CustomCustom
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Ive been searching for a cool set of Greenie humbuckers and it seems some manufacturers offer em with Alnico II and others with Alnico V. What kind were the originals?
Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
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Lewguitar
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Re: Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
Nobody knows. You might even have to destroy the magnets to find out...and that ain't gonna happen.
According to the old purchase orders Tom Holmes found while working for Gibson, most, but not all, '59 Gibson humbuckers came with alnico 4 magnets and those, to me, give the more searing tone of Eric Clapton's '59 or '60 Les Paul that he played with John Mayall.
I prefer the sound of alnico 2, like Seymour uses in the Pearly Gates when he was trying to capture the tone of the humbuckers in Billy Gibbon's '59 Les Paul.
To me, the alnico 2 PG's make it easier for me to get a tone like Peter got on the Supernatural than my alnico 4 humbuckers do.
Nobody knows. You might even have to destroy the magnets to find out...and that ain't gonna happen.
According to the old purchase orders Tom Holmes found while working for Gibson, most, but not all, '59 Gibson humbuckers came with alnico 4 magnets and those, to me, give the more searing tone of Eric Clapton's '59 or '60 Les Paul that he played with John Mayall.
I prefer the sound of alnico 2, like Seymour uses in the Pearly Gates when he was trying to capture the tone of the humbuckers in Billy Gibbon's '59 Les Paul.
To me, the alnico 2 PG's make it easier for me to get a tone like Peter got on the Supernatural than my alnico 4 humbuckers do.
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CustomCustom
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Re: Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
Wow thats very cool.
I did know old PAF used Alnico II and V but did not know about Alnico IV. The Bare knuckle Mules have IV i believe.
Wow thats very cool.
I did know old PAF used Alnico II and V but did not know about Alnico IV. The Bare knuckle Mules have IV i believe.
Lysergene
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Re: Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
The BKP PG (Peter Green) Blues set uses a2 wound out of phase. If nobody actually knows then try both and discard the one/s you don't use?
The BKP PG (Peter Green) Blues set uses a2 wound out of phase. If nobody actually knows then try both and discard the one/s you don't use?
Lewguitar
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Re: Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
Gibson did make some pickup sets with one pickup intentionally out of phase though.
Those in a ES-345 or 355 with the varitone and stereo output are like that, I believe.
They were in mine anyway.
All you really need to do is reverse the magnet in one pickup of a set and they'll be out of phase. Id guess that's what happened with the 59's in Peter's Les Paul.
Gibson did make some pickup sets with one pickup intentionally out of phase though.
Those in a ES-345 or 355 with the varitone and stereo output are like that, I believe.
They were in mine anyway.
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Re: Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
A4 is known to be the mag most ordered by Gibson during the PAF years.
But Green had his neck pickup rewound by an amp engineer shortly after he bought the guitar. So the neck isn't a PAF wind, nor is it PAF wire. At this point there was a new lead attached (grey insulated) and the magnet was reinstalled in the famous reverse polarity.
Any winder who makes a PG set is primarily trying to get the middle tone right. As the way the wire is laid down on the bobbin is of prime importace when it comes to pickup tonality, winders (with their own individual wind patterns) might have to use a variety of mags to tweak the pickups so the OOP bit sounds right.
A4 is known to be the mag most ordered by Gibson during the PAF years.
But Green had his neck pickup rewound by an amp engineer shortly after he bought the guitar. So the neck isn't a PAF wind, nor is it PAF wire. At this point there was a new lead attached (grey insulated) and the magnet was reinstalled in the famous reverse polarity.
Any winder who makes a PG set is primarily trying to get the middle tone right. As the way the wire is laid down on the bobbin is of prime importace when it comes to pickup tonality, winders (with their own individual wind patterns) might have to use a variety of mags to tweak the pickups so the OOP bit sounds right.
Lysergene
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Lewguitar
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Re: Peter Green humbuckers: Alnico II or V?
Works for me.
But I don't care for the out of phase sound even when Peter used it.
Sounds like he's playing through a pinched nose!
So I just use the Pearly Gates set for pretty much everything.
Getting ready to put a set in my blue Custom 22.
I stopped playing that great guitar when I put PG's in my Singlecuts.
Only way I'll start gigging with it again is if I put PG's in it too.
Decided against putting PG's in my ES-335 for the time being.
Works for me.
But I don't care for the out of phase sound even when Peter used it.
Sounds like he's playing through a pinched nose!
So I just use the Pearly Gates set for pretty much everything.
Getting ready to put a set in my blue Custom 22.
I stopped playing that great guitar when I put PG's in my Singlecuts.
Only way I'll start gigging with it again is if I put PG's in it too.
Decided against putting PG's in my ES-335 for the time being.
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