Alnico Pro II (APH-1) with a RCUO A5 swap???

MudTaco

MudTaco

New member
I have a Slash sig Gibson LP clone and was going to finally get the APH-2 set yesterday. I know the difference isn't huge, but I really do like how the APH-2s sound in comparison to the APH-1s. The APH-1s sound a bit too clean and polite to me and the APH-2s have a bit more rudeness and amp-pushing power in the upper mids. My goal isn't to try and sound exactly like Slash by any means, but I like what I've heard from those pups and they sure would go well in that guitar for obvious reasons.
Anyway, I was about to pull the trigger and order them last night, and something stopped me. The idea of getting a set of the APH-1s and doing a RCUO A5 swap. Has anybody tried this? My hope is that it would end up close to the APH-2s, but cost less and have a little more output. My fear is that the bass would end overpowering in a Les Paul. I hate muddy pickups, especially boomy neck pups. So, I am hesitant to try this without somebody saying it has been done before and how it came out.
Thoughts? Personal experience? I thank you in advance
 
the aph1 and sh2 have the same wind. if you put an a5 bar in the aph1 youll have a jazz, the rcuoa5 will put it some where in the middle between those two. a cool pup for sure but wont sound like the aph2
 
MudTaco said:
I have a Slash sig Gibson LP clone and was going to finally get the APH-2 set yesterday. I know the difference isn't huge, but I really do like how the APH-2s sound in comparison to the APH-1s. The APH-1s sound a bit too clean and polite to me and the APH-2s have a bit more rudeness and amp-pushing power in the upper mids. My goal isn't to try and sound exactly like Slash by any means, but I like what I've heard from those pups and they sure would go well in that guitar for obvious reasons.
Anyway, I was about to pull the trigger and order them last night, and something stopped me. The idea of getting a set of the APH-1s and doing a RCUO A5 swap. Has anybody tried this? My hope is that it would end up close to the APH-2s, but cost less and have a little more output. My fear is that the bass would end overpowering in a Les Paul. I hate muddy pickups, especially boomy neck pups. So, I am hesitant to try this without somebody saying it has been done before and how it came out.
Thoughts? Personal experience? I thank you in advance
Click to expand...

Did the slashbucker come in that Slash sign LP? I've played them and thought they were pretty good. Surprised more people didnt
 
If you want your Slash toanz to be the same then you should use his sig pickups.

An A5 magnet polished or UO will scoop those luscious mids right out.
 
Did mine come with Slash pickups? No, it is a clone. A nice clone, but not the real deal. It came with crap pups and pots.

Now I know that if I used a standard A5 it would be scooped. But I though if it was a rough cast un-oriented A5, that it would be rather balanced, in between an A2 and an A5.But I guess, not quite APH-2 sounding enough is the oucome right?
 
Slash toanz is all about polished A2.

Slash toanz does not use any A5.

Furthermore, the Slash set was specifically designed to capture the AFD Slash toanz from his Derrig Les Paul...mid and upper mid crispiness.
 
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Thank you for the suggestion. Those Tesla Sharks look pretty cool. From the couple videos I saw, they sound close enough, but having a tighter low end, they seem louder. I don't think they are higher output, just appear that way with more upper mids and highs shining through. I am guessing with the tone rolled back a bit, they'd sound really close. I am going to contact them and see what it costs to get them shipped here.

Anybody else have any suggestions on cheaper alternatives to the APH-2s, that sound pretty close?
I contacted Dimarzio about a wiring question on one their pups I have. When I did, I asked if they had anything close to the APH-2s and they said the 36th Anniversary. That is the same response to all three times I have asked a similar question about different pickups over the last five years. The 36th Ann. pickups can't be a close replacement for everything for crying out loud.
 
I don't think the UOA5 does anything better than the stock A2 in the APH-1. To me its just thinner and weaker.

What I recommend is an A4 for the APH-1 neck. Its only slightly brighter than A2. Quite similar to A2, just a bit more presence and less of the spongy mids.

PS: A4 magnet makes the APH-1 more similar to the Dimarzio 36th anni PAF. I like it better because the top end is a bit more crisp and clear, whereas the 36th is not.
 
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That's not a bad idea. How do you think the mids be affected if I put an A4 in an APH-1 neck?

Also, would putting an max charged A2 in an APH-1 bridge (assuming the one in it isn't already) make a noticeable difference?
 
I think RCUOA5 is worth a try in the A2P. I think you have the right idea. The A2P sounds kinda smooth while the Slash sounds like it has some upper mid grind to it. RCUOA5 would probably add a similar character.
 
I found a highly charged A2 in a Seth Lover neck. So I tried my stash of A2 charging higher, but they didn't hold the charge. Just my experiences.
 
MudTaco said:
That's not a bad idea. How do you think the mids be affected if I put an A4 in an APH-1 neck?

Also, would putting an max charged A2 in an APH-1 bridge (assuming the one in it isn't already) make a noticeable difference?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if the mids changed due to the swapping A4 into the APH-1 neck. In my case the A4 magnet produced better, clearer mids when I adjusted the height of the pickup closer to the strings and got more output as well. Using the stock A2 I felt the APH-1n had a thicker, low-mid emphasis if I raised it too much. YMMV though!

I also tried A4 magnet in the bridge pickup and I wasn't happy with it mainly because the extra brightness in the top end didn't suit me. Although I owned both APH-1 neck and bridge, I rarely used them as a set because I mix and match pickups all the time.
 
So, I am thinking either the IronGear Tesla Shark set or an APH-1 set with an A4 mag in the neck and a RCUO A5 mag in the bridge. Tough call, as everything I read last night about the IronGear pickups was all really positive about all their stuff including the Telsa Shark. I like that both sets would get me in the ballpark of an APH-2 set, but would be a bit different and a bit more aggressive in the upper mids than stock APH-1s. Plus the APH-2 set was going to blow my whole budget. These other options would save me enough coin to get a new set of pots.

I really appreciate all the comments here. I know I haven't responded to each one individually, but I have read and thought through them all. Thank you
Any last thoughts on which option I should go with and why?
 
UOA5 can work for the APH-1 bridge, but it will have less output . I would try the A4 neck with the stock A2 bridge. Then you can judge if its going in the direction you wanted or not. Maybe you would like the A4 in both neck and bridge.
 
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