Ferrite in at least two major ways:
  • The Chem Dog uses AlNiCo magnets instead of ferrite (ceramic) magnets
  • The Chem Dog is a dual-coil sidewinder instead of a single-coil
However, neither of those factors would prevent it from possibly sounding like a Super Ferrite. It all depends on how Jerry designed it.
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I reached out to Jerry to see if he'd repair a Super Ferrite I have that doesn't currently work (thanks @bigtone23!). Jerry said he absolutely could repair the SF...I'm still waiting on one other winder before I take him up on it and send the pickup to him.

I have not asked about the Chem Dog yet but would definitely like him to give an A/B answer about the SF vs the Chem Dog if he has my working SF in his position to test it out.
 
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#30
XsoGol said:
I reached out to Jerry to see if he'd repair a Super Ferrite I have that doesn't currently work (thanks @bigtone23!). Jerry said he absolutely could repair the SF...I'm still waiting on one other winder before I take him up on it and send the pickup to him.

I have not asked about the Chem Dog yet but would definitely like him to give an A/B answer about the SF vs the Chem Dog if he has my working SF in his position to test it out.
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That’s awesome! Maybe he’ll start offering a SF replacement after he fixes yours. That’s what happened with my Fender wide range. I sent it to him to be rewound (did a great job!) and afterwards he has sold a WR replacement ever since. Which is good because I don’t think anyone else does.
 
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#39
PennyroyalWe said:
That’s what happened with my Fender wide range. I sent it to him to be rewound (did a great job!) and afterwards he has sold a WR replacement ever since. Which is good because I don’t think anyone else does.
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I briefly had an email convo with Jerry about rewinding my Fender WR (not the original but the newer version that came with the Fender Modern Player Telecaster) and I followed up with a few questions that he never answered, so we never got anywhere with that. But the impression I get is that his replacement is clearer/less muddy than the Fender. First, do you think the rewind you got is pretty much equivalent to what he sells now, and second, how would you characterize your rewind relative to the original (e.g., do you agree that it's less muddy)?
 
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#40
DCCat said:
I briefly had an email convo with Jerry about rewinding my Fender WR (not the original but the newer version that came with the Fender Modern Player Telecaster) and I followed up with a few questions that he never answered, so we never got anywhere with that. But the impression I get is that his replacement is clearer/less muddy than the Fender. First, do you think the rewind you got is pretty much equivalent to what he sells now, and second, how would you characterize your rewind relative to the original (e.g., do you agree that it's less muddy)?
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Mine was the new WR as well, out of a Squier VM p bass TB. I had cut some winds trying to get the cover off. When I sent it to Jerry, I told him I wanted it to sound more like an old school p bass (I always thought the pickup sounded brighter that I’d have liked). He said he’d use the gauge he used on his vintage style p pickups. If that was any different than what was used in the factory, I have no idea. To me the pickup sounded pretty much the same before and after, but I wasn’t much of a tone aficionado.

what I do know is that I absolutely LOVE the way it sounds now. I hadn’t started trying different strings yet at that point. Once I found flats, it’s a match made in heaven.
 
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