A2P's or Slash Set ???

Aceman

Aceman

I am your doctor of love!
So, I am going to get a set of ONE of these for a my Tiger Eye Dean Cadillac. Google it if you need to.

I have had, and am familiar with A2P's. Haven't had any in forever and a day. And of course, since then, there is this whole "Slash" set thing. Now, I like the regular old A2P set more than well enough and am a fan of the original Slash tone. But alas, I have not kept up with the pups, or his later stylings.

Haven't actually heard or played them. So - what is the big deal, what is the important difference, and of course, is it worth the price?

Discuss...
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

The Slash set is slightly hotter, and brighter. I like the original ones better.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

The signature set has more presence. It's a bit aggressive and has more bite. Great for dull sounding mahog with maple cap/all mahog short scale guitars.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

I don't think there is enough of a difference to make it worth while getting the Slash set. Your amp (and effects chain) is going to make way more difference in your sound than such a tiny difference in pups.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

Aceman said:
How about an A2P neck, and a Slash Bridge?
Click to expand...

I honestly don't see that much of a difference to do that, unless the A2P sounded too dark. But the difference can easily be made up with an EQ adjustment.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

The Slash is kind of a worthless pickup set IMO. Not the pickup itself, for musical purposes, but the fact that it exists at all, while the A2P also exists. You might as well just get A2Ps; they're close enough. Need what the Slash does? Up the gain a hair and change the amp's tone knobs a hair. AFAICT, the Slash pickups only exist to get an extra $40 per set out of people who don't know how to use the knobs on their amps.

By that same logic, if you can find a Slash set for no more than an A2P set, then go for it.
 
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Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

Or even better, get a Jazz set with a smooth UOA5 in the neck and a rough UOA5 in the bridge.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

Well there is a long history of artists' models being very much like the stock version with a few tweaks. This is true with guitar, pedals, & amps, too. But the name makes it very easy to market.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

ItsaBass said:
The Slash is kind of a worthless pickup set IMO. Not the pickup itself, for musical purposes, but the fact that it exists at all, while the A2P also exists. You might as well just get A2Ps; they're close enough. Need what the Slash does? Up the gain a hair and change the amp's tone knobs a hair. AFAICT, the Slash pickups only exist to get an extra $40 per set out of people who don't know how to use the knobs on their amps.
Click to expand...

Nah, it wasn’t that at all. It’s literally a different wire type in addition to the difference in the wind. If you don’t hear enough of a difference to make it worth additional money or swapping out a guitar that has A2Pros, that’s fair, but the situation isn’t as you’ve characterized it.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

Having used both pickup sets (A2Pros and Slash set) - they're really radically different. I wonder how people say they don't notice a difference - if they actually played both sets.
A2Pros are buttery smooth - especially the pick attack. They are as mellow as a pickup set can get.

The Slash set has a very defined pick attack. Both the neck and bridge pickup feel a bit hotter.
I prefer the Slash set over the regular A2Pros. In fact, A2Pros - I can never get to sound right for me. Slash set on the other hand: it's what I'd go for in a vintage sounding humbucker set with plenty of definition.
The A2Pro just sound like room-temperature butter.
There's a day and night difference here.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

frankfalbo said:
If you don’t hear enough of a difference to make it worth additional money or swapping out a guitar that has A2Pros, that’s fair, but the situation isn’t as you’ve characterized it.
Click to expand...

I don't understand that statement. What have I characterized the situation as, aside from me not hearing enough of a difference to make it worth the extra money? I did not say there are not tonal differences. I said the tones of each are within the range of overlap, using outboard controls.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

When I said “the situation is not as you described” I was referring to this:

ItsaBass said:
AFAICT, the Slash pickups only exist to get an extra $40 per set out of people who don't know how to use the knobs on their amps.
Click to expand...

All I can do is add some historical perspective. It wasn’t a money play, it’s a different pickup.

If you’re a pickup enthusiast, then the fact that you know it’s a different wire type and a different wind means that basically it’s as different (and worthy) as comparing a Pearly Gates to an A2Pro. No one questions whether those two pickups should coexist, or a Pearly Gates and a 78 and a Seth Lover...

As for the hard science, the peak frequency is different, and when we talked about the “openness” in the marketing it has to do with things like the Q of the resonance. Best way I can break it down for you is that if it were as simple as adjusting some amp settings, Slash would have just adjusted his amp settings when he went between the Derrig and all of his new Les Pauls. Or better yet. He’d have just adjusted his amp and permanently retired the Derrig.

Again, no big deal if you don’t find that to be a reason to own one.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

frankfalbo said:
When I said “the situation is not as you described” I was referring to this:



All I can do is add some historical perspective. It wasn’t a money play, it’s a different pickup.

If you’re a pickup enthusiast, then the fact that you know it’s a different wire type and a different wind means that basically it’s as different (and worthy) as comparing a Pearly Gates to an A2Pro. No one questions whether those two pickups should coexist, or a Pearly Gates and a 78 and a Seth Lover...

As for the hard science, the peak frequency is different, and when we talked about the “openness” in the marketing it has to do with things like the Q of the resonance. Best way I can break it down for you is that if it were as simple as adjusting some amp settings, Slash would have just adjusted his amp settings when he went between the Derrig and all of his new Les Pauls. Or better yet. He’d have just adjusted his amp and permanently retired the Derrig.

Again, no big deal if you don’t find that to be a reason to own one.
Click to expand...

You took my statement most literally. It was not meant as a literal statement. It was a hyperbolic way of stating nothing more than, “The difference is not worth the extra money IME and IMO.” That is all. Again, I do not believe the two pickups sound the same, and never stated so.

IME, most of the Duncan lower output humbuckers are some good e.q. and gain tweaks away from each other for most real-world purposes. Different to be sure, but pretty well within the range of effective equalization. The reason to pick one over the other mainly has to do with matching my picking technique to my amps. I want my picking pressure to be the constant, even when I change amps. On higher headroom amps, I want more powerful low output pickups, like the ‘59. On my lower headroom amps, I want weaker low output pickups, like the Seth.
 
Re: A2P's or Slash Set ???

I have original slash set in my explorer, never been happier!! I play everything from blues to metal with it.
 
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