To A2P, or not A2P, which is the pickup?

[LesStrat]

What does that mean? Don't know? Can't tell? Waiting on something? Not sure why???

[Aceman]

Bump for ease of the JB guys to find

[Aceman]

By the way - I have calculated some results. Most thought the PG or the T-Top was actually the A2P

There were only 3 correct identifications of the A2P, and only one of the PG. "Other/T-Top" guesses were pretty even across the board. Chameleon pickup!

T-top was often believed to be the A2P though. I'll post a pic. Only 6 correct assignments out of 25. So pretty close to 1/4; Actually LESS than chance. That suggests something about the A2P made it sound 'not' A2P.

Like I said - I'll adjust the height a bit and see what happens.

And no "Research Design" criticisms!!!! There was NO design. I just threw up there clips with three guitars and pups as is. But like I said - this is the beginning of the JB Myth Busters episode...just warming up.

[Aceman]

What does that mean? Don't know? Can't tell? Waiting on something? Not sure why???

[LesStrat]

[Jack_TriPpEr]

So I got my A2P's wired in to my Tigereye Caddy. And I thought you all needed a little sound sample. But that would be too simple. So I went all Goldilocks and the Three Bears on y'all! Here is a Soundcloud clip of me playing the intro riff to Sweet child on 3 different guitars.

I play one round, followed by a D chord each time, so guitar/pickup combo A/B/C. 3 different Les Paul style guitars, each with a different neck pickup. I will tell you this about the clips:

Mesa Stiletto, Tight Gain channel, EQ/Gain the same for all...pretty much around 5 on everything. Mids a little higher.
Guitars all 500k pots, neck pickups, Vol on 10 and Tone on 0.

Recorded with iPhone, about 8" from the left speaker cone center. No effects, no post no nothing. The oddities at the first couple of notes are iPhone mic, I assume. Could be my attack also I guess. The creaking noise between end of riff and chord is my chair.

Listen and discuss.
- Which is the A2P? What are the other pickups? Which do you dig the most? Which don't you like?

https://soundcloud.com/acemansdug/a2p-sample

Or for those who prefer Video with labels...

1 & 3 sound the most "authentic" to the recording. 2 sounds weak.

[ToneFiddler]

those blind tests are fun!

[dressed2kill]

1 and 3 were my fav's, that t-top works cops the slash tone. I don't know about #2, it was just missing some of the sizzle the others had.

Cool experiment either way.

[ToneFiddler]

well i will try the PGn some day (since i own a set, only tried the bridge in an SG).
from your clips i liked the t-top the most, as already stated.

[Aceman]

Smell the JD - LOL; That guitar is 42 years old and been through 3 legit bands. Worse than JD has been on it!

The Deans are probably the same. Shouldn't be any funky caps in the LP. It has a full CTS harness inside.
- Same gauge, all 10's, likely GHS on the LP, and NYXL's on the Deans. The A2P strings are newer.

Again - the REAL issue is not which is which, but which do you like best? I like the PG best. My fave LP neck pup period. Cutting, juicy, and sweet.

[ToneFiddler]

i searched this forum up and down for t-tops some time ago, so i know your stance on t-tops and this particular one where you can smell the jack daniels in the room when you play it or something...

damn i was wrong on all of them, but to be fair i only had a brief moment with a t-top replica in the neck (reminded me of an A2P indeed) , but never a pearly gates neck. so i only now the A2Pn.
Do you have the same stringgauge on all of them? maybe different tonecap? more stringbuzz?
the A2P needs more gain to compete, me thinks.

Also funny that mister hears it all, didn't even bother to give a guess.

[eclecticsynergy]

I love T-tops - in neck position. Only ever had one guitar where a stock T-top was genuinely great at the bridge though.

I consider T-tops singlehandedly responsible for the explosion of the replacement-pickup industry in the 70s.

In this clip, with a drive tone and the guitars' tone knobs all the way off, I'm surprised there was any audible difference.
Still, there definitely was.

[Aceman]

When I play the PG, I usually roll the tone to about 3 or 4. Sounds great. I just used zero here for easy consistency. I think PF nailed not though - it removed a lot of the differences.

[ErikH]

Thing is, the A2P in Slash's Derrig Les Paul is such a perfect combination with that particular guitar. That Les Paul (though a copy), has such mojo that it just works. Perfectly. Now, if want more bite and a little more push, then try the Slash A2P neck. That is the answer. I much prefer that one to the stock A2P. It's what makes his newer Les Pauls sound like the Derrig. As for the Gibson varieties, I have no idea about those.

Roll the tone up some too instead of it all the way back. Add some highs back in there for some bite. Live he may roll the tone back but on the album, I don't think he did. Doesn't sound it anyway.

[Aceman]

I am really impressed with how the this t top sounds closer to the Slash tone, much more than the A2P. As I said I thought it was the PGn. Mmmh I am getting deaf.. Anyway Aceman could you please share one more sample playing this t top with the tone up to 7/8?

Full disclosure - as I have said: I hate T-Tops. Most meh in the world, IMO. If you dig them, cool. I don't. EXCEPT....I love it in this guitar! So it stays.

I can clip a few other things of it.