Why do George Lynch.....

[papersoul]

....and some other pros, use A2 magnets in their signature pickups?
I have been seeing this a lot lately. While I appreciate what an A2 does....I personally find something I like about A5s in the bridge.

-PS

[Archer_of_Fish]

I like A2 bridge pickups. They give a sweetness that other magnet types dont give me.

I use A2 mags in JB pickups in a few of my guitars and LOVE the way the pickup sounds....tried A4, A5, A8 and ceramic in JB's and keep coming back to A2. GUess that makes them Bug-Sey buckers.

[super rad stuff]

the a2 JB is pretty cool for leads imo, it's still a bit too flubby in the lows for rhythm stuff though. i've swapped a2 into a random "box guitar" pickup and it's pretty cool though. i'unno it's just got a cool voicing for bridge position pickups

[CaughtLikeFire]

it's still a bit too flubby in the lows for rhythm stuff though.

guarantee that that's a result of the amp and speaker combo. thru my Stiletto Ace it's great for rhythms. the response to picking has some sag/sponginess but the bass frequencies are not loose at all.

not trying to shoot you down - rather just bringing up an important point. the "loose bass" phenomena with A2 mags is 90% a function of the amp setup. I think pro players use A2 mags because of the midrange complexity and harmonic content they coax out of a good pickup. the response to picking is different like I mentioned (like a SS vs tube rectifier kinda) but with the right amp, loose bass isn't a problem. the coil construction does play a big role too - some pickups will have looser bass response no matter what magnet is used.

with the A2 JB, palm mutes sound tighter because the lowest frequencies are attenuated when compared with the A5 . . . at least that's how it worked out for me.

[Archer_of_Fish]

I agree with the above. I dont use high gain a lot but through my Stiletto and my Koch I can get super tight sounding high gain tones for those metal moments I still get occasionally.

[Shinobi]

....and some other pros, use A2 magnets in their signature pickups?
I have been seeing this a lot lately. While I appreciate what an A2 does....I personally find something I like about A5s in the bridge.

-PS

As previously mentioned but I will re-emphasis it. They get their sound out of their amps and then an EQ. But included in the equation is also the wood in the guitar, pups, and how an individual makes contact with the pick hand and the fretted hand.

I have a C8 running in my CC right now..but it came with an A2 and I always liked the way that the CC sounded. I was thinking about putting the A2 into my 59...it currently has a 598 in it. I like the fatness in the mids of the C8, the smooth highs, and the way in crunches power chords.

[papersoul]

Thanks all, maybe I'll give the A2 a bit longer a test before I give in! I guess I hear something, like more harmonic overtones with an A5.

[51501984]

....and some other pros, use A2 magnets in their signature pickups?
I have been seeing this a lot lately. While I appreciate what an A2 does....I personally find something I like about A5s in the bridge.

-PS

The Screamin Demon has an A5 in it.

[St_Genesius]

Because while they appreciate what an A5 does, they personally find something they like about A2s in the bridge?

....and some other pros, use A2 magnets in their signature pickups?
I have been seeing this a lot lately. While I appreciate what an A2 does....I personally find something I like about A5s in the bridge.

-PS

[blueman335]

Every magnet has it's virtues. They all should be used someplace.

[Shinobi]

Every magnet has it's virtues. They all should be used someplace.

So when people say that a magnet changes the EQ how does that work if the windings are the same. I thought stronger mags just increase the output of the mag...not change the eq???

The reason that I ask is that I remember the CC in my Baretta sounding really good...but it has been a few years and but when I switched out the DD that was in it...I stuck the CC with the A8 in it (C8). So all that I am hearing now is the C8...it seems louder then the DD.

The CC came with an A2 in it. I am really digging how the C8 is sounding and actually liked the 598 as well...but I am wondering now how the A2 mag would have sounded in the 59....a 592.

How do mags change the tone when the windings are the same?

[drew_half_empty]

I've heard that's basically a potted a5 seth

[WoodyTone]

In my experience, not as much as some people here, A2 = more mids and upper mids, which helps in a band situation.

