ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

[Nostalgic Distortion]

I happened upon a SH-PG/SH-PGN set for cheap this afternoon & I grabbed them up but since I've already got a set in one of my guitars, I thought I might try some different magnets in these to spice them up.

I'm particularly interested in anyone's experience with A4's or A3's in the P.G. neck & bridge since that's what I've got on hand. I have some A5's as well but I already know what a Pearly Gates Plus sounds like...

It seems to me that the A3's would make a pretty bright pup but what I think the result will be and the end result are often two very different things in these scenarios? Any info you guys have would be fantastic!!!

 

[Demanic]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

If anything, I would start with an A3 in the neck, with the A4 in the bridge.

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[AlexR]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

The A3 isn't bright as such. An A5 or A4 has more treble, but both the A3 and A4 balance the mids with the treble in their eq nature. What gets most people with A3 is that you have a slightly narrower range of adjustment as its strength makes for it needing to be closer to the strings.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

I put A4 in a set of Custom Shop Pearly Gates.

I liked the change, but not better than the way they originally sounded so after a few weeks I returned them to stock.

I found that the A4 gave the pickups a unique tone but not a tone that could be my everyday tone.

I could see having A4 in a guitar that I didn't play everyday, because it's a cool tone. But not in my favorite guitar.

But I did like it...it just was quite different than the tone I hear in my head and not really a sound that was as much fun to play with as the stock tone.

A little too articulate. The notes didn't blend together as much as with the roughcast A2 the pickups came with.

 

[blueman335]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

To my ears PG's have a significant EQ difference between bridge & neck (warm full neck, bright thin bridge) that has confounded me. For the neck, I'd want more treble, and an UOA5 would give a little more of that and still keep the rich A2 texture. An A4 would give more high end, but having a more or less flat EQ, you wouldn't have those big mids and you'd also lose the texture. A3's are bright in a rounded high-end sort of way (not sharp like an A5), with a good dose of mids, and not a lot of bass. All of these magnets are unoriented.

For the bridge, I'd want more body & output. Although I never tried an A8 in PGB, I probably would if I hadn't of sold my PG set.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

I happened upon a SH-PG/SH-PGN set for cheap this afternoon & I grabbed them up but since I've already got a set in one of my guitars, I thought I might try some different magnets in these to spice them up.

I'm particularly interested in anyone's experience with A4's or A3's in the P.G. neck & bridge since that's what I've got on hand. I have some A5's as well but I already know what a Pearly Gates Plus sounds like...

It seems to me that the A3's would make a pretty bright pup but what I think the result will be and the end result are often two very different things in these scenarios? Any info you guys have would be fantastic!!!

The biggest difference in tone between a PGn and a Sethn is that the Seth's NOT POTTED. The A3PGn will sound like a tighter and slightly clearer version of itself.

Putting an A4 on both will make'em louder and more even in frequency response. It'll work ok only if the instrument's acoustic properties are up-to-par. It'll enhance both the beauty and the uglyness equally.

HTH,

 

[LtKojak]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

To my ears PG's have a significant EQ difference between bridge & neck (warm full neck, bright thin bridge)

You could remedy that by using an A6 in the bridge. Pretty underrated and poorly understood as a p'up magnet.

The Duncan Lipstick use it, and it's the perfect mag for that application. You're in for a treat.

 

[blueman335]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

I have a couple A6's somewhere. Definitely warm. Got them from Zhang a few years ago.

Do you have any A1's?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

I have a couple A6's somewhere. Definitely warm. Got them from Zhang a few years ago.

Do you have any A1's?

There are actually none, and they've never existed A1 mag bars for p'ups. Not even nowadays foundries have the recipe for A1.

And yes, I HAVE asked!

 

[Demanic]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

What are A6's supposed to be like?

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[LtKojak]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

What are A6's supposed to be like?

In a nutshell, a high-power A2.

 

[blueman335]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

In a nutshell, a high-power A2.

Does that mean similar metals, but oriented?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

Does that mean similar metals, but oriented?

Yep. It's KINDA an oriented A2. It's the least tight of all oriented mags.

 

[Demanic]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

Yep. It's KINDA an oriented A2. It's the least tight of all oriented mags.

How does it compare to an UOA5?

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[LtKojak]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

How does it compare to an UOA5?

Just like it compares with an A2... just louder!

 

[Demanic]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

K

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[Kais]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

Just like it compares with an A2... just louder!

which magnet has the best bass response and a healthy mid section? a8?

 

[blueman335]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

which magnet has the best bass response and a healthy mid section? a8?

I'd say A8, but that also includes a warm high end and high output, which everyone isn't necessarily thrilled with.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???

I haven't heard of the A6 before, but it sounds like a great choice for replacing some of my A2s which are too soft sounding and need a bit of a pick-me-up without going all the way to any A5 mag.

 

[Mpcoluv]

Re: ALNICO 4 Pearly Gates, Has Anyone Try It???


You could remedy that by using an A6 in the bridge. Pretty underrated and poorly understood as a p'up magnet.

The Duncan Lipstick use it, and it's the perfect mag for that application. You're in for a treat.

sorry to necro this thread, but should the A6 magnet be polished or rough cast?