My favorite electric guitar which I use as my main guitar onstage with my live band is the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. I have two American Deluxe Stratocasters. One is the 2004, 50th Anniversary American Deluxe Stratocaster and my other is a 2006 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster. They’re both equipped stock with Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups. Free kitchen design software for mac.
One thing that I’ve always hated about traditional single coil pickups is the irritating 50/60 cycle hum that plague them. If you use a high gain amplifier or use any kind of compression, the hum is amplified and sounds even worse. I play a lot of high-gain, compressed sounds so the hum that comes with a traditional single coil pickup is unacceptable for a lot of what I play. Simply for the noiseless design, I have been very happy with the Fender SCN Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups.
Samarium Cobalt Magnets As the first commercially viable rare earth permanent magnet material, Samarium Cobalt (Sm-Co) is considered to still be the premium material for many high performance applications. Formulated in the 1960s, it came as a revolutionary product, initially tripling the energy product of other materials available at the time. Samarium Cobalt (SmCo) magnets are strong permanent magnets with exceptional magnetic properties. Anyconnect vpn windows 10. They offer excellent temperature stability and a high resistance to corrosion or demagnetization. Samarium cobalt magnets are a variety of rare earth magnet that delivers exceptional power while maintaining excellent resistance to severe temperatures and corrosion. Samarium cobalt magnets are able to perform over a wider temperature range than neodymium magnets, and deliver comparable performance in terms of strength. Browse our samarium cobalt rare earth magnets for sale on our site by sorting a large variety of options by block, disc, ring, grade, finish and pull rating. Samarium Cobalt (SmCo5 or Sm2Co17) and Neodymium-Iron-Boron (Nd2Fe14B) are both Rare Earth Magnets –the strongest known rare earth permanent magnets.
The way the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups acheive their noiseless design is by having two stacked coils wired to eliminate hum. Back in the 80’s I put a set of Seymour Duncan noiseless single coils on my custom made Stratocaster that achieved the same noiseless operation that the Samarium Cobalts do. The difference between my old Seymour Duncan noiseless and the SCN pickups is that the SCN’s sound even more like a traditional single coil pickup.
Legendary pickup designer Bill Lawrence designed the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickup. His research into controlling magnetic eddy currents led to his use of the Samarium Cobalt magnet found in the SCN pickups. Samarium Cobalt is a rare earth magnet that is more powerful than the traditional Alnico 5 magnets traditionally used in pickup design.
From a Stratocaster players perspective, I can tell you that the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickup is the most powerful, noise free single coil style pickup I’ve ever played. I’m sure it has something to do with the magnet selection and pickup design but all I can tell you is they sound great and there’s no more hum than I get on my Gibson Les Paul Custom. These pickups are truly a marvel of good tone and noiseless sound.
So that brings me to the most discussed point about the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups. Do they sound like a traditional single coil pickup? I would have to say, no they do not. Their sound is just a tiny bit warmer than a traditional single coil. The SCN’s definitely have their own unique sound although I would definitely classify them as sounding like a single coil pickup while not being a clone of a traditional single coil. You still have the twang and bounce associated with Stratocaster single-coil tones although some of the edgy bite isn’t there with the SCN’s. I don’t miss it and I have made some excellent recordings with the SCN’s.
Overall the Stratocaster sound is alive and well with the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups. The SCN’s pay proper homage to their single-coil heritage while breaking ground with their noiseless design. They are perfect for the newest Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster which is the top of the line for the production Stratocaster. This guitar should be using cutting edge designs so the SCN’s belong on the American Deluxe Stratocaster.
The Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster line was updated big time in 2004 during the 50th anniversary and it’s a whole new Stratocaster. I love the innovation of the S1 pickup switching system in tandem with the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups. The design is the main reason I bought two Fender American Deluxe Stratocasters. I love innovation on my guitars and they will still get close enough to those vintage Stratocaster sounds to please me and my audience.
Not only do these pickups come close to true single-coil sound but they also sound like no other pickups. That’s one of the biggest draws for me. I don’t want to sound exactly like what has been done for the 50 years. I want innovation and fresh new tones. For me, the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups fit the bill perfectly. They are my Stratocaster sound and I highly recommend them.
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Samarium Cobalt Resources
Samarium Cobalt Magnetic and Physical Characteristics
Many grades of Samarium Cobalt magnets exist to support a variety of industrial applications. The range of SmCo magnet grades typically extends from 16 MGOe to 32 MGOe. This range allows for optimizing cost, performance, and operational temperature resistance.
There are two main types of Samarium Cobalt magnet alloy. The older version, typically denoted as (1-5) having one Samarium atom per 5 Cobalt atoms, and the newer Samarium Cobalt magnet alloy, typically denoted as (2-17), having an atomic ratio of two Samarium atoms to 14 – 17 Cobalt atoms. (The 14 – 17 atoms are actually comprised of a mix of transition metals, Cobalt, Copper, and Iron, where Cobalt is the most abundant.)
