Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
- Thread starter Kiwi
- Start date
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
Try the mag swap. Order from Wymore guitars...$5.00. I was very aprehensive with the first mag swap that I did, but it was VERY simple and now I'm doing it all the time with most of my guitars. Fun, Easy, quick, cheap, great results.
Don't worry about the wax potting, but if you feel you really need to do it, it is as simple as turning on a hair drier.
One big caution, however. Once you see how easy and effective it is, you will become a mag swapping junkie.
Try the mag swap. Order from Wymore guitars...$5.00. I was very aprehensive with the first mag swap that I did, but it was VERY simple and now I'm doing it all the time with most of my guitars. Fun, Easy, quick, cheap, great results.
Don't worry about the wax potting, but if you feel you really need to do it, it is as simple as turning on a hair drier.
One big caution, however. Once you see how easy and effective it is, you will become a mag swapping junkie.
Kiwi
New member
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
Oh dang, lots of replies here over the last couple of hours. You guys are making these hard decisions even harder :friday:
I'm not really a huge fan of too much presence, and what kind of boggles my mind is that I'm at least half-sure that I somewhere read an interview with Angus, in which he said that he also isn't one who uses presence a whole lot on the amp and that he rather turns it down a bit. If the PG has more presence, wouldn't that be kind of contradictive? Oh well...
And also, isn't the 490T an Alnico V pickup? I'm pretty sure that I've seen just that in a couple of places.
Lastly, the resale value of my pickups doesn't really worry me, I'd rather have a big collection of pickups that work for me rather than selling them off and constantly having to buy new ones to strive for a good tone.
Oh dang, lots of replies here over the last couple of hours. You guys are making these hard decisions even harder :friday:
I'm not really a huge fan of too much presence, and what kind of boggles my mind is that I'm at least half-sure that I somewhere read an interview with Angus, in which he said that he also isn't one who uses presence a whole lot on the amp and that he rather turns it down a bit. If the PG has more presence, wouldn't that be kind of contradictive? Oh well...
And also, isn't the 490T an Alnico V pickup? I'm pretty sure that I've seen just that in a couple of places.
Lastly, the resale value of my pickups doesn't really worry me, I'd rather have a big collection of pickups that work for me rather than selling them off and constantly having to buy new ones to strive for a good tone.
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
490R/490T are A2 mags.
If you have a good sound system, the clips on the Duncan site are very representative of what the PAFs sound like compared to each other; you can hear that extra edge the PG has. You won't hear it well on cheap computer speakers, though.
490R/490T are A2 mags.
If you have a good sound system, the clips on the Duncan site are very representative of what the PAFs sound like compared to each other; you can hear that extra edge the PG has. You won't hear it well on cheap computer speakers, though.
Kiwi
New member
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
It's always something... just tried ordering an Alnico 2 magnet from Wymore Guitars, and when checking out, the site told me that my credit card couldn't be drawn at the moment, so I waited and tried once more. Still no go, but when I checked my balance, the exact ordering ammount times two had dissapeared.
Sent an email to customer support, hope they'll fix it for me and help me get a real order placed.
It's always something... just tried ordering an Alnico 2 magnet from Wymore Guitars, and when checking out, the site told me that my credit card couldn't be drawn at the moment, so I waited and tried once more. Still no go, but when I checked my balance, the exact ordering ammount times two had dissapeared.
Sent an email to customer support, hope they'll fix it for me and help me get a real order placed.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
+1. Saved me a ton of money. We owe it to our fellow players to get the word out. How many times does a guy buy a PU, not like it, and then decide he doesn't like that brand, when maybe it's really the magnet he didn't like. Don't give up on a HB or P-90 until you've tried a mag swap or two & seen what that PU really has to offer. Swapping magnets is how you tailor a PU to match you guitar's wood.
+1. Saved me a ton of money. We owe it to our fellow players to get the word out. How many times does a guy buy a PU, not like it, and then decide he doesn't like that brand, when maybe it's really the magnet he didn't like. Don't give up on a HB or P-90 until you've tried a mag swap or two & seen what that PU really has to offer. Swapping magnets is how you tailor a PU to match you guitar's wood.
