Alnico Pro 2 bridge - sounds a bit ‘messy’ with a bit of gain...

[Stavrose]

Hey all,

I fitted a set of Alnico pro 2 Humbuckers to my prs se custom 22. The neck pickup sounds great, very happy with that. But the bridge, I’m really not sure...

With the guitar volume 7/8 or over, running into my overdrive pedal with some gain, the sound when playing solos using the bridge pickup is fine and quite impressive BUT when I play full chords with the same settings, its all a bit fizzy and messy sounding, and generally not very pleasant. Kind of splashy, hard to describe. I tried a few pedals that I’m very familiar with, and same issue! And tried other guitars through same pedals to make sure it’s not an issue with the amp or amp settings, it’s not the amp!

Has anyone else experienced this with the AP2 bridge?

Regards and TIA for any advice or insight,
Stavs

[beaubrummels]

Yeah. Fixes in my experience are: Slash bridge model, Jazz bridge model or a 59 with a polished A4 magnet (or even just a straight 59 bridge). There are numerous others that would work to solve that problem also, like Custom Custom or a 59 with a polished A4 magnet, or UOA5 magnet. There are others that work also, but they start to depart further from the neck A2Pro tone.

[Mincer]

I think that is the inherent sound of many pickups with an A2 magnet. An A5 magnet will cure that, as well as using less gain. The more gain you use with one of these pickups (one of my favorite pickups, btw), the more splashy and indistinct they sound.

[Stavrose]

Yeah. Fixes in my experience are: Slash bridge model, Jazz bridge model or a 59 with a polished A4 magnet (or even just a straight 59 bridge). There are numerous others that would work to solve that problem also, like Custom Custom or a 59 with a polished A4 magnet, or UOA5 magnet. There are others that work also, but they start to depart further from the neck A2Pro tone.

Appreciate the recommendations.

[Stavrose]

I think that is the inherent sound of many pickups with an A2 magnet. An A5 magnet will cure that, as well as using less gain. The more gain you use with one of these pickups (one of my favorite pickups, btw), the more splashy and indistinct they sound.

Thanks, good to hear that someone else knows what I’ve experienced. Yeah with lower gain, it sounds better. Makes me wonder how they were used by Slash.

I’m going to play around with pickup height tomorrow and see if I can find a sweet spot that makes me keep them.

[Mincer]

Actually I don't think Slash used as much gain as people think.

[Theobalt]

Actually I don't think Slash used as much gain as people think.

Most hard rock artists are using less gain than what people think.

[Theobalt]

I think that is the inherent sound of many pickups with an A2 magnet. An A5 magnet will cure that, as well as using less gain. The more gain you use with one of these pickups (one of my favorite pickups, btw), the more splashy and indistinct they sound.

I recently added a APS-1 on my strat (neck position), and that's what I also hear. When I go hard on the strings, it becomes fizzy and undefined, a problem I didn't have with A5 magnets. Very dynamic pickup, but unfortunately I go too hard on the strings for this pup to behave really well, unless I lower it much.

[eclecticsynergy]

Mag swap can tighten that right up.
UA5 can make it firmer yet chewy.
A4 can make it tighter and balanced.
A5 would make it into the Jazz Bridge model.

[Teleplayer]

The APH-1b is fairly bright. I thought the best way to use it was putting it close to the strings to make it sound a bit fuller. Adjusting the height is a compromised choice in most guitars. The APH-1 bridge version won't give mids that resemble the neck version, no matter how its adjusted. Its a choice between bright and thin or otherwise getting slightly bassy and mushy if its very close to the strings. I tried several magnet swaps and the stock A2 was the only one that sounded decent to me. A wah pedal will give good mileage with this pickup.

[LesStrat]

Most hard rock artists are using less gain than what people think.

I remember the first time I realized this about AC/DC.

Angus used MUCH less gain than I thought. It’s the driving beats and the volume, not guitar gain.

[ToneFiddler]

i agree about ac/dc but slash uses quite some gain. especially compared to izzy stradlin, but i wouldn‘t call it high gain. slash neck tone is great, but his bridge tone is kind of nasty to my ears, although years back i remember liking it. therefore the APH-1s where one of my first aftermarket pickups...

there are A2 pickups which don‘t behave that way.
pearly gates for example. great attack!!!

edit: actually the a2 was my last A2 pickup for at least a century. the PG cured my prejudice about that mushy/squishy A2 pickup attack

[Mincer]

Slash's tone was never 'tight' to me...it has the characteristic A2 sound.

[beaubrummels]

FWIW the Slash Model Bridge doesn't sound like one would expect a typical A2 pickup. It's pretty a solid, rock pickup. Kind of the way a Pearly Gates doesn't sound like a typical mushy mid A2 pickup. My Slash Bridge sounds like a Custom 5 with the mids filled in, or like a Custom that is lower output and the treble rolled off a bit.

[Stavrose]

Thanks for all the responses!