Alnico IV and Alnico VIII in BurstBuckets

B

BadAspen

New member
I've got a set of Burstbuckers, I don't remember if they are 1 and 2 or 2 and 3, but the bridge sounds thin and scratchy and the neck sounds like it's in another room. I've heard Alnico IV and VIII are pretty popular in PAFs. AIII as well, but I don't think that will help my problem much. I'm assuming I should put the IV in the neck (I think I've overheard medical professionals saying this same thing) but what is the difference between IV and VIII in the bridge and which will best help me. Also I have covers on the pickups if that makes any difference
 
Yeah, they work fine. I think it's mostly just the angle of the strings on a Les Paul make it impossible for me to get the neck pickup in a good spot. If I raise it close enough to the strings to sound good in the open position, it's too close to the strings when I fret higher up. The bridge I think just sounds thin.
 
A8 will give bigger bottom, a stiffer feel with a more modern attack character, and noticeably higher output.

I generally like A4 in neck humbuckers. It's sparkly and dry when clean, yet gain changes that personality quite a bit.
The chime subsides, the mids come alive and it delivers a nice singing lead voice.
Stays pretty focused though, does not seem to loosen up the way A2 can.

As always, it's not just the pickups, it's how they combine with a particular guitar's individual character.
One of my LPs is very bright-voiced and the stock BB2 sounded not just scratchy but really harsh and unmusical in that guitar.

An A8 swap could work for you. You might also consider A6 which is darker overall, with a bit less immediacy on the attack.
To me, A8 feels almost like ceramic, only with smoother highs. It's quite powerful, a good choice for hard rock.
A6 feels more like a darker A5 to me - it has the familiar alnico bounciness. And IMO its dynamic response is a little more nuanced.

You'll have to remove the covers to do a mag swap, of course. You can always reattach them if you're satisfied with the change.
I strongly suggest auditioning the pickups in the guitar before putting the covers back on.
Especially in a bridge hum, the result isn't always what's expected. You can't really know for sure until you've tried it.
 
I've heard the BB Pros (Burstbuckers with A5s) Are pretty similar to 59s, which I've also heard work very well with Alnico IV?

I'm a little bit stuck. The problem with the neck is way too dark, and the bridge doesn't have enough bass. Will Alnico IV even fix this?
 
BadAspen said:
Can you do all this without removing the strings?
Click to expand...

you need to remove the pups from the guitar, and remove the covers if they have them. if you have enough slack in the wiring, you can leave them wired up, but ive never tried to do a mag swap with the strings on
 
BadAspen said:
I've heard the BB Pros (Burstbuckers with A5s) Are pretty similar to 59s, which I've also heard work very well with Alnico IV?

I'm a little bit stuck. The problem with the neck is way too dark, and the bridge doesn't have enough bass. Will Alnico IV even fix this?
Click to expand...
The BB Pros are brighter and thinner than the '59s, but yeah. Along the lines.

No, Alnico IV will not are more bass to the bridge, nor will it add more high-end to the neck.
 
Actually, now that I think of it, I also have a set of Pearly Gates neck and 59/Custom bridge sitting around. I'll probably save the 59/C for something else, but am I better off putting an A4 in the Pearly Gates neck or the Burstbucker 4 neck?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top