The Ant is more open, a little weaker (not nigh and day by a long shot) and has that deep 3D character that Ants have...the 78 is a little hotter, a little sharper, more aggressive and compressed.
I made this comparison with a pair of R8 Les Pauls, one with a set of Ants and one with a Seth/78 set.
IMO A3 mags are only good in single coils. They seem lifeless in a Humbucker.
Anyone tried Dr.Barlo's idea?
^^ +1 The only thing I would change is that the aged A2 "muffles/mellows" the antiquity, IMO. Which can be a good or bad thing depending on the person.
i agree the aged a2 mellows the antiquity but i wouldnt say muffles
Which did you like better, and for what style of music and amp?
The Ant bridge is somewhat fat, has a lot of honk. A little too dark for my taste.
The '78 is totally different. Very aggressive, thinner.
Both have lots of extra sparkle that make a boutique pickup.
To my ears, A3 sounds like demag A5, or A5 backed away from the strings. Not going to rip open an Antiquity bucker for it.
Don't agree man.
A3 to me does not sound at all like a degaussed a5. A4 does, yes, but not a3. A3 is quite similar with an a2, just a bit different. But in some cases (e.g. Custom Custom) it makes a huge difference.
Moreover, I used to have an a5 8.75K antiquity and 7.60-70K ant neck, and they were one of the best set of buckers I have ever used. I sold them because of the Brobucker. I wish I did not sell the neck! :banghead:
I also have tried those with a2-a6. :friday:
It does not need to be opened or anything. The thing is already one of the most clear (yet soft and spongy) 3d bucker out there. So it does not NEED an a3 to rip it open.
Yet with an a3 both in the neck or the bridge, the tone gets a bit less spongy, a bit tighter, while retaining all those clear open 3d features.
Antiquity is one of the best buckers out there. Call me the Duncan Candidate, because every time the word antiquity is spoken, what I think is: The Antiquity HB is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful pickup I've ever known in my life.
Joking aside, I have compared them in my R7 and R8 against the most pricey boutique pickups, Holmes', Florance's, Rolph's, and some others that I have forgotten (WCRs for example..). They stood quite tall against all those guys.
Currently, am still using a neck Antiquity in my tele (7.50K), and I could not be happier. In my LPs I am using Timbuckers and Rolphs, not because they are "better" than antiquities, but because they represent different ends of the PAF spectrum. Timbuckers for nasal screaming type of thing, and Rolphs for thicker but tight type of thing. And, frankly speaking, if I had only one LP, I would have chosen my 8.75K ant bridge with an a4 magnet and 7.60K ant neck with an a3.
At one point in time I had 5 of those buckers, 2 necks (7.60K and 7.50K), 3 bridges (8.50K, 8.70K and 8.75K). And none of them had any squeling issues.
B![]()
How do they compare?
Ants: more PAF like? Open sounding?
78: more R&R due to the slightly higher output?
The Ant is more open, a little weaker (not nigh and day by a long shot) and has that deep 3D character that Ants have...the 78 is a little hotter, a little sharper, more aggressive and compressed.
I made this comparison with a pair of R8 Les Pauls, one with a set of Ants and one with a Seth/78 set.
Right...mellow sure, muffled...not at all!
The Ants have plenty of bite
Well, the Ants were in my R8 and the 78/Seth combo was in a buddys R8.
I liked them both, a lot in fact but if this means anything to you I didn't rush out and swap my Ants for a 78/Seth combo nor did the through relly even cross my mind...
It's a great combo but the Ants just sound right to me.
I've been fortunate to wrap my hands around several vintage Gibsons from the middle 50's to the late 60's including more than one late 50's Les Paul and the Duncan Antiquities realyl nail that tone and vibe, which for me is a benchmark.
As for style and amps...I play what I'd call blues and blues/rock and Iplay mostly through old Fender amps.
I could still have easily gotten good sounds for what I do with the 78/Seth combo but the Ants just sound right...
DUDE! I'm SO glad you saw this...I was going to try to get you to chime in here this weekend but you never answer the ohone anymore!
Anyway...I started to mention the age int he sound...I know it's a strange way to describe tone but Antiquities do sound OLD...it's a very strange thing!
When did you call?! This weekend was hectic Jamie's sis and bro-in-law were in town.
The other thing worth mentioing is the airiness of the Ants. The 78 has a touch of compression that I don't hear in other SD PAFs. I don't agree with smebodys assessment in another thread saying it sounded like a compressor on full tilt all the time. To me that describes a high output pup.
Luke