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Alnico Classics vs ProBuckers


Not-Too-Late

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I was wondering what differences there are between these two types of pups. Is one warmer than the other? I know the Alnicos on my LP Standard can be a bit muddy sounding, so I have to be careful when I make any adjustments with the tone. I'm still deliberating as to which ones would be the best to swap out. I'm leaning towards the P-90's for a nice clean warm tone for jazz, but I was wondering what these ProBuckers are like and if they are perhaps similar or better than the P-90's.

 

Cheers

Wayne

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I think the Probuckers are just their version of the Gibson Burstbucker. From what I hear, they're quite similar. I imagine they'd more or less sound like your bog standard PAF clone.

 

I don't know about the Alnico Classics, though. The name suggests a 490R/490T/498T equivalence somewhere, but the 490s are very bright and are definitely not muddy pickups, whereas my experience with the Epi Alnico Classics has been that they tend to be bass heavy and lack articulation.

 

One of these days, I'll dissect one and compare the individual coil readings to the ones I took off a 490R and 498T that ended up in my Orville. That would give me a rough estimate of the number of windings on each coil. It also could easily come down to the magnets or materials, although I have to wonder how critical the non-coil materials actually are. It has been suggested that the brass base plate versus the nickel Gibson uses may be the culprit. This is probably untrue, as some of the more recent 490/498 pickups have brass bases as well, and they sound the same.

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I think the Probuckers are just their version of the Gibson Burstbucker. From what I hear, they're quite similar. I imagine they'd more or less sound like your bog standard PAF clone.

 

I don't know about the Alnico Classics, though. The name suggests a 490R/490T/498T equivalence somewhere, but the 490s are very bright and are definitely not muddy pickups, whereas my experience with the Epi Alnico Classics has been that they tend to be bass heavy and lack articulation.

 

One of these days, I'll dissect one and compare the individual coil readings to the ones I took off a 490R and 498T that ended up in my Orville. That would give me a rough estimate of the number of windings on each coil. It also could easily come down to the magnets or materials, although I have to wonder how critical the non-coil materials actually are. It has been suggested that the brass base plate versus the nickel Gibson uses may be the culprit. This is probably untrue, as some of the more recent 490/498 pickups have brass bases as well, and they sound the same.

 

You nailed it regarding the Alnico pups being bass heavy. I'm wondering if I changed out the pots and wiring if that would help the Alnicos sound better.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Cheers

Wayne

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Supposedly, new pots and caps (usually CTS pots and orange drop caps, both readily available, but CTS pots will require new knobs and enlarging the holes) will help the treble problem, but I never really noticed a huge difference.

 

On my Les Paul Custom, I simply changed the pickups for a 490R/T pair. The old Epi pickups ended up in my brother's Ibanez - with nickel covers from an old Norma!

 

It has also been suggested that changing the magnets may help. You could get a pair of alnico IIs from one of the major suppliers (I get mine from Philadelphia Luthier Supply). I tend to prefer an alnico II in the rhythm pickup and an alnico V in the treble pickup. The 490T in the Epi was modified accordingly (it comes stock with an alnico II).

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There are three pickup types:

Alnico Classic - Alnico 5 magnets, DCR 8,26 (neck) and 13,6 (bridge), HB6N and HotHB8B stickers at the baseplate, 2-wire connection

Alnico Classic Pro - Alnico 2 magnets, DCR 7,68 (neck) and 8,34 (bridge), ACPNHCB-4 and ACPNHCN-4 stickers, 4-wire connection

Probuckes - Alnico 2 magnets, DCR 8,04 (neck) and 8,96 (bridge), PB2NHBN-4 and PB3NHBB-4 stickers, 4-wire connection

 

I think both ACP and PB are bright and not muddy. I had ACP's in Epi Explorer Pro TV Silver and they sounded good, but I wanted something of a stronger signal.

Some people say ACP are Epi's version of Gibson 57 Classic pickups. They have equal winding, unlike Probuckers.

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