Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

[JacobTM]

Hey,

So I have a Seth Lover bridge pickup which I didn't like in my SG. The upper-mid-range honk was just too much and it wasn't balanced enough to be usable throughout the whole range of styles i play in.

I tried it in the neck, and it was too thick. It was great for just chugging out chunky power chords, but the clean was muddy and lifeless.

Would an A3 or and A4 help to clear up this problem to a significant degree? I know the Seth is wound to sound really thick. I don't wanna go switching out magnets if I can't get rid of that basic fact of winding, but do you think with the more balanced, weaker A3's and A4's I could get a pickup that has a greater balance?

Thanks,
Jacob

 

[jafo]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

Magnets make a huge change! A CC, C4, and C5 are completely different pups, and I see no reason that a moderate-wind pup like a Seth wouldn't also be affected. A2 is thick and middy... really, really thick and middy. In a middy guitar like most SGs, it's overkill. Avoid using. A5 is usually a better choice in an SG (but it can be too scooped -- concave tone instead of convex). A4 can be perfect: it has a more or less flat EQ, and its somewhat stiff response can resurrect a flabby neck pup. Call it virtual Viagrification...

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

The Seth isn't "thick" so much as just smooth on top. It's only 7.2k so it shouldn't be muddy, and if it is, swapping to A3 won't make much of a difference and A4 may make it even fatter. You may have your neck pu too close to the strings. I recommend lowering the pickup and then raising the pole pieces -- this will thin it out some and give it more single coil clarity because it is sort of like lowering just one of the coils.

 

[jafo]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

The Seth... A4 may make it even fatter.

Hrm? More bottom, sure -- A2 is weak in the bottom and top and A4 is quite balanced. I guess that the extra bottom could seem fat in comparison... But A2 is really, really thick.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

The Seth isn't "thick" so much as just smooth on top. It's only 7.2k so it shouldn't be muddy, and if it is, swapping to A3 won't make much of a difference and A4 may make it even fatter. You may have your neck pu too close to the strings. I recommend lowering the pickup and then raising the pole pieces -- this will thin it out some and give it more single coil clarity because it is sort of like lowering just one of the coils.

I'm currently fooling around with a Seth. I found that my Seth carries one of the strongest A2. I swapped om an A5 and surprisingly its not bassboomy like the 59N. Its more mid scooped and has real cutting highs.
Iam gonna try an A3 (as well as a Ant mag i have lying around) in order to make it a little warmer than the A5.
I think the Seth is a nice, loose and lively sounding pickup and its fun to play around with it.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

The Seth is a perfectly fine pu. It's just that any pu that sounds muddy in a guitar with particular pu adjustments and amp setting will not sound thinner by switching from A2 to A4.

 

[jafo]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

The Seth is a perfectly fine pu. It's just that any pu that sounds muddy in a guitar with particular pu adjustments and amp setting will not sound thinner by switching from A2 to A4.

Hmm, we may be using different terms loosely and assuming they're equivalent.

[rant]
Some people call heavy and loose in the bottom "muddy" and some people call that "fat." Some people call heavy in the mids "fat" and some call it "muddy." Some people call a lack of top "muddy," regardless of the bottom and mids. Completely different EQ responses can be named the same, and the same response can be called different things. Annoying, that...
[/rant]

 

[JacobTM]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

Calling the Seth's clean ''muddy'' was going to far, it was just too thick to be versatile. The bottom was not ''loose'' at all, or ''flabby''. What I really need is something that will give me more highs without boosting the low-end too much, which is why I instinctively didn't want to use the A5.

I have some bar magnets sitting around in a box, totally improperly stored for maybe 5 years, which might lead to a bit of degaussing, weakness and possibly less bottom end prevalnce?

 

[jafo]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

Sounds like you're all set for some techie fun, then!

 

[jafo]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

Also, you can buy a cheap neodynium magnet from Radio Shaft for two or three bucks, with which you can gauss and degauss magnets -- just kinda rub it along the edge for an immediately noticeable change.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Seth (b) with A3 or A4 mag for neck?

Just try lowering the pu and raising the poles. It will thin/vintage it out very nicely.