need help choosing an alnico 2 mag pickup

[voxac30TBguy]

im replacing the stock pickups in my epiphone les paul and i have $300 for a new pair. im not a high gain/metal guitarist. my style of music is verry close to u2 so im thinking an alnico 2 mag will help keep things on the cleaner side.

what are some good pickup combos?
how exactly do the different mags in pickups affect an overdrive box like a ts-808 or a ts-9?

[super rad stuff]

actually, if you want U2 type tones, i'd suggest a3 magnets as opposed to a2. imo, a3 is the go-to magnet for chime and clean tones. you could get a set of '59s and install an a3 in the neck model. i've got a jazzN with a3 and it's a great pickup too, with a good amount of high end clarity and chime with more mids as opposed to it's stock a5 counterpart, so it's got a fuller sound.

[bluefrog]

for 300 bucks I wd go WCR coils ! dot. I wd choose a set crossroads or dark bursts.
Jim Wagner makes outstanding pickups - online shop etc.

[FuseG4]

I use a alnico pro II neck and Custom Custom in a 335 copy.

The alnico II is really clear and has some midrange, it has this fullness to it which is not overbearing.

I like the softer bass response because that guitar has a very percussive attack and this makes for a good balance.

It's bright enough. I like to back the tone off a bit sometimes. With gain or overdrive it is still very clear sounding and can be very smooth with power tube saturation.

[Zhangliqun]

actually, if you want U2 type tones, i'd suggest a3 magnets as opposed to a2. imo, a3 is the go-to magnet for chime and clean tones.

It depends on the tonal nature of the guitar, but A3 is a good mag for U2 territory*. Just a hair more sparkle than A2.

*(I have no idea what Edge actually uses, I'm just sayin'...)

[super rad stuff]

It depends on the tonal nature of the guitar, but A3 is a good mag for U2 territory*. Just a hair more sparkle than A2.

*(I have no idea what Edge actually uses, I'm just sayin'...)

i don't know myself, but i do know that whenever i have used a3 in the neck, there's a chimey characteristic(especially in the harmonics) that i associate with U2-type tones. for all i know it's probably a product of his(the edge's) huuuuuge rig

[Benjy_26]

for the classic U2 tones, use whatever's closest to what came stock in the old Explorer RI's. Set them low in the rings (flush, or even below the rings), and raise the poles. I've gotten good results with a PG set in a Epi LP.

[lemonman]

I think Edge's Explorer and White LP Custom were mid-70s reissues with stock T-Tops in them. 7.5k, short A5 magnets.