Re: Dilemma - Seth Lovers or Slash Alnico II Pro
I've just spent a little while tinkering with a few of mine to see what impressions I got of the different SD PAFs fitted in them at the moment. The main test candidates were:
Tokai LS116F - Slash set (59's fitted until 3 days back)
PRS SE Korina - WLH set
Cort Source - Seth set
They are quite different guitars construction wise, but I don't think that prevents making one or two observations about the tonal characteristics of the different pickups. The amp I used was my 5w Ampmakers SE5a and I just used whatever setting it was set to last time I used it (Using clockface equivalent: G=1:30, B=10, M=2:30, T=1, V=12). Given the nature of the amp, it was pretty much a clean setting, just capable of pushing through into breakup at bedroom levels, through a Hayden 2x12" cab. This was the same setting I had it on the last time I played the Tokai wiith the 59's in it. The impressions then...
Slash set: The sound is very smooth, and though I didn't have much play time on it with the 59's fitted, I'd say the swap has very much pushed the mids to the fore - the tone seems to have filled out more than anything. Once I'd adjusted the bridge pickup height on the low E side, my impression was that it Slash pups had no less bass than the 59's, but that the high end didn't seem quite as prominent, though they do seem to have a very nice glossy sheen to big chords in particular. I didn't think of them as being overly bright at all. Lastly the balance between neck and middle was very good - unlike the PG's I commented on last month, when they were in the now departed SG, the Slash set does play like a set.
WLH set: First off, the weight difference between the SE Korina and the Tokai is significant, with the former much like the SG in both bulk and weight. The overiding impression with the WLH set is aggression. They have a lot more bite to them and the mids are not as prominent those on the Tokai. That said, wouldn't describe them as being scooped. I'd say that, of the three, this was the best at pushing the amp into break-up, though it's also the one I've played most and am most relaxed with when playing - basically, I probably play it harder than I would the other two, as I don't need to think about where exactly things are so much. Again, the WLH set is well balanced between neck and bridge.
Seth set: Much brighter than the other two and pefectly the capable of sounding quite raw, but not with the amp settings I was using here tonight. It was the one guitar that wasn't really capable pushing the amp into break-up on the noted settings. In many ways the sound was quite thin, but the Cort is a 335 style semi, and perhaps should be expected to be some way tonally removed from the other two. I didn't play it for more than a couple of minutes, and I do know it's capable of giving up more of the goods than it did in this little test.
I've no idea whether that's useful or not to people, but feel free to ask questions.