[blueman335]

In my experience, not as much as some people here, A2 = more mids and upper mids, which helps in a band situation.

I don't agree. A2's have a very rounded top, and unless they're in a brightly wound PU, you won't have much treble to cut thru the mix. That's why a CC doesn't always work onstage. I like the A8 much better, and think it's better-suited for live performances, as the output is stronger, the bottom tighter, and there's more treble than an A2 so you good definition and are less likely to get lost in all the midrange of the other instruments.

[CaughtLikeFire]

I don't agree. A2's have a very rounded top, and unless they're in a brightly wound PU, you won't have much treble to cut thru the mix. That's why a CC doesn't always work onstage.

good point. the midrange emphasis with A2s mags is great but the coil needs to complement the magnet.

best example is A2 JB vs CC. I like the CC a lot but it needs a brighter guitar and amp to have enough cut. The JB2 has significantly more treble (as well as more bass but that's not relevant here) and it cuts well.

[Thunder]

good point. the midrange emphasis with A2s mags is great but the coil needs to complement the magnet.

best example is A2 JB vs CC. I like the CC a lot but it needs a brighter guitar and amp to have enough cut. The JB2 has significantly more treble (as well as more bass but that's not relevant here) and it cuts well.

+1 The 78' comes to mind. A2-Great wind!

[WoodyTone]

I don't agree. A2's have a very rounded top, and unless they're in a brightly wound PU, you won't have much treble to cut thru the mix. That's why a CC doesn't always work onstage. I like the A8 much better, and think it's better-suited for live performances, as the output is stronger, the bottom tighter, and there's more treble than an A2 so you good definition and are less likely to get lost in all the midrange of the other instruments.

I agree an A8 cuts through better, but I personally don't like the tone as much (or maybe it's just that guitar). Maybe it's the band -- just me, bass, drums and singer. Works fine for me, better than an A5. Come to think of it, also works fine with another guitar player. He has a Fender amp, I run a plexi.

[Shinobi]

I agree an A8 cuts through better, but I personally don't like the tone as much (or maybe it's just that guitar). Maybe it's the band -- just me, bass, drums and singer. Works fine for me, better than an A5. Come to think of it, also works fine with another guitar player. He has a Fender amp, I run a plexi.

I went home after reading this and having recently went through some A8 mag swaps into my 59 and CC. I was thinking about putting the A2 in my 59 to see what it would sound like and maybe the A2 back in the CC. So I let my tubes warm up and jumped on my Maple Body Kramer Baretta (very brite guitar and perfectly suited for a CC)....it sounds so killer with the A8 (C8) that I don't think I am going to change it.....it just screams up top, down low, and is in your face with mids.

It would be interesting to see how it would sound playing live with the rest of the crew (bass, drums, vocals, etc.)

My motivation was that I forgot what the A2 CC sounded like and the stock Schaller Zebra (unpotted SD 59 clone) with an A5 mag sounded like.

[blueman335]

I agree an A8 cuts through better, but I personally don't like the tone as much (or maybe it's just that guitar). Maybe it's the band -- just me, bass, drums and singer. Works fine for me, better than an A5. Come to think of it, also works fine with another guitar player. He has a Fender amp, I run a plexi.

A2's may have more color & personality than A8; maybe their low output allows that to come thru better. But the A8 has other virtues that an A2 doesn't. You pick the characteristics that are most important to you. I'd like A2's a lot if they had a little more bite in the top end.

[MikeS]

They simply like it better? There's something about the wind and magnet combination that makes players like certain pickups. There's nothing more to it. My preferences lean to A5 bridge and A2 neck. My favorite combination at the moment is a C5/A2PH in an SG. I never meshed with any of the A2 bridge pickups I used, PG and CC especially. However I did like the PGn.

The CC cut well in every guitar I tried it in. Best cut was in a maple neck-through Mockingbird. Lead tones were very nice, but rhythm tones were devoid of lows, and what little were present were a flubby mess. Worked for the grinding rock tones and classic rock style rhythms, but totally inappropriate for heavily palm muted passages.