Replacing Antiquity humbuckers

[Bill Dennis]

Are they on the dull side? They just sound thick / flat in my Les Paul. I have updated the electronics with rs guitarworks vintage package. I like the 50s wiring etc but the sonics are still off. Is this the nature of the antiquities? I had a strat set that were just "off" as well. Is it the degaused magnet?

So I will be looking at alternatives. Debating a hotter jb/jazz combo vs staying paf style. If I do that I would like the bridge to be a touch hotter than paf and I may go with a jazz for more clarity in the neck

So what is a touch hotter than paf in the catalog?

 

[Lewguitar]

Are you using 500K pots? Check and see. If your pots are 250K or 300K that might be the problem.

You might like the Antiquitys better with the covers removed. I do.

You might like the Antiquitys better with a different magnet.

The stock magnets are usually roughcast A2.

I went through a bunch of magnet changes in one of my Antiquity sets and wound up going back to the original roughcast A2 magnets they came with.

But roughcast A5 definitely added some treble and removed some mids.

Roughcast A5 in a 2 3/8" length rather than 2 1/2" made an even more dramatic change. I especially liked that in a neck Antiquity.

So did roughcast A4, but to a lesser degree.

Roughcast A3 in the neck pickup gave the clearest, most "open" tone but I wanted a little more drive for the British Blues tones I like. But A3 was wonderful for clean, jazzy chords and clean pop rhythm playing.

Get an assortment of 2 1/2" roughcast A3, A4 and A5 magnets, and a couple of roughcast A5 2 3/8" magnets and tweak your pickups until you get closest to what you want to hear.

IMO, that's the way to go about it rather than switching to a whole new set of pickups.

 

[Bill Dennis]

Quite certain the rs kit was 500k. They measured a touch over in fact. I replaced the guts specifically to go to 500k pots.

Mag swaps are a possibility I guess..

 

[Lewguitar]

I get my magnets from AddictionFX.

The Antiquitys are my favorite Duncan humbuckers and I have them in my three favorite guitars.

But you'll be amazed at the changes you can make with a magnet swap.

 

[uOpt]

What wiring scheme did you follow?

Sounds like there is some capacitive load on the pickups. Mine are definitely not dull.

 

[beaubrummels]

The fact that both a Les Paul and a Strat were 'off' makes me believe it's not the pickups or the guitar.

 

[Lewguitar]

The fact that both a Les Paul and a Strat were 'off' makes me believe it's not the pickups or the guitar.

Did he say that?

 

[superpete]

i wouldn't describe them as dull, but maybe they just aren't the right pus for you. nothing wrong with that.

 

[Lewguitar]

i wouldn't describe them as dull, but maybe they just aren't the right pus for you. nothing wrong with that.

Nope.

So change the magnets and get a whole new sound out of them.

 

[Securb]

OP what kind of music are you playing, what is your end goal? It is impossible to make suggestions without knowing what you are searching for tone wise.

 

[hamerfan]

The Ants are the most flexible pickup, not potted and takes the mag swap nicely. I have two sets, one with A4 and A5, the other A3 and unoriented A5.

 

[gsammo79]

Are they on the dull side? They just sound thick / flat in my Les Paul. I have updated the electronics with rs guitarworks vintage package. I like the 50s wiring etc but the sonics are still off. Is this the nature of the antiquities? I had a strat set that were just "off" as well. Is it the degaused magnet?

So I will be looking at alternatives. Debating a hotter jb/jazz combo vs staying paf style. If I do that I would like the bridge to be a touch hotter than paf and I may go with a jazz for more clarity in the neck

So what is a touch hotter than paf in the catalog?

I didnt love the Antiquity bridge. It was a massive drop in output from the JB it replaced and it was too mellow. Good pickup but just not quite enough output with root-six power chords.

The Brobucker, APH-2, and Whole Lotta Humbucker would be my top three, depending on how much more output you need.

 

[skelt101]

What about one of the Custom variants, or the 59/Custom Hybrid?

 

[Bill Dennis]

The fact that both a Les Paul and a Strat were 'off' makes me believe it's not the pickups or the guitar.

I would disagree. I was never able to get that strat to sound right with years of trying. A change to Area 58/58/61b in that strat solved the issue.

 

[Bill Dennis]

I didnt love the Antiquity bridge. It was a massive drop in output from the JB it replaced and it was too mellow. Good pickup but just not quite enough output with root-six power chords.

The Brobucker, APH-2, and Whole Lotta Humbucker would be my top three, depending on how much more output you need.

What is a brobucker?

 

[Bill Dennis]

What wiring scheme did you follow?

Sounds like there is some capacitive load on the pickups. Mine are definitely not dull.

50's

 

[Bill Dennis]

Did he say that?

I did say that because they do/did sound off. The strat got better when I replaced the antiquities. I am speculating that the LP will too. I would postulate it is the degaused mags I am not liking. That is the commonality between them.

 

[Bill Dennis]

i wouldn't describe them as dull, but maybe they just aren't the right pus for you. nothing wrong with that.

It's possible and I am ok with that.

 

[Bill Dennis]

OP what kind of music are you playing, what is your end goal? It is impossible to make suggestions without knowing what you are searching for tone wise.

I would describe it as satch/vai/Timmons esque with about a 90% less talent .

 

[Bill Dennis]

I didnt love the Antiquity bridge. It was a massive drop in output from the JB it replaced and it was too mellow. Good pickup but just not quite enough output with root-six power chords.

The Brobucker, APH-2, and Whole Lotta Humbucker would be my top three, depending on how much more output you need.

Possible. I am running them closer than I typically would and they are still light