59b mag swap...

Re: 59b mag swap...

I love the A8 in the 59 in my baretta! Not quite the love I have for the Custom8s, but the 598 is groovy too!! anxious to hear what others think!
I have a the STOCK Schaller ZEBRA that came out of my 84 Baretta...the back of the pup even had a sticker on it still that says 4/14/84. It always sounded great in my Kramer...I am thinking about putting the A8 mag in it....I have 3 A8 mags on the way.

make sure you don't stick that pickup to close to the strings either, those a8s are strong enough that if they're too close they suck away your sustain and harmonics.
Are they stronger then the Ceramic in the Custom or DD? I have the pup on my DD spaced using the 2 nickel space from the low and 1 nickel space from the high E strings as described for distance?

Be sure to let us know what you think of the '59 with an A8 in it. I tend to think of the A8 effect on a pickup as kind of like the loudness button on a stereo. It kind of boost all the good things about it. I've only tried it with hotter pickups (JB and Custom).
I am wondering about these things as well. I have a DD with the Ceramic mag and am going to swap it out for an A8 mag...I am wondering what this will do to it.

this is what I do

when pulling out the original, it's going to be marked on one edge. It's the edge closest to the slug coil.

when you get it out take the other magnet and bring it together with the other magnet on the side that isn't marked. If they stick it's facing the right way. If it repells it's wrong. When it stick, just pull it apart and mark the edge with a sharpie like the other one is marked. Then just replace it the same way.

Even if you put the mag in "wrong" the worst that will happen is it will be out of phase with the other one when both are on (like Peter Green).
So the mags will stick together when they are facing the same direction?

I never listened to Peter Green and didn't even know he was in Fleetwood Mac until like 4 years ago when somebody told me Green Manileeshi was not a Judas Priest song. I went on youtube and looked up Peter Green...from what I can tell he was like a Clapton with a unique tone...bluesy.
 
Re: 59b mag swap...

I never listened to Peter Green and didn't even know he was in Fleetwood Mac until like 4 years ago when somebody told me Green Manileeshi was not a Judas Priest song. I went on youtube and looked up Peter Green...from what I can tell he was like a Clapton with a unique tone...bluesy.

Ah, the master. Peter Green took Clapton's place in the mid 1960's in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (how many guys could pull that off?) and played on the "Hard Road" album. He then departed and took a couple Mayall veterans with him, McVie (bass) & Fleetwood (drums), and they formed the basis of Fleetwood Mac, along with Elmore James-style slide player Jeremy Spencer. After about a year they added teenage guitarist Danny Kirwan, whom Peter mentored. Their styles are very similar (world's greatest bends & vibrato), but Danny sticks more to a pentatonic scale in his solos, Peter incorporates more notes. Their dueling solos are some of the best there is. Peter dropped out of music in 1970 & Danny & Jeremy also left Fleetwood Mac. After that the band struggled to survive as a pop/soft rock band, went thru numerous personnel changes, and eventually hit it big. But that's nothing like the original band or music.

Check out Fleetwood Mac from 1967 to 1970, for blues & progressive rock. Another great English blues/rock band from that time is Savoy Brown, with Kim Simmons on guitar (there's video's on YouTube).
 
Re: 59b mag swap...

Isn't A 59' with an A8 mag supposed to be like a Super 70?
 
Re: 59b mag swap...

Ok, so after a bit more time with my newly modded pup, I have the following observations:

I was able to crank up the amp some more to see how things sound at non-bedroom volumes (still not band volumes though as I have neighbors and don't like offending them too much). It's definitely more output, but not in the "more gain" sense. I suppose technically it does add more gain but it doesn't sound that way. There's tons more clarity and a smoother top end (which I really like), along with a chewy-ness that's very cool. However, the harmonic richness/overdrive of the standard 59 at high gain settings isn't present at all. Well, at least not in the same way.

I need to spend some more time with it, but I can tell there are aspects of it I really like, and others I may not ultimately want to live with as a full-time pup. However, I can see immediate use for it with respect to tracking/recording. The clarity - particularly with high-gain/double-tracking type stuff - would lend an immense sound & dimension to recordings I think.

