Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

[TailBomb]

What do you guys reckon to be the warmest set of pickups?
My friend has a carvin holdsworth fatboy and the pickups in that guitar sound really good and warm.
I could buy the carvin set, however they look ugly and i don't want that in my guitar.
I've been looking at a Alnico II pro set, what do you guys recommend?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

What is it that you like about the sound of the Carvin H22 pickups? What amplification will you be playing through?

Some of the desirable qualities of the Carvin Holdsworth Fatboy model derive from its materials and semi-hollow construction.



EDIT: I grabbed this from the official product description.

The HF2 comes equipped with our Holdsworth H22 humbucking pickups. Carvin Guitars uses vintage plain enamel magnet wire and seasoned Alnico-5 magnets to achieve Allan's tone. Each coil has 11 polepieces, all of which are fully adjustable to customize individual string volumes. The H22N neck pickup is rated at 7.3k ohms, and produces fantastic singing characteristics, while the bridge position H22T, rated at 8.6k ohms, produces smooth sustain. Standard pickup colors are black coils and bezels, but any combintation of black and cream coils and bezels can be chosen. Electronics consist of a master volume, master tone and 3-way pickup selector.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

I think Allan also uses the neck '59 in the bridge position, although his has 2 rows of screws.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

From the pickups that I have played. The Alnico II Pro and Seth Lover sets are definitely the warmest.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

If you want a Duncan Holdsworth pickup, basically all you need is a JB with two rows of screws.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

... and a different bar magnet.

Unfortunately, OP seeks present day Holdsworth tones. AH abandoned high output pickups over a decade ago.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

What is marketed as the Metal Fatigue pickup is way too hot for what AH is using these days. There was a web page which I can't find now that dissected his pickup choices through the years. I don't know if he is using Carvin pickups in his guitars- his Delap guitars had only a single neck 59 in the bridge.

 

[TailBomb]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

Im not a holdsworth fan actually, i just liked the tones of that guitar and the pickups.
Yes, the hollowbody probably plays a role i'm aware.
Im playing through a kemper, but i mainly want to use is a rock/clean setting.

Im receiving a LTD elite soon with a JB in it, im hoping it will sound warmer and fatter than my distortion.

 

[Manuel_Labor]

Re: Warm pickups and holdsworth pu

That Eclair custom shop pickup with the A2 mag sounds warm and reedy not saxophone like but bassoon like, to my ears at least. It should take to Holdsworth legato playing quite well.