Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

[Chistopher]

I've got a stratocaster with a Pearly Gates in the neck and a 59/custom hybrid in the bridge. The bridge is a bit far in eq from the neck so whenever I eq one of them the other sounds bad. It worked when I had dedicated tone controls (I would eq the neck then roll the tone down on the bridge) but now I have a master tone control. I assume swapping out an A2 in the bridge would close the eq gap. Does anyone have any experience with an A2 59/C? The PG and Custom Custom combo is very popular, and an A2 59/C is only one coil away from a CC.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

id assume the a2 in the bridge would get you where you want to be. i find mixing a2 neck and a5 bridge makes it hard to eq things to my liking

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Yeah, like I said, it was fine when I had two tone controls. I switched to master tone because of the location of that pesky volume knob. That's the one thing I can't stand on a strat. It's always in the way.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Can anyone speculate on how it would sound with an A3 or A4?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

I've got a stratocaster with a Pearly Gates in the neck and a 59/custom hybrid in the bridge. I assume swapping out an A2 in the bridge would close the eq gap. Does anyone have any experience with an A2 59/C?

I'd use an A3 in the PG with the A2-modded '59/Custom Hybrid FTW.

While I waited for the "HyBro" neck p'up to arrive, I've used an A3-modded '59n to see how it went with the '59/Custom Hybrid. I first used an UOA5 with it, but later I decided the A2 was a better tonal match, specially the "both-on" setting. BB King tone for weeks and then some.

HTH,

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

How big of a difference does it make, the A3? It makes me nervous changing magnets.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

How big of a difference does it make, the A3? It makes me nervous changing magnets.

It's easier to just try and hear it for yourself than trying to explain it with words.

Why does it make you nervous? Any primate worthy of having opposable thumbs can do it, it takes just a few minutes, plus there are dozens of instructional videos about this on You Tube.

It's because you think that maybe you don't belong to the category?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

I can change magnets just fine, its just that my hand slipped once and I broke one (a squier humbucker, nothing to worry about) and I've always been nervous since. It was a 1 out of 100 mistake, but still.
I did manage to make it work as a single coil though, had to put an a8 in to stop it from sounding thin.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

If you do this, I'd be interested to know how it sounds.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Just to report back on my magnet swap, the A2 has been swapped in and it has totally solved the issue. It closed the EQ gap and made it so that I don't have to fiddle around with the tone controls whenever I switch between pickups. I think it should be made production actually, I like it a lot better. The one issue with that is that there are already enough pickups in the custom family.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

It's funny different strokes different folks, I have APH1 (A2) one guitar, A5 in another in positions (oil city brass knuckle HBs in an HSH strat) and A2 neck plus A5 bridge (490r plus 498t) in a Flying V and I love thebtinal difference in the V I love the extremes of bright bridge and warm neck and when both on together it's a marriage made in heaven to my ears !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Just to report back on my magnet swap, the A2 has been swapped in and it has totally solved the issue. It closed the EQ gap and made it so that I don't have to fiddle around with the tone controls whenever I switch between pickups. I think it should be made production actually, I like it a lot better. The one issue with that is that there are already enough pickups in the custom family.

I am a big fan of A2 in both slots too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

I have had good experiences with the A2 neck, A5 bridge combos before, but the 59/C is bright as it is, and the contrast between the two positions was just too much. Plus it feels cool having a Custom Custom Custom Custom Custom I think it would be, if you called the Custom-5 the Custom Custom Custom

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

During a performance, I always have the tone control turned down a bit on my bridge pickup so I can dial in that Clapton Woman Tone thing.

But I rarely, if ever, need to reduce the treble during performance on my neck pickup.

My PRS guitars all have only a master volume and tone control. (So do my Strats...)

So what works well for me is to attach the tone control to the bridge pickup lead where it connects to the three way switch.

So I have no tone control when the neck pickup is used alone, which is fine, because I never used it anyway.

But I can preset the tone control for when I switch to the bridge pickup so that it's already set to that sweet spot.

Works for me.

It also would allow me to dial in a tone from an A5 bridge pickup that would sound good with the warmer tone of an A2 neck pickup.

I've only had one guitar set up that way (A2 neck and A5 bridge) but with the tone control only on the bridge pickup it worked out well.

Generally, I like both humbuckers to be the same: either both A2 or both A5.

I'm not a fan of A3 at all. Too weak.

And A4 I like as a change of pace but it could never be in my only guitar.

For me, A4 has too much note separation. I like the notes to blend together a little more than A4 seems to allow. It's a little too edgy of a tone for me to want to hear everytime I pick up my guitar - but I do like it as a change of pace.

I've been experimenting most recently with A4 magnets in a set of Custom Shop Pearly Gates pickups.

It's a cool sound. But I'm going to return them to stock, which is Roughcast A2.

The regular Pearly Gates uses Polished A2 and has a clearer sound, IMO.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

I have considered removing the tone control on the neck, but the guitar currently has a five way switch and removing the tone for just one position would be kind of odd in this particular situation. That's how I have my Flying V wired and it works pretty well.
Edit: I thought the custom shop pearly gates was A5. Or is t one of the ones that gives you options for several magnets?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Oh, just a side question for Lt. Kojak, what actually is your HyBro pickup? I've heard your test files and they are great, but what is it specifically? I saw your forum, but couldn't find the end result.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Oh, just a side question for Lt. Kojak, what actually is your HyBro pickup? I've heard your test files and they are great, but what is it specifically? I saw your forum, but couldn't find the end result.

If you mean the one I got from MJ, it has a polished A5. I'm not allowed to discuss bobbin specs.

I didn't like it. Way too fat and too little articulation for a neck p'up. Also, tone-wise was NOT a match for the '59/Custom Hybrid, which it was the reason of making that p'up in the first place.

I struggled a lot with the setup, being forced to set it quite a bit far away from the strings and VERY slanted, just to be able to record those tracks.

It should've been more tracks recorded with gain, but the Forum Bro that volunteered to do the task had a family problem, so it couldn't be done in time for the deadline, so I've published what I had.

I've tried making several hybrids with different coils, and the candidates were one with a Jazz neck screw coil and a Seth Lover slug coil, or the other using a Screaming Demon Screw coil with a '59 neck slug coil.

I didn't have one at my disposal, but a third candidate could've been a Distortion neck screw coil and a '59 neck slug coil. But I don't have any actual experience with the latter.

HTH,

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Taking into account your description, have you considered trying it in the bridge?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

Taking into account your description, have you considered trying it in the bridge?

Again, it's a HYBRID, so a coil is more dominant than the other.

The mismatch is designed to work in the NECK position. To get a HYBRID to work in the bridge position, it's got to be designed differently. So, I just know it's not going to work, because I've made hybrids the wrong way when I didn't know any better. That's why I know. I learned the hard way!

HTH,

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Alnico II in 59/Custom Hybrid?

I've spent plenty of time trying to salvage "bad" pickups that I thought didn't work and usually my strategy for a neck pickup like you described is to either put them in parallel or try them in the bridge, so I thought that might work. But I've never had the opportunity to try that with dual resonance or hybrid pickups, so I was just making guesses.