Kiwi
New member
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
Well, it's been a couple of days and I thought I'd fill those of you interested in on how it went.
John Wymore was of great help and we figured out how to get the money back, but somehow the store still wouldn't take my credit card. Oh well, I thought to myself, I'll just try another place. What soon dawned on me was that virutally no stores carry pickup magnets, but then I got a great idea. See, I still had my old 490T-Gibson bridge humbucker in a drawer, and after reading (both here and in other places) that it in fact did have an Alnico II-magnet, I decided to swap the Alnico V in the Angus p/u for this one.
It took some time to get it all right, but after fiddling with it for a while I managed to get everything up and running. Afterwards I must say that it seemed harder than it really was, and I bet I could do it faster if I were to do it again.
The result? Well, I can't say for sure after such a short period of time, but I think that it has indeed become a bit rounded tone-wise. Lows sound pretty much the same, mids are higher and treble is slightly less icepick-ish. I need to give it a proper try in the rehearsal amp as well, as my amp is slightly limited when it comes to EQ. But as of now, I'm very well pleased with the result and somewhat relieved that it even works and isn't out of phase.
So thanks for all the help guys, I'll be back in case the "honeymoon period" ends and it doesn't work out, it does however sound better to my ears right now.
Well, it's been a couple of days and I thought I'd fill those of you interested in on how it went.
John Wymore was of great help and we figured out how to get the money back, but somehow the store still wouldn't take my credit card. Oh well, I thought to myself, I'll just try another place. What soon dawned on me was that virutally no stores carry pickup magnets, but then I got a great idea. See, I still had my old 490T-Gibson bridge humbucker in a drawer, and after reading (both here and in other places) that it in fact did have an Alnico II-magnet, I decided to swap the Alnico V in the Angus p/u for this one.
It took some time to get it all right, but after fiddling with it for a while I managed to get everything up and running. Afterwards I must say that it seemed harder than it really was, and I bet I could do it faster if I were to do it again.
The result? Well, I can't say for sure after such a short period of time, but I think that it has indeed become a bit rounded tone-wise. Lows sound pretty much the same, mids are higher and treble is slightly less icepick-ish. I need to give it a proper try in the rehearsal amp as well, as my amp is slightly limited when it comes to EQ. But as of now, I'm very well pleased with the result and somewhat relieved that it even works and isn't out of phase.
So thanks for all the help guys, I'll be back in case the "honeymoon period" ends and it doesn't work out, it does however sound better to my ears right now.
WoodyTone
New member
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
Sounds like the op worked it out. Just wanted to say that Ace's description above is dead on IMO.
Sounds like the op worked it out. Just wanted to say that Ace's description above is dead on IMO.
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
Having read only the original post:
the PG really fills out the low-mids and some bass. That is why it develops a IMHO weird low-mid push in the neck of a Les Paul. But this is why I like it so much in a tremolo block guitar, it fills out what the block killed.
I have no doubt that the PG bridge is, precisely, the pickup you need for that SG's bridge position.
And sell me the Angus pickup. Or is that just an overwound 490T?
Having read only the original post:
the PG really fills out the low-mids and some bass. That is why it develops a IMHO weird low-mid push in the neck of a Les Paul. But this is why I like it so much in a tremolo block guitar, it fills out what the block killed.
I have no doubt that the PG bridge is, precisely, the pickup you need for that SG's bridge position.
And sell me the Angus pickup. Or is that just an overwound 490T?
Kiwi
New member
Re: Icepick brightness - PG or Alnico Pro II?
Well, if I had swapped the pickup I might have sold it to you, but as you can see in my last post I swapped the Alnico V magnet for an Alnico II, and it turned out a lot better than I thought.
Thanks again for the help guys.
Well, if I had swapped the pickup I might have sold it to you, but as you can see in my last post I swapped the Alnico V magnet for an Alnico II, and it turned out a lot better than I thought.
Thanks again for the help guys.
