Mag swap

[Bill Dennis]

I have tried a Custom and a 59 now in the bridge slot of my Ibanez RG421 ash hardtail. The treble cap setup didn't work for me. Highs were very spikey. Removing that helped a great deal but the ash / maple is rather bright combo. Ordered some sand cast A2's from rewind pickups. I think that will pull back the top and bottom and balance the sound better.

I have played a custom custom but I am wondering about an A2 59. Is that something close to a PG?

I also bought some 1/2" Allen head screws to replace the fillister head screws. It sounds like the shorter Allen heads will add back some top end. I want to try that in the neck slots.

What's your experience with such changes? Is it worth it, or red herring?

Also, which coil is north? I think it's the screw coil but need to confirm.

 

[Blille]

Definitely not a red herring. The change is clear and can transform a pickup.

I have an A259 in the neck I love in my “jazz tele”.

This is pretty personal so you likely just have to try it. Good thing is that magnets are cheap and swapping is easy.

 

[Mincer]

I've never tried an A2 in a 59, but the Custom Custom should cure the issue with that guitar.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

59B takes a roughcast A2 very well. Rounder, warmer highs, looser feel. More vintagey.

Not a whole lot like the Pearly Gates IMO - PG is A2 and vintagey, but it's fairly bright and sizzly.
PG wouldn't be my first choice for an instrument with a naturally bright voice.

You might try swapping the A2 into your Custom, to make it a CustomCustom.
That's a pickup that often works great in Strat type guitars.

Generally screw coils are South I think.
Shorter Allen heads should be brighter and tighter.
For neck position, A4 in the 59N tightens it up nicely.

EDIT: Mincer beat me to it. And since you have a Custom on hand, I'd definitely try it.

 

[Bill Dennis]

I will have to experiment it appears. I use this guitar with a Tech21 Flyrig 5 v2 that is a little thick in the bass/low mids to my ear and it covers up the high end a bit. The 59 has less bass than the Custom but plenty of highs and was a step in the right direction but it seems like both need more mids for this setup.

 

[BluesIsBlood12]

I tried A2 in a 59 and found it to be very much in the ballpark of Seth Lovers. Not quite as clear, probably due to the wax potting, but it was a good vintage tone.

 

[alex1fly]

I've put 1/2" hex heads in 3 pickups over the last couple weeks. Biggest impact is articulation is more immediate. I guess it maybe changed the EQ a bit, but I have a 10 Band EQ on all the time so EQ I didn't notice. The articulation piece is nice though.

 

[Clint 55]

If you want mids while retaining highs and not boomy lows, I would recommend A3.

 

[Bill Dennis]

I tried A2 in a 59 and found it to be very much in the ballpark of Seth Lovers. Not quite as clear, probably due to the wax potting, but it was a good vintage tone.

I could work with that I think. I have always liked Seth's in just about every guitar I have heard them in.

 

[Benjy_26]

A2 59n is creamier and looser than the PGn. It's very pleasant, but the PGn has more top end and more bark to the midrange.

 

[Bill Dennis]

These are both options for a bridge pickup

 

[Clint 55]

Try A3 if you want mids with some top and not boomy bass in the bridge. It's pretty balanced for bridge.

 

[Benjy_26]

These are both options for a bridge pickup

The comparison still applies. The PG is grindier, tighter, and brighter than an A2 59b.

 

[Bill Dennis]

The magnets should be here by Friday. Will see how it goes

 

[Bill Dennis]

Since I was using a lot of parallel switching I decided to put the A2 into the TB-5 and installed that into the guitar. That was the right call. It filled in the mids and softened up the top/bottom nicely. The guitar has a nice balance now. The seems to be a much more obvious difference between the parallel and series mode. With the ceramic, the output changed but there wasn't much of a tonal shift. Now, it clearly gets brighter with the output reduction which makes that a much more useful option.

Not sure what I am doing with the TB-59 yet. It will likely go into my 1 hum / 1 vol pick guard. Not sure if I will put the other A2 in that or not.

 

[Blille]

Good to hear the progress

 

[MichYank]

I have an A2 in my 59n, and it's very close to a Seth. The UOA5 in the corresponding 59b really rounds out that pick up nicely as a cross between an A5 and an A2. Great combination in my opinion.

 

[Teleplayer]

The last time I used a Duncan custom, mine was fitted with an A4 Magnet. For that situation I much preferred the 0.5" Hex bolts, as it brought out the upper mids and was brighter overall. You may get a similar result with A2 magnet - possibly interesting to try if it won't be too bright for you.

 

[Demanic]

My favorite is A459n. But A3 could be very interesting.

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