Re: 59's vs AII Pro's
Hi. Sorry I didn't get back into this thread sooner. :smack:
I've been playing the A2Ps in the Classic for nearly two weeks now (replaced the '59s), and I absolutely LOVE them. They are definite keepers - that guitar is done! Next please!
The main difference compared to the '59s is that the A2Ps have (as others have said) more pronounced mids, and/or softer bass and treble. That's not to see they aren't bright. The bridge pickup has plenty of top end cut and will go quite twangy with a clean sound, but that top end is SMOOTH and not at all piercing. The word BALANCED describes them for me. They seem to have just the right amount of everything.
On paper they look pretty low output, but I don't notice any drop in output from the '59s or Seths that I am familiar with. I like vintage output pups for versatility and my amps have more than enough gain for me to get all the rock tones I require.
I haven't spent a lot of time doing direct comparisons, but the A2Ps seem broadly very similar to the Seths in my Standard - the same amp settings work for both and they both have the characteristic smooth top end and soft bass that I like so much.
I played a set of '59s several years ago before I tried any other Duncans, and I loved them. They were a step up from the stock Gibsons I was playing before. But once I got used to the A2 Seths, I found the '59s a little harsh by comparison. Not bashing '59s, but it looks like I was an A2 guy all along.
Wattage - You and Stevo have both reported great results with a '59 neck and an A2P (or Seth) bridge. I find this interesting, as when I was first playing Seths, I seriously thought about doing it the other way round - putting a '59 back in the bridge. I straight away loved the way an A2 pup reduces the bassiness in the neck position, but it took me a while to get used to it at the bridge - some of that tight low-end chunk had gone. I found when I did try a '59 in the bridge again that it was too bright unless I took the tone control down to about 3. Bit of a ramble here, but I think you'd like the A2P neck!
OK, to summarise:
'59s - Punchy and aggressive, tight chunky bottom end, bright.
A2Ps - Smoother, more prominent mids, softer bottom end, still bright but less aggressively so.
Difference in output seems negligible to me. And I do find A2 pups (Seth and A2P) are more responsive tonally to variations in picking strength.