Guitar Pickup Magnetics

[bassnut]

I'm building a bass guitar pickup of an older design which uses two bar magnets on either side of steel laminations with steel cylindical pole pieces running through the laminations and a copper coil.
Could somebody tell me whick is the best material to use for the laminations and pole pieces? I noticed that when I dissambled the origional, there was no residual magnetism in the material.
Thanks.
Fred

 

[hacksaw]

lots of materials to choose from. you want very low hystersis and very low remanence. you'll probably have to resort to heat treatment in an inert gas oven after assembly...

80-20 NiFe(permalloy)
Mo-permalloy
Mu-metal
supermalloy

were the most common armature materials in the 50's. These have very little magnetostriction, are low loss and very soft.

biggest problem is locating a supplier in small, but affordable lots.

in a pinch you might get away with transformer iron (3% SiFe laminations).

 

[hacksaw]

Recollect that early pickups actually had the alloy type actually stenciled in the surface. Hy-Mu 80 was also common