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What is alnico classic pickup comparable to?


ExpatGirl

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The new Alnico Classic, right? That's a good question. I haven't seem much as far as specs go. According to the online Epi catalog, the 'Alnico Classic Pro' and 'Probucker' have A2 magnets (which are warm with a lot of mids), and the 'Alnico Classic' has A5's (which have a lot of treble and bass, and scooped mids). All of them sound much better than the humbuckers Epi used to use. The pickup revamp that started in 2010 was a great idea.

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the ones with alnico iv mags' would probably have much of the characteristics of a 490r/498t set. ....ish

 

They're using A2's and A5's, not A4's.

 

The 498T/490R is really a mismatched set, that thankfully Epi did not copy. 498T's are very bright and thin (A5), and 490R's (A2) are fairly warm and dark. Many players struggle to get one amp EQ setting that can work well for both PU's. The Odd Couple. Either the Alnico Classic Pro or the Alnico Classic (I forget which) has an overwound bridge PU, I think in the 13K range, and mercifully that's where the similarity to the 498T/490R set ends.

 

BTW, I have a couple 498T/490R sets and changing magnets brings their EQ's in line. I put an A5 in 490R's to get more treble and clarity in them, and an A8 in the 498T to fill in the mids and dail down the treble. They balance much better that way.

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  • 2 months later...

Either the Alnico Classic Pro or the Alnico Classic (I forget which) has an overwound bridge PU, I think in the 13K range,

 

Alnico Classic bridge in my Epi LP has DCR of about 14 kOhm, I don't have any Classic Pro yet to check. Maybe it has a similar DCR.

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The new Alnico Classic, right? [...] All of them sound much better than the humbuckers Epi used to use.

 

What do you mean "new Alnico Classic"? Is it Alnico Classic or Alnico Classic Pro (AFAIK they are completely different pickups)?

What humbuckers Epi used to use previously?

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What do you mean "new Alnico Classic"? Is it Alnico Classic or Alnico Classic Pro (AFAIK they are completely different pickups)?

What humbuckers Epi used to use previously?

 

There's the 'Alinco Classic Pro', with 4-lead wires; that's one of the upgraded PU's. The 'Alnico Classic' seems to be a new name for the '57 Classic, although it does sound better than the old '57's.

 

BTW, Epi's '57 Classics have little in common with PAF's, confusing name. Gibson '57 Classics are a PAF.

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There's the 'Alinco Classic Pro', with 4-lead wires; that's one of the upgraded PU's. The 'Alnico Classic' seems to be a new name for the '57 Classic, although it does sound better than the old '57's. BTW, Epi's '57 Classics have little in common with PAF's, confusing name. Gibson '57 Classics are a PAF.

 

Pickup names in Epi's are confusing indeed. I expected Alnico Classic Pro to be 4-wire version of Alnico Classic, but according to the specs I found they have different magnets (AC Pro: Alnico 2, AC: Alnico 5) and windings (DC resistance differs) - AC Pro seem to be more vintage. Surprisingly, technical data of AC Pro is similar to Probuckers rather than AC.

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Pickup names in Epi's are confusing indeed. I expected Alnico Classic Pro to be 4-wire version of Alnico Classic, but according to the specs I found they have different magnets (AC Pro: Alnico 2, AC: Alnico 5) and windings (DC resistance differs) - AC Pro seem to be more vintage. Surprisingly, technical data of AC Pro is similar to Probuckers rather than AC.

 

+1. Very confusing, and unecessarily so. They over-used the 'Alnico Classic' part for two different PU's and most players probably don't know what is going on. And yes, the AC Pro is much more like a Probucker (and sounds similar), than it is to a regular AC. It was not the marketing department's best day when they came up with this. AC Pros' are very good PU's, on a par with Probuckers, and deserve a better name that will make them more easily identifiable. Epi made a point of promoting Probuckers, which was a great idea all around (the PU itself and letting players know the quality of it), but have let an equally good PU get lost in a cloud of confusion because of a poor choice of name.

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To further the confusion, the Alnico Classic Pros are listed as having A5 magnets in the SG Pro, and A2 magnets in the LP Pro.

 

"5" and "2" keys are very close on numeric keyboard ;-)

But more seriously, I have found some technical data about pickups used in Epi guitars (including some Gibson pickups, too).post-53967-083433400 1367177124_thumb.jpg

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Look at the specs for the alnico classic plus..! That's a whole different design which will sound darker and muddier than the plain old alnico classic, and with almost double the output.

 

Epiphone also used to make a 57CH(G) humbucker which you might find in a second-hand guitar. Muddy, characterless and not very good, IMO.

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Epiphone also used to make a 57CH(G) humbucker which you might find in a second-hand guitar. Muddy, characterless and not very good, IMO.

 

Yes, and it was due to those muddy Epi '57's that they had to finally upgrade their humbuckers and be more competitive tone-wise with other guitars in that price range. Mission accomplished.

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I completely agree on the 57G in a Les Paul. Ewww. However, I am on the fence about them in other guitars. They sound sweet in my Epi 355. However they could use more top end, which is give and take as many bands use too much fizzy bees-in-a-can top end playing live anyway. Uncovered PAF types can sound brittle in ES type guitars, and even more characterless with the tone turned down . What to do, oh what to do. I do have a 9K Rio Grande Texas bucker laying around.....

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I completely agree on the 57G in a Les Paul. Ewww. However, I am on the fence about them in other guitars. They sound sweet in my Epi 355. However they could use more top end, which is give and take as many bands use too much fizzy bees-in-a-can top end playing live anyway. Uncovered PAF types can sound brittle in ES type guitars, and even more characterless with the tone turned down . What to do, oh what to do. I do have a 9K Rio Grande Texas bucker laying around.....

 

My experience with Gibson '57's is in several Epi LP's, not the sound I'm looking for. Like you said, they could use more top end; the neck is pretty warm for my tastes, and no matter how much treble I add to the bridge, it always seems to 'stay in the background': the high-end stays rounded, not sharp. But maybe they're different in other guitars than LP's. I like Burstbuckers much better, wish they came stock in more models.

 

Rio Grande makes some nice PU's. They're on the warm side but still have a sharp high-end, not sure how'd they do in an LP; I have a couple sets in Epi SG's and they have a rich, full sound in those.

 

Love your description of 'bees-in-a-can.' To me, that's what a Strat sounds like when a player tries to make up for their inherently thin sound by adding too much distortion.

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I had the 57CHs in a LP Std, and the HB6 + HB8 in an Dot studio.

 

I have HB6+HB8 in LP Studio bought in November 2012. In guitar spec, they are both "Alnico Classic".

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OK Bluemans335. That makes sense. I don't know they make covered versions of the "new" Alnico Classics. Sound and appearance wise the 57CH and 400-G seem the same. However the uncovered "new" classic ones that came in my Dot Studio were not bad, and when I replaced them with a Duncan '59 set I had sitting around, I could not tell much difference. When I replace my 57CH with a Pearly Gates in a 355, huge difference.

By the way, I kept the neck 57CH PU in, but did the super simple P90 conversion by backing out and removing the six screw poles on one coil and flipping it around so the slugs are near the neck. With the cover, it's not very noticeable an it brightens it right up, costs nothing, and retains humbucking silence. Just saying for anyone interested, if you want to brighten up a neck 57CH with almost no work.

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