A4 vs. A5

[blueman335]

Re: A4 vs. A5

Pretty sure Fralin uses A4 in his buckers and Tonerider has an A4 set as well - so you could search for clips of those pups.

Yes, Fralin uses A4's in his PAF's and P-90's; he swears by them. On request he'll use other magnets.

 

[mariosyjp]

Re: A4 vs. A5

I know that all of you guys find the A4 to be less bright than A5 but somehow to my ears A5 are warmer and sweeter sounding than A4.

Maybe that the highest frequencies are stronger in an A5 but upper mids are much more present in A4 making them sound harsher and overall brighter to me.

I love A4 in the neck since A5 can be too bassy and too scooped in the neck.
Some very cool vintage tones can be accomplished with A4 in the bridge although they can be pretty harsh at the bridge.

 

[blueman335]

Re: A4 vs. A5

Every magnet has it's uses. Even though A5's are the most widely-used alnico, they have their share of drawbacks too, depending on the PU and guitar they're in, and the genres being played. I was a big A5 fan for years, but eventually got tired of the scooped mids and bassy low-end, and in some bridge PU's, there's just way too much treble (nothing sweet about that to my ears). I still use A5's, but mostly in the neck slot (but not in the neck of LP's). I don't use a lot of A4's, but they're a nice option for some situations. I use more UOA5's, A2's, and A3's these days as they have the more texture and dynamics.

 

[mariosyjp]

Re: A4 vs. A5

I use mostly A3 and A4 in the neck and A8, A5 and A4 in the bridge.

In every experiment with the bridge that I have made the A4 was always overall brighter and harsher than the A5.

Also I find it hard to balance the pickups when using A5 in the neck because bass will be very strong.

PS: I should clarify that my comments regarding the A4 vs A5 are based on vintage output pickups.
Hot bridge with A5 is too scooped to my ears, and too bright.
Also hot bridge with A4 is very even (eg duncan custom) not harsh at all.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: A4 vs. A5

In every experiment with the bridge that I have made the A4 was always overall brighter and harsher than the A5

Are you SURE you got the right mags and not mislabeled ones?

I can't think of any case where the A4 is "brighter and harsher" than an A5.

Color me baffled, puzzled and speechless. :scratchch

 

[mariosyjp]

Re: A4 vs. A5

Are you SURE you got the right mags and not mislabeled ones?

I can't think of any case where the A4 is "brighter and harsher" than an A5.

Color me baffled, puzzled and speechless. :scratchch

Not even when doing that on low output pickups?

To name a couple of examples in the bridge:

496r
57 classic

 

[LtKojak]

Re: A4 vs. A5

Not even when doing that on low output pickups?

To name a couple of examples in the bridge:

496r
57 classic

I actually OWN both these p'ups.

The 496R is an excellent PAFish bridge p'up, although a bit on the dark side. I have one right now with an UOA5 mag.

The '57 Classic works better as a neck p'up with an A3, setup farther from the strings than other neck p'ups. As a bridge p'up, *I* would only use it with an A8, as I don't find it voiced well for the bridge slot.

For the record, none of these ever sounded harsh or brittle.

HTH,

 

[mariosyjp]

Re: A4 vs. A5

I actually OWN both these p'ups.

The 496R is an excellent PAFish bridge p'up, although a bit on the dark side. I have one right now with an UOA5 mag.

The '57 Classic works better as a neck p'up with an A3, setup farther from the strings than other neck p'ups. As a bridge p'up, *I* would only use it with an A8, as I don't find it voiced well for the bridge slot.

For the record, none of these ever sounded harsh or brittle.

HTH,

It is an interesting point that the 57 classic is not voiced well for the bridge. Can you explain that further?

I have been using the 496r for the bridge with A5 and A4 and prefer the A5 as the A4 was harsher to my ears.

I also love the 57 classic neck with A3 and have used the bridge with A8 with good results. The 57 classic with A4 in the bridge was very biting and harsh, not useless but limited.

Have you tried either at the bridge with A4?

 

[Frogman]

Re: A4 vs. A5

Sorry to hijack, but:

There's a lot of talk about the '59N -- could y'all chime in on how an A3 compares to an A4 in this pickup?

 

[mariosyjp]

Re: A4 vs. A5

Sorry to hijack, but:

There's a lot of talk about the '59N -- could y'all chime in on how an A3 compares to an A4 in this pickup?

I haven't actually tried it on that pickup but from experience with other similar applications I think that the A3 would have sweeter highs (not less highs) and less bass. Also the A4 will be stronger.

 

[marcello252]

Re: A4 vs. A5

There's a lot of talk about the '59N -- could y'all chime in on how an A3 compares to an A4 in this pickup?

A3 has definitely less bass, it removes the boominess in almost every set I tried.

 

[blueman335]

Re: A4 vs. A5

A3 has definitely less bass, it removes the boominess in almost every set I tried.

+1. Less bass than an A5, but a lot more mids, and a softer high end (unlike an A5's sharp high end).