Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

[T-Bone-BBQ]

I have an Alnico II Pro pickup in the bridge of one of my Yamaha Pacifica guitars. I recently replaced the stock pots with a 500k bourns volume pot (w/treble bleed) and replaced the stock 250k tone pot with a 250k Bourns w/the greasebucket tone circuit. I had thought that although the tone of the AP2 was good that it was a little too "vintage" for me in terms of output, so I made plans to change it out. I bought a used PATB-3 for a great price for just this reason. I decided to give the AP2 a go at a recent gig I played, so I played the guitar for the second set. I was floored at how amazing it really sounded (at least on stage) and just how much oomph it really did have.

Now my dilemma is this...do I go ahead and swap them out? I've seen a few demos of the PATB-3 on YouTube and they sound great. I just wonder if anyone has had both pickups to give me a sense of what the tonal differences are. I know the PATB-3 is higher output, but I'm more about the tone...the AP2 really shocked me in a good way this past weekend. Even if I decide to swap them out I'm not selling that pickup now...I'll put it in something else.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

You have both pickups already.

Nobody elses opinion is going to be relevant, nor really tell you what the difference really is.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

im an a2 junkie so i put a2 in my patb3 and it sounds wonderful but if the aph is working for ya, why fix it

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

im an a2 junkie so i put a2 in my patb3 and it sounds wonderful but if the aph is working for ya, why fix it

That's kinda what I'm starting to think. I wish it was a trembucker, but the poles line up pretty well already. Now I gotta figure out what guitar to put the PATB-3 in if I leave the AP2 alone. Lol...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

They are both good, but a little different. I think it is worth the experiment to switch the pickup out on the next string change (for a week or 2) so you notice how it sounds in your guitar. This will also help decide what guitar you want to put the remaining pickup in.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

They are both good, but a little different. I think it is worth the experiment to switch the pickup out on the next string change (for a week or 2) so you notice how it sounds in your guitar. This will also help decide what guitar you want to put the remaining pickup in.

Well I'm actually thinking if I like the PATB-3 I could team up the AP2 with a Custom 5 I have to go in a Zach Myers PRS SE. Put the AP2 in the neck and the Custom 5 in the bridge? Think that would work well together?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

That would be a good pairing for my tastes. Try it, you may like it.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

That would be a good pairing for my tastes. Try it, you may like it.

You talking about the Custom 5 and APH-1b? I think it could work out good.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

im an a2 junkie so i put a2 in my patb3 and it sounds wonderful but if the aph is working for ya, why fix it

+1. I love A2 and I love my APH1s.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

If the A2P works in that guitar, I say leave it! I love the PATB-3, but don't mess with the magic if it inspires you

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

Not saying I'll replace it, just wondering what the tonal differences between the two are. The tone charts only tell so much.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

have you played the patb3 before? its definitely a little different than a typical paf type pup. the attack is a little different, sustain is a little better, some how it seems smooth but with clarity

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

have you played the patb3 before? its definitely a little different than a typical paf type pup. the attack is a little different, sustain is a little better, some how it seems smooth but with clarity

I just got it last week and haven't installed it in a guitar yet. Seen a few demo videos and it sounds great, so I bought one used in very good shape with the idea of putting it in this guitar. I think I still will put it in this guitar possibly this weekend since I want to change out the other pickups also and I'll go from there. Thanks for the info on the description of the pickup.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

Well I put the PATB-3 in my guitar and tho it kinda lines up odd it seems to work fine. I'm not sure that I like it as much as the AP2, but we'll see. I'll try it for a couple weeks and see how it does. If I end up not liking it then I'll put the AP2 back in.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

This is the beauty of owning both. It is worth a few weeks to test out. Make a few recordings with this one, so you can compare to the other pickup too- it is easier to hear the differences when you aren't playing and you hear them side-by-side.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

Yeah, I'll give it a shot, but I keep thinking about how good that AP2 sounded, so it's really gotta wow me to keep me from putting that AP2 back in. Lol...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

Like I said, I'm an a2 junkie so I ended up putting an a2 in my patb3 and it's great. Different than the aph but has that mid push that I crave

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

So... what do you think? How do they compare?

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

So... what do you think? How do they compare?

Haven't had a big chance to check out the PATB, but I can tell it's a little hotter, but also the highs are more pronounced. I have not been able to try it with my amp turned up much at all, so it's hard to make a good comparison. It certainly doesn't sound bad, but I don't know yet if I like it better than the AP2...too soon to say.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Alnico II Pro vs. PATB-3 in terms of tone

the highs are the reason i almost always swap to a2 magnets, the warm highs and big mids just suit me