Qualities of A6 and A9

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Qualities of A6 and A9

And I don't blame you.

I blame the source selling magnets as A9, not being what they supposed to be... the re-sellers oredered something and got delivered something else in most cases, and in some rare occasions, specially whith small orders, the re-seller ships what they have just to fill the order. It happens all the time, and how many p'up aficionados would own a decent gaussmeter?

As magnet grades can't be tell apart by eye, only by carefully measuring'em with a well-calibrated gaussmeter, in the process of picking'em and packing'em, many times the suppliers get it wrong. I can cite what happened to me, when I was in the process of sampling different magnet suppliers to decide on a reliable supplier: I've ordered a small batch of every grade they produced, and even though I got'em, every one of them was packed with the wrong label! If I didn't have my gaussmeter, I would've gotten the wrong idea of what a magnet grade supposed to sound in a p'up!

Also, I don't wind p'ups for the Metal market, only low-wind vintage and modern types. That's maybe why a REAL A9 would sound like it did to my ears, as the highest wind I deal is about 8.9K, most are 8.5K, all wound with AWG#42 wire in my bridge models but, as I serve the Jazz-playing grandpas-in-pension market of my neck of woods, the ones I wind and mod the most are neck models.

In my case, I don't even offer A5s, as I have a several dozens lying around product of changing'em with another type, which is one of the most common reasons I get customers in my moonlighting workshop in the first place.

So Doc, that's the skinny. Hope it was somewhat useful to your research.

I appreciate your input, knowledge, and experience. Thanks for the info.

 

[Discharged]

Re: Qualities of A6 and A9

I appreciate your input, knowledge, and experience. Thanks for the info.

Anytime, Doc.

/Peter

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Qualities of A6 and A9

Interesting...

I've used A8s in P-90s (from 7 up to 9k), low output PAF type pups, and higher output pups (Custom and Distortion, and of course Alt8) and I have never found them to sound harsh, let alone "painfully harsh", in any guitar I've put them in. Not even close to the painfully harsh tone of a ceramic.

The cost of the A9 was brought up so I just thought I'd mention that actually an A9 is only slightly (about 25%) more than an A8. At AddictionFx: A6 = $2.99, A8 = $4.69, A9 = $5.99.

 

[Discharged]

Re: Qualities of A6 and A9

Interesting...

I've used A8s in P-90s (from 7 up to 9k), low output PAF type pups, and higher output pups (Custom and Distortion, and of course Alt8) and I have never found them to sound harsh, let alone "painfully harsh", in any guitar I've put them in. Not even close to the painfully harsh tone of a ceramic.

The cost of the A9 was brought up so I just thought I'd mention that actually an A9 is only slightly (about 25%) more than an A8. At AddictionFx: A6 = $2.99, A8 = $4.69, A9 = $5.99.

Doc, there actually are three formulae of A8, whith different charges and tonefootprints. The one known as A8 HC sounds harsher than the other two. I don't personally like it that much with guitar p'ups, but it sounds excellent with bass p'ups. You just can't know which one you got.

/Peter

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Qualities of A6 and A9

I've used nearly a dozen A8 mags and apparently never got one of those HC types because they have all performed very well, like I said in my previous post.