Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

[Curly]

Lew asked the question, "how do Antiquities and APSs compare?"
"which is brighter?"

so I made a more or less A/B test page:
http://www.bluestheater.net/ant-aps-shootout.html

I don't know if it's very definitive, but I'd appreciate some feedback

the guitars in the pic are APS on the left, Antiquity on the right

Peace

 

[beandip]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Gary, once again, gotta say, love you're playing. Your double stops are awsome.
I really think the Ants have THE vintage tone. While listening to it, it sounds as though you're playing a vintage guitar. The APS's have an awsome tone, but more along the lines of a workdog guitar. The thing that someone bought at a pawnshop, and turned it into their bitch. Great tone on both.

 

[Stratsky]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Nice playing. I like your tone with both pickups.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Wow....that settles that!

Thanks Curly....you da man.

The Antiquity Texas Hot cut sounded like you were playing with your fingers and the APS-2's like you used a pick.

Quite a diff!

Lew

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Nice clips, Curly!

 

[Curly]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

thanks, folks, for your input and comments!

The Antiquity Texas Hot cut sounded like you were playing with your fingers and the APS-2's like you used a pick.
Lew

Lew,
you have good ears!
I played with my fingers on both. that's how I usually play.

I should've played the Ants on the mid alone, but I don't use that position often - the APSs sounded brightest on the mid pup, though.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

thanks, folks, for your input and comments!


Lew,
you have good ears!
I played with my fingers on both. that's how I usually play.

I should've played the Ants on the mid alone, but I don't use that position often - the APSs sounded brightest on the mid pup, though.

Thanks Curly! You have good fingers! :laugh2:

Lew

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

The clips are awesome!
I think I liked the Antiquities a bit more...

And... excuse me for hijacking, but what is a double stop?

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

For some reason I expected the Ant's to be a little more..what's the word...glassy, brighter...ect. Actually, they were warm, mellow, smooth...all the things that I expected the APS's to be, when in fact the APS's were a little more in your face than I thought they would be.

I can see the Ant's being the ultimate in vintate strat tone. I think the APS's are what I want for my H/S/S guitar, but those ant's are sweet. Nice playing as always Curly.

 

[Curly]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

thanks again for the compliments!
I'm just not sure how successful I was at making this fairly scientific. :sad:

You have good fingers!

thanks, Lew
I try to share one of them with many on the freeway!
j/k, of course (but I'd like to sometimes)

what is a double stop?

it's a two note interval, played together - usually 5ths or 6ths, I think :sad:
I usually play 'em on the 1st and 3rd or 2nd and 4th strings together

the most famous example I can give you is Steve Cropper's intro to "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave (or the Blues Bros version)

Clapton also plays some awesome double stops on "Hideaway" on the Bluesbreakers album

here are a couple links:
http://planetalk.thatllteachyou.com/mov_dblestps.html

http://www.betterguitar.com/Instruction/Technique/DoubleStops/DoubleStops.html

 

[Curly]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

For some reason I expected the Ant's to be a little more..what's the word...glassy, brighter...ect. Actually, they were warm, mellow, smooth...all the things that I expected the APS's to be, when in fact the APS's were a little more in your face than I thought they would be.

I can see the Ant's being the ultimate in vintate strat tone. I think the APS's are what I want for my H/S/S guitar, but those ant's are sweet. Nice playing as always Curly.

thanks, jeff
I consider the Ants warm and smooth, and a little more articulate. I agree that the Ants are an ultimate vintage tone, and I've mentioned that before.

the APSs are also warm and smooth and push easily

I don't really favor one over the other, which I think is a compliment to Seymour's "regular production" pickups.

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Great playing Curly, I really enjoyed listening to those.

I think I prefer the sound of the APS's - to me they sound smoother with less bottom. Maybe I just have cheap ears.

Excellent playing on both clips though. :approve:

 

[Stevo]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Man those clips are sweet bro The APS sounds a little more present in the upper mids maybe? It sounded a little brighter but the ants sounded a little deeper.
Sweet chords and feel.

 

[Curly]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

thanks kindly for the kind words

I don't really have firm preference between these two pickups - I love 'em both!

this comparison and some of the comments have made me think about doing another A/B and cranking things a little to see if that brings out more contrast

thanks again

 

[RGN]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

I prefered the APS by quite a bit. Both were great but once I heard the APS for a few seconds everything sounded more "alive" to me.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Man that was sweet...again.
They compliment each other extremely well.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

I was almost afraid to listen to those clips Cuz' I use APS's in the neck
of All my Strats . ( It would cost a small fortune to replace Em' all
with Ant's :laugh2: ) The Ant's have a nice warm tone, But are a little
dark sounding for my taste. But I've been useing APS's for 15 years
So I guess My ears are just in tune with that sound? For me the real wild card is findind a good single coil for the bridge ? The Duncan Custom
bridge sound like it would fit the bill, But I hate to spend over a $100
for a PuP I'd rarely use. Do you have any clips of Bridge Ant's ??

BTW, SWEET PLAYING !!

 

[seafoamer]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Nice stuff! Both sound quite useable. Wish I wasn't listening on these crappy speakers that I am.

That light blue strat is a beaut. & since I was leaning towards the ants, I guess I take that one.

 

[Curly]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

thanks, Brandon

I can't imagine anyone not liking either pickup

the APS are great, smooth sounding pickups

the Antiquities have a lot of mojo in the way they look. Seymour has jars of rotting, rusty, crusty stuff around his shop for experimets.. he also collects arrowheads, and I think those things come together in his aging techniques - they're just so genuinely old looking - I've often thought that the Antiquities must have been a natural outgrowth of replacing dead pickups in old strats for owners who just didn't want a new pickup that would look totally out of place on an old strat
but, of course, none of that would mean much if they didn't sound as good as they look

 

[seafoamer]

Re: Strat Antiquity/ APS comparison

Got off my lazy a$$ and hooked my better speakers up.

Nice to have both those sounds at u'r disposal. Sound as if bringing the Ants to the gigs that are "lower volume gigs", and the Aps's to the hotter gigs would work good.

Though, I'd prolly bring the Lt blue gtr to the gigs with the hotter women.