Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

[Big_Mike]

I have been working on a Mahogany LP with a maple top, 500K pots, and am looking at purchasing either a set of Seth Lovers or a set of Slash Alnico II pros. I have not played through either set, and am looking for the differences in the two sets.

Generally, I am a mostly classic rock/blues player. I'd like to know the real sonic differences between these two sets. I've seen several youtube videos, but none with a side-by-side comparison.

 

[OsvyRock]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

What do you want to know?
The Slash Alnico II Pro is one hell of a great set! Very clear, vintage, precise, and everything.

What type of music are you looking forward to play? Do you prefer vintage sounds or like to play something a little more modern?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

The slash set is not really PAFish. It is like a mad scientists variation on a T top. More powerful, more lows, less midrange, less of a balanced EQ that a T top has. Very clear, super articulate with a single coil like attack. Handles high gain much better than typical PAF types.

Seths are warmer, more midrangey, especially low mids, with a little honkiness. Classic even wound PAF type tone. They are not as clear or articulate under higher gain settings as the Slash.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I describe the APH as "sharp", not as in smart but as in like a knife.

The Seths are warm and have a bit air airyness about them.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

uOpt says is perfectly. I love them both. Strangely a hybrid of these two is horrible but that's perhaps a testimony on how superb these pickups are on their own (but: I do love a seth/59 or a seth/pearly hybrid or a seth-B/screaming demon and/or a Seth-B/SH6n alnico8 hybrid).

 

[toneseeker74]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

uOpt says is perfectly. I love them both. Strangely a hybrid of these two is horrible but that's perhaps a testimony on how superb these pickups are on their own (but: I do love a seth/59 or a seth/pearly hybrid or a seth-B/screaming demon and/or a Seth-B/SH6n alnico8 hybrid).

Ooh! I'd love to try those hybrids. Alas, I'm not yet comfortable with coil swapping. Magnets yes, coils no. Well, not yet...

 

[Big_Mike]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I'm more of an 80s rock kind of guy, but do like the classic rock sound. The sound I have in my head is Bryan Adams' guitarist, great, articulate leads, with a good bridge for chord work. I'm not looking at something ultra-high gain.

 

[SFW]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

The Seth is very vintage sounding. It's that classic Les Paul tone. Think Bad Co. The Slash set is just a great all around lower output pickup. They have a really cool single coil type of attack that blooms into a humbucker finish. Almost P90ish. Between the two, I think the Slash set is more versatile. From clean to mean.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

This is not much of a dilemma.

The bottom line here is how do you like your highs?

For a super fat liquid high, you get A2P's
For a crisper more classic PAF sound, you get the Seths.

If the guitar is dark, maybe NOT a2p's. If it is really bright (not likely) maybe NOT Seths.

The real Dilema here is YOU don't know what you want. These are very different sounds. I can't tell you what you want. I love A2P's, PG's, and 59's, all for different reasons and different situations. And Seths are great too.

I'd get Seths for a guitar where I really wanted pure true vintage tone, played clean a lot, and wanted to hear the "wood" and A2P's where I wanted a classic but modern PAF style or fat vintage blues sound.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

Amp might drive my choice too. An amp that really colors the sound - don't waste the Seths on it. A2P's - fine.

 

[Big_Mike]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I'm thinking the Seth's may be the better choice. I like a crisper high. It also sounds like the Seth's may be a bit more versatile.

I guess if I don't like the Seth's, I can always swap them for a set of Alnico II pros.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I'm interested to find out how a Slash set compares with the 59 set in one if my LS116F's - I've got the pickups, I just need to fit them. I wanted to record the 59's in that guitar first but my music PC has gone belly up, so I may have to forgo that in the interests of forward progress.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I'm thinking the Seth's may be the better choice. I like a crisper high. It also sounds like the Seth's may be a bit more versatile.



I guess if I don't like the Seth's, I can always swap them for a set of Alnico II pros.

The Slash set is def not the same as a regular AP2. It has crisper more cutiing highs than a seth or standard a2pro. The seth is very round compared to a Slash which is very crisp due to the coils and spn wire. The standard a2ps are warmer and smoother than the slash set, especially the neck.

The slash set does alot of things you would never think any A2 pickup would do. It is super tight/tracks like a5, .articulate, crisp, ballsy, and very different from a seth or Burstbucker1/2/3 or 57 classic or PG or whatever alnico 2 PAF type. I think its whatever they have done to the coils, as modern gibsons use dyed spn wire too. But that certainly contributes to its tightness under gain,and sharp high end.

 

[Big_Mike]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

The Slash set is def not the same as a regular AP2. It has crisper more cutiing highs than a seth or standard a2pro. The seth is very round compared to a Slash which is very crisp due to the coils and spn wire. The standard a2ps are warmer and smoother than the slash set, especially the neck.

The slash set does alot of things you would never think any A2 pickup would do. It is super tight/tracks like a5, .articulate, crisp, ballsy, and very different from a seth or Burstbucker1/2/3 or 57 classic or PG or whatever alnico 2 PAF type. I think its whatever they have done to the coils, as modern gibsons use dyed spn wire too. But that certainly contributes to its tightness under gain,and sharp high end.

Thanks for the clarification. I'd like to try one of the Slash sets and do a side-by-side comparison. So many pickups, not enough money!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

IS there a Slash Set vs A2P vid out there?

 

[SFW]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

Another option would be the Pearly Gates. It sorta splits the difference between the Slash set and the Seth set.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

The true strength of the aph1 bridge is the 1st fret F chord.

Few people play full chords, even dropping the third, while under gain. With the aph1 in the bridge you can pull this off. Sounds like wall of sound. If you ever attended an Alice Cooper show with Keri Kelli you know what I mean.

Is the slash really different enough that I need to track one down for testing?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I'm thinking the Seth's may be the better choice. I like a crisper high. It also sounds like the Seth's may be a bit more versatile.

I guess if I don't like the Seth's, I can always swap them for a set of Alnico II pros.

I've never heard of anyone not liking Seth's. They're great PU's.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

Another option would be the Pearly Gates. It sorta splits the difference between the Slash set and the Seth set.

I don't see that at all. PGB's are much brighter than the bridges of Seth's and A2P's, and PGN's are warmer then the necks of those two. There's a lot of contrast in EQ between a PGN and a PGB. I think Seth's and A2P's balance together much better with the bridges and necks.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro

I don't see that at all. PGB's are much brighter than the bridges of Seth's and A2P's, and PGN's are warmer then the necks of those two. There's a lot of contrast in EQ between a PGN and a PGB. I think Seth's and A2P's balance together much better with the bridges and necks.

Once again, we are talking about the SLASH set...APH2, not the regular old APH1.

I recently took the Slash bridge out of my EPI335 and put it in my Gibson 335. I did not like the Slash in the gibby and replaced it with a PGb. The amount of high end is nearly the same. The PGb is just rounder sounding ....crying high strings,.whereas the SlashB is more like a slice (pe vs. Spn). The PGb also has that characteristic sizzle...and thick gutteral mids (especiallylow mids). But as far as treble or brightness, the difference is very small.

So..yeah...the PGb would be a good inbetween from Seth to Slash.