Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Potted?

Ryan84

New member
In others words, are they made that way JUST to be period correct or does it slightly change tone too ?! Just wondering. Thanks!

I always want the option of high gain without the squealing. Even though it's not primarily what I will play with them.
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

Yes, wax potting changes tone.

If you play high gain (as in lots of distortion) you'll likely not notice anything with the wax potting change as the distortion will have smothered any nuances.

When you play low gain/clean-ish then you might notice them being a bit flat.....especially if you had heard them non wax potted previously (or swap to a guitar with non potted pickups).
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

I'm in the camp that I believe it doesn't change the tone at all but I would go with a potted bucker over an non potted one if I had a choice.
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

I'm going with the "slight difference". There is a slight difference in liveliness as Alex wrote.

What I can tell you is that while I don't play really loud; I use Mesa amps with Santana-like gain. I have the Ants in a 1997 Les Paul Classic Premium Plus. When I induce feedback, it is controllable, and musical, not the squealing type.

I have to admit that the idea of a lightly potted Seth or Ant is appealing. And there are always Pearlys and WLHs if you need serious potting and PAF tone on a budget.

Bill
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

The Antiquity humbuckers along with the Seth Lovers and Joe Bonamassas all have a very slight, "honky," dry, nasal quality, which is in part due to microphonics caused by the lack of wax potting and the metal cover. In low gain conditions, it creates a wonderful PAF tone. At high gain/high volume, it can lead to feedback.

Wax potting the pickups will greatly reduce the chances of microphonic feedback, but it also reduces and possibly eliminates that dry, honky, nasal quality.
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

are the pups in joes guitars potted?
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

I'm in the camp that I believe it doesn't change the tone at all but I would go with a potted bucker over an non potted one if I had a choice.


It does change the tone, not so much the EQ as the openness and quality of the sound. For that reason I prefer PU's potted (of which there aren't that many these days).
 
Last edited:
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

are the pups in joes guitars potted?

The pickups is most of Joe's vintage guitars are stock PAFs and aren't potted. Gibson did a run of Bonamassa gold tops for which we supplied a production-built version of the Bonamassa pickup which was wax potted.
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

gotcha, thats what i was wondering. he plays pretty loud and with a good amount of gain
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

When building new pickup ideas I always test them out before bothering to pot them or not. If I like them I pot them and test them again. From what I could tell, the difference is less than adjusting a the pickup height screws half a turn. I didn't make clips though, this was just what I heard.
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

gotcha, thats what i was wondering. he plays pretty loud and with a good amount of gain

Same here, and have avoided using non-potted pups thinking them a nightmare to use live.
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

gotcha, thats what i was wondering. he plays pretty loud and with a good amount of gain

You know, Seymour mostly plays unpotted pickups pretty loud and is often on the verge of feedback. He just uses his volume knob to roll it back when he needs to. Oh crap, did I just give away one of his tone secrets?
 
Re: Would Antiquity Humbuckers Sound THAT Much Different If I Ordered A Pair Wax Pott

Without trying to sound like an idiot, I take it you shouldn't treat unpotted pups, and microphonic pups as necessarily the same thing?
 
Back
Top