gimmieinfo
Active member
In a paf style humbucker, with "all else being equal", would you say A3 is going to be more dynamic and have a wider range of clean to dirty using the volume knob? (using treble beed)
A3 vs A2
- Thread starter gimmieinfo
- Start date
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
A3 has a touch less bass and a touch more treble than an A2. They are extremely close.
If you held me at gun point and asked me to blindly pick which of two otherwise equal pickups was an A2 and which was an A3, there would be a 50/50 chance you would shoot me.
If you held me at gun point and asked me to blindly pick which of two otherwise equal pickups was an A2 and which was an A3, there would be a 50/50 chance you would shoot me.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
IME the EQ profile resulting from either magnet are very different. A3 is the lowest output of any alnico I've played. Clean to dirty with the volume knob is all relative. If I have hotter pickups, roll back the gain on the amp input, I can get the same range of clean to dirty with any pickup, even with an original Seymour-wound JB.
freefrog
Well-known member
"Short" answer: to me, it would depend on heigth settings under the strings in this case. A pickup with A2 set low enough to give similar Gauss readings from the strings should behave not too far from the same pickup set higher and with an A3 (minus the small differences due to a wee bit more iron / more inductance / more eddy currents with A3).
Side notes - I won't repeat my stance about the variability of discrete magnets including those of a "same" alloy, since I'm not even sure that such posts are read.
I'd still wonder to which extent we can generalize on this topic. When Throbak defines A2 as "mid scooped" while Seymour finds in it a "warm, sweet full tone", the explanation is not necessarily that one winder is wrong and the other right. ;-)
Anyway.
Below is a comparison involving various alloys including A2 and A3 among others, FWIW (the contributor talks about "AlNiCo 3" while there's no cobalt in A3 but beside this indifferent error, I find his test instructive regarding what magnets really do: when we talk a long time about them, it emphasizes their properties in a way not necessarily indicative of how tone actually changes or not).
EDIT - A few months ago, I had shared a chart showing what was objectively going on, EQ wise, with A3 vs A2 and A3 vs A5 in a same neck pickup, played direct to the board. I paste the related screenshot below. Left column stacks the frequencies and shows the output level with single notes. Right column does the same with chords from unfretted strings to 12th fret.
These results were predictible since they matched the variations of Gauss levels + inductivity measured on the pickup with the magnets involved.
Side notes - I won't repeat my stance about the variability of discrete magnets including those of a "same" alloy, since I'm not even sure that such posts are read.
I'd still wonder to which extent we can generalize on this topic. When Throbak defines A2 as "mid scooped" while Seymour finds in it a "warm, sweet full tone", the explanation is not necessarily that one winder is wrong and the other right. ;-)
Anyway.
Below is a comparison involving various alloys including A2 and A3 among others, FWIW (the contributor talks about "AlNiCo 3" while there's no cobalt in A3 but beside this indifferent error, I find his test instructive regarding what magnets really do: when we talk a long time about them, it emphasizes their properties in a way not necessarily indicative of how tone actually changes or not).
EDIT - A few months ago, I had shared a chart showing what was objectively going on, EQ wise, with A3 vs A2 and A3 vs A5 in a same neck pickup, played direct to the board. I paste the related screenshot below. Left column stacks the frequencies and shows the output level with single notes. Right column does the same with chords from unfretted strings to 12th fret.
These results were predictible since they matched the variations of Gauss levels + inductivity measured on the pickup with the magnets involved.
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I'm quite partial to A3 over A2, particularly in the neck position.
I agree with the prior sentiment that it lessens the bass and increases the treble a bit, which to my ears, evens the response across the board (this might be what you mean by a "wider range?"). I also think there's a little bit less sag with an A3, so the feel is different as well (whether you perceive this as "more dynamic" or not will depend on you).
If you're someone who has used a lot of A2 mags, and you don't need extra compression / output but do what additional clarity, I'd definitely give A3 a try
I agree with the prior sentiment that it lessens the bass and increases the treble a bit, which to my ears, evens the response across the board (this might be what you mean by a "wider range?"). I also think there's a little bit less sag with an A3, so the feel is different as well (whether you perceive this as "more dynamic" or not will depend on you).
If you're someone who has used a lot of A2 mags, and you don't need extra compression / output but do what additional clarity, I'd definitely give A3 a try
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