Just had a "eureka" moment with PAF pickups

Colorado Axeman

Colorado Axeman

Inspired
Kent Armstrong's Icon Vintage 57 PAF's. Hand-wound pickups with Alnico 2 magnets and maple spacers. They seem not well known and hardly discussed. I've tried many other PAF's in the past (Gibson Custombuckers, Seymour Duncan, etc., GuitarMadness korean-mades). I took a chance on these because they're about half the price of Seymour Duncan and the little info on them that I could find online seemed mostly positive. There's one YouTube video comparison that convinced me to try them. Man when I loaded it up it just had that magic tonal-pallet that I've been mentally seeking... Compared side by side with my other guitar's with PAF's in them it blows them out of the water. I just bought two more sets to put in my other guitars. Really don't know what else to say except that when you finally find that tone you instantly know it, and suddenly realize what the missing piece of the puzzle has been.

 
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kelso1 said:
Kent Armstrong website lists it as alnico II.
When I click on the "shop now" link, it goes to the wdmusic website which lists it as alnico 3 magnets.
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All of the literature that I've seen lately says they're alnico 2 - maybe they used to be alnico 3 once upon a time?
 
Different guitars, different scale lengths, different bridges, bridge pup only etc, not much to be learned here with regards to any comparison of the pups.
 
I used many types of hotter pickups “back in the day”, swapping out my Strat and Les Paul pickups trying to find a sound I liked; it was almost a constant quest.

I finally found that the sound I want was very much the original PAF sound, or late 50s Strat sounds, whether I’m using a clean or distorting amp. They don’t have as much output, but I can counter that with something that boosts the signal ahead of the amp, so that the amp sees a hotter signal that still has the right frequency response. “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that sing!”

I haven’t changed the pickups on any of my PRS because they tend to be PAF oriented in various degrees. My Strats all use Raw Vintage RV-50 or RV-60 pickups, with stamped steel saddles, and they sound just like I want. I’m happy to not feel the draw of that particular chimera any more.
 
Ron Ellis taught me the value of “vintage tone” pickups with alinco3 magnets (highly controlled component materials standards too)

built into somewhat moderate output pups

IMG_0584.jpeg

Truly opens up the guitar for me
 
Dave Merrill said:
Or the retailer got it wrong?
I know that's unheard of, but it could happen ;)
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He doesn't say specifically on his website: http://www.kentarmstrong.com/icon.html

But when you click through to the "store" which is here: https://www.wdmusic.com/kent-armstrong-icon-series-vintage-57-humbucker-pickup-details.html

it says they're alnico iii. So I really have no idea since other sites are saying alnico 2. There's no documentation in the box I got to indicate which is correct - just a wiring guide. I put in a query to his FB page and received no response yet.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
It’s because he uses the really good crystal lattice, not that cheap shite.
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I think engineers would appreciate what he does; assures high consistency in products that no one ever looked at with tools that only a DOD contractor has access to/afford … 😉

Whether or not that holds in the value for you, well I for one am happy for the options. 🤙

I know who General Atomics are, and what they do. Funny enough, I own a lot of products from people that were once their employees (or still are). 😉
 
∞Fractals said:
I think engineers would appreciate what he does; assures high consistency in products that no one ever looked at with tools that only a DOD contractor has access to/afford … 😉

Whether or not that holds in the value for you, well I for one am happy for the options. 🤙

I know who General Atomics are, and what they do. Funny enough, I own a lot of products from people that were once their employees (or still are). 😉
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It was humor, not a criticism.
 
This deal can be a big rabbit hole if you let it kind of like I/R's But the comparison does seem kind of irrelevant given the different guitars used to do the comparison. I mean you can kind of hear what he is talking about but what other factors are contributing? IDK if you know what sound you are after that helps narrow the field down for sure.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I used many types of hotter pickups “back in the day”, swapping out my Strat and Les Paul pickups trying to find a sound I liked; it was almost a constant quest.

I finally found that the sound I want was very much the original PAF sound, or late 50s Strat sounds, whether I’m using a clean or distorting amp. They don’t have as much output, but I can counter that with something that boosts the signal ahead of the amp, so that the amp sees a hotter signal that still has the right frequency response. “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that sing!”

I haven’t changed the pickups on any of my PRS because they tend to be PAF oriented in various degrees. My Strats all use Raw Vintage RV-50 or RV-60 pickups, with stamped steel saddles, and they sound just like I want. I’m happy to not feel the draw of that particular chimera any more.
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How do you deal with the single coil hum/noise? That’s a deal breaker for me unless hum canceling.

How Yngwie manages to get that single coil vibe with those him canceling HS pups is a wonder! But to me falls a hair short of that SUV single coil vibe if called for.
 
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