Samarium Cobalt (1-5):
Has an Energy Product range of 15 – 24 MGOe and can typically operate up to 250°C. By weight this alloy will be compromised of approximately 35% Samarium and the balance being Cobalt. Typically the more recent (2-17) Samarium Cobalt magnet alloy will be selected for new applications because of the higher Energy Densities and temperature operating points; however, the older alloy is specified on many drawings originating from the late 1970’s through the late 1990’s and oftentimes it cannot be substituted.
| Samarium Cobalt (1-5) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dura Magnet Grade | Residual Induction Br | Coercive Force Hc | Intrinsic Coercive Force Hci | Maximum Energy Product (BH)max | Max. Working Temp.* | ||||
| Range | Range | Minimum | Range | ||||||
| k-Gauss | Tesla | k-Oersted | kA/m | k-Oersted | kA/m | MGOe | kJ/m3 | ||
| SC-1615 | 7.7-8.6 | 0.77-0.86 | 7.7-8.3 | 613-664 | 15 | 1,194 | 15-18 | 120-143 | 250°C / 482°F |
| SC-1819 | 8.3-8.9 | 0.83-0.89 | 8.0-8.6 | 640-688 | 19 | 1,520 | 17-19 | 136-152 | 250°C / 482°F |
| SC-2019 | 8.7-9.3 | 0.87-0.93 | 8.3-8.9 | 664-712 | 19 | 1,520 | 19-21 | 136-168 | 250°C / 482°F |
| SC-2219 | 9.2-9.8 | 0.92-0.98 | 8.6-9.4 | 688-755 | 16 | 1,280 | 21-23 | 168-184 | 250°C / 482°F |
| SC-2416 | 9.7-10.3 | 0.97-1.03 | 9.1-9.9 | 728-792 | 16 | 1,280 | 23-25 | 184-200 | 250°C / 482°F |
| *The effective Maximum Operating Temperature for a Samarium Cobalt Magnet is a function of the magnet’s magnetic characteristics and the geometry of the system (the magnet and the circuit). The listing maximum operating temperature is a recommendation and infers and ideal geometry and no external demagnetizing fields. Please engage Dura to review the application before selecting a particular grade. | |||||||||
Samarium Cobalt Powder
Samarium Cobalt (2-17):
Has an Energy Product range of 21 – 32 MGOe and typically operates up to 300°C to 350°C. By weight, this alloy will be comprised of approximately 25% Samarium and the remainder being the Transition Metal blend comprised mostly of Cobalt. The higher Energy Density and operating temperatures allows this magnet alloy to be a favorite choice of designers when magnetic and environmental performance is paramount.Samarium Cobalt Pickups
| Samarium Cobalt (2-17) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dura Magnet Grade | Residual Induction Br | Coercive Force Hc | Intrinsic Coercive Force Hci | Maximum Energy Product (BH)max | Max. Working Temp.* | ||||
| Range | Range | Minimum | Range | ||||||
| k-Gauss | Tesla | k-Oersted | kA/m | k-Oersted | kA/m | MGOe | kJ/m3 | ||
| SC-2228 | 9.4-10.0 | 0.94-1.0 | 9.0-9.8 | 720-784 | 28 | 2,240 | 21-23 | 168-184 | 350°C / 662°F |
| SC-2428 | 10.0-10.6 | 1.0-1.06 | 9.2-10.0 | 736-800 | 28 | 2,240 | 23-25 | 192-208 | 350°C / 662°F |
| SC-2618 | 10.5-10.9 | 1.03-1.09 | 9.3-10.3 | 744-824 | 18 | 1,440 | 25-27 | 200-216 | 300°C / 572°F |
| SC-2826 | 10.7-11.3 | 1.07-1.13 | 9.4-10.6 | 752-848 | 26 | 2,080 | 27 - 29 | 216-232 | 300°C / 572°F |
| SC-3018 | 11.0-11.6 | 1.10-1.16 | 8.9-10.1 | 712-808 | 18 | 1,440 | 29-31 | 232-248 | 300°C / 572°F |
| SC-3215 | 11.2-11.8 | 1.12-1.18 | 8.9-10.1 | 712-808 | 15 | 1,200 | 31-32 | 248-256 | 300°C / 572°F |
| *The effective Maximum Operating Temperature for a Samarium Cobalt Magnet is a function of the magnet’s magnetic characteristics and the geometry of the system (the magnet and the circuit). The listing maximum operating temperature is a recommendation and infers and ideal geometry and no external demagnetizing fields. Please engage Dura to review the application before selecting a particular grade. | |||||||||
| Reversible Temperature Coefficient for Br (α) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Temperature Range (°C) | Induction Br (α) SmCo 1-5 (%)/°C | Induction Br (α) SmCo 2-17 (%)/°C |
| -100°C to 20°C | -0.045% | -0.030% |
| 20°C to 100°C | -0.045% | -0.030% |
| 100°C to 200°C | -0.050% | -0.035% |
| α = Δ Br / Δ T * 100 (Br @ 20°C) [ΔT = Relevant ranges listed above.] | ||
| Samarium Cobalt Magnets - Physical Properties | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Property | Units | Values SmCo (1-5) | Values SmCo (2-17) |
| Vickers Hardness | Hv | 450 - 500 | 500 - 600 |
| Density | g/cm3 | 8.3 | 8.4 |
| Curie Temp TC | °C | 700 - 750 | 800 - 850 |
| Curie Temp TF | °F | 1,292 - 1,382 | 1,472 - 1,562 |
| Specific Resistance | μΩ⋅cm | 53 | 86 |
| Bending Strength | N/m2 | 1.8 x 108 | 1.5 x 108 |
| Compressive Strength | N/m2 | 10 x 108 | 8 x 108 |
| Thermal Expansion Parallel (∥) to Orientation (M) | °C-1 | 6 x 10-6 | 8 x 10-6 |
| Thermal Expansion Perpendicular (⊥) to Orientation (M) | °C-1 | 13 x 10-6 | 11 x 10-6 |
| Young's Modulus | N/m2 | 1.6 x 1011 | 1.2 x 1011 |
| Tensile Strength | N/m2 | 4 x 107 | 3.5 x 107 |
The listed values are approximate and should be used as a reference. Any magnetic or physical characteristics should be substantiated before selecting a magnet material. Please engage Dura’s magnet Design / Development team members before selecting a design path.
Technical Articles
Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups
Samarium Cobalt Magnets
Making Sense of Rare Earth Magnet Grades