Finally, this being my rookie effort at a mag swap, I believe I fidgeted with the pup a bit too much resulting in greater microphonics being present than before. I can tell already it's quite a bit more prone to feedback and whisteling and know that it's my fault. Don't think I'd make that same mistake again though.

I'm curious what the sound difference would be between this - the 59 w/ A8 - and a Custom 5 (which I have) w/ an A8?? More output I'd assume, but what tonal structure (as nebulous a comment as that is... ;-))
 
Re: 59b mag swap...

I love the A8 in the 59 in my baretta! Not quite the love I have for the Custom8s, but the 598 is groovy too!! anxious to hear what others think!

Dude because of this thread and the Custom 8 Paradise and other inputs I ordered 3 A8 mags. Got them today. I swapped one immediately into the ole Zebra Schaller that came out of my 84 Baretta...I have the CC still in my ESP and I am wondering if the CC with an A8 will sound better in my Kramer then the 59 (Golden 60) with the A8????

It just sounds awesome all of the leads are a singing and the low while chugging sounds like something off of VH1 to Women and Children First.

I may just leave the CC in the ESP but make it the C8. If it sounds better I am may have to swap it into the Kramer but the Kramer is Maple/Rosewood. The ESP is some S. American wood...I think it may need the extra help from a C8 lol.

Thanks for all of the advice including how to make sure the magnet is correctly installed.
 
Re: 59b mag swap...

Ah, the master. Peter Green took Clapton's place in the mid 1960's in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (how many guys could pull that off?) and played on the "Hard Road" album. He then departed and took a couple Mayall veterans with him, McVie (bass) & Fleetwood (drums), and they formed the basis of Fleetwood Mac, along with Elmore James-style slide player Jeremy Spencer. After about a year they added teenage guitarist Danny Kirwan, whom Peter mentored. Their styles are very similar (world's greatest bends & vibrato), but Danny sticks more to a pentatonic scale in his solos, Peter incorporates more notes. Their dueling solos are some of the best there is. Peter dropped out of music in 1970 & Danny & Jeremy also left Fleetwood Mac. After that the band struggled to survive as a pop/soft rock band, went thru numerous personnel changes, and eventually hit it big. But that's nothing like the original band or music.

Check out Fleetwood Mac from 1967 to 1970, for blues & progressive rock. Another great English blues/rock band from that time is Savoy Brown, with Kim Simmons on guitar (there's video's on YouTube).
Thanks for the info I will check it out on youtoob...lol.

It seems I saw an old video of Peter and Danny doing the dual guitars....I think Danny was doing pretty good.
 
Re: 59b mag swap...

that's what i've heard. why don'cha try it:naughty:

All that I can say is that I am pleasantly surprised. I have been fiddling with my amp eq, delay, and phaser, but could never quite capture the raw big sound of the early VH records.

Although the sound is probably not exactly the same. BUT NOW with the PAF 598...when I play the riff to "Feel Your Love Tonight" or "Lighting up the Sky" it sounds right....and the leads seem to have a clear raw distorted sound.

I was really struggling to get that tone using the DD in my Baretta...in fact I was questioning if George Lynch really used a DD on Breaking the Chains and Tooth and Nail because I was having some difficulties getting that tone with a DD too. The DD is good for playing Metal in my opinion...but not for fast precise picking like George (Dokken) and Warren (Ratt) do....and between Jake Lee, George Lynch, and Warren DiMartinin they were all borrowing chops and techniques from one another. If you listen to "Out of the Cellar" those scales Warren is using wouldn't turn up with George until Tooth and Nail and Under Lock and Key....where George took off with it because he would also Tap (ala VH) and Warren refused to TAP so that he woundn't sound like EVH.
 
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Re: 59b mag swap...

yeah, my 598 gets me a very tasty tone from that era. Has a touch of brown, but doesnt sound like Im trying to cop that tone.. I dont see me changing that out of my Baretta either.. It JUST WORKS
 
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