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Post subject: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:49 am
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Hey!

I've had my eye on the American Standard Stratocaster for a while, which seem like a pretty amazing guitar to me! Just curious about the Alnico V pickups. How are they, humwise? Do they give a clean sound without hum? Or should I consider a guitar with N3 pickups instead?


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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:10 am
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Fendertastic wrote:
Hey!

I've had my eye on the American Standard Stratocaster for a while, which seem like a pretty amazing guitar to me! Just curious about the Alnico V pickups. How are they, humwise? Do they give a clean sound without hum? Or should I consider a guitar with N3 pickups instead?


Welcome.

This is a relative question. 50/60 cycle hum has been blown way out of proportion by pickup manufacturers who have successfully created a widespread paranoia in an attempt to scare the general public into buying their single slot humbuckers. Obviously, it is working. The only times hum may be a problem with the OEM pickups in a US Strat is if you're going to be running the guitar through a slew of preamps and/or crummy, non-dedicated wiring and/or relentlessly playing at extreme volumes in close proximity to the amp. Regardless though, once the rest of the band kicks in, it is irrelevant.

Consider the vast majority of celebrities playing Strats past and present. They weren't concerned at all with single coil pickups and they managed quite well.

FWIW, I've been playing Strats since the 1960s and by choice, none of my Strats had/have humbuckers, even single slot jobs. Further and also by choice, I don't even want a RW/RP middle pickup! You will get infinitely more frequency response out of a single coil than that of a humbucker.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:19 am
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Personally I like alnico V pickups. I think they sound and perform great!


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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:28 am
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fhopkins wrote:
Personally I like alnico V pickups. I think they sound and perform great!


This is what I use too.

Besides, if one wants want their pickups to have the response of Alnico II or IIIs, all they have to do is simply lower the height of their Alnico V pickups.

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:31 am
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Martian wrote:
fhopkins wrote:
Personally I like alnico V pickups. I think they sound and perform great!


This is what I use too.

Besides, if one wants want their pickups to have the response of Alnico II or IIIs, all they have to do is simply lower the height of their Alnico V pickups.


I dig brother Martian!! :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:54 am
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Thanks people! Hope I can try this baby out in a local store soon 8)


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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:42 am
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Fendertastic wrote:
Thanks people! Hope I can try this baby out in a local store soon 8)


Glad to enlighten, good luck!

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:07 am
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Martian wrote:
This is a relative question. 50/60 cycle hum has been blown way out of proportion by pickup manufacturers who have successfully created a widespread paranoia in an attempt to scare the general public into buying their single slot humbuckers. Obviously, it is working. The only times hum may be a problem with the OEM pickups in a US Strat is if you're going to be running the guitar through a slew of preamps and/or crummy, non-dedicated wiring and/or relentlessly playing at extreme volumes in close proximity to the amp. Regardless though, once the rest of the band kicks in, it is irrelevant.


To expound upon this a bit, Leo designed his pickups during an era when the proliferation of devices producing extraneous RF fields did not -- for the most part -- yet exist. I refer to televisions, modulating neon-light beer signs, video games, iPads, Blackberrys, and the like -- all of which may be found in great profusion in the modern professional musician's environment. There are some venues where I simply cannot play a traditional single-coil Strat because of ambient spurious noise. In those cases I play the next-best thing, a Strat equipped with noiseless DiMarzios. If hum or buzz is an issue, these pickups are a worthy alternative.

JMO

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:18 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Martian wrote:
This is a relative question. 50/60 cycle hum has been blown way out of proportion by pickup manufacturers who have successfully created a widespread paranoia in an attempt to scare the general public into buying their single slot humbuckers. Obviously, it is working. The only times hum may be a problem with the OEM pickups in a US Strat is if you're going to be running the guitar through a slew of preamps and/or crummy, non-dedicated wiring and/or relentlessly playing at extreme volumes in close proximity to the amp. Regardless though, once the rest of the band kicks in, it is irrelevant.


To expound upon this a bit, Leo designed his pickups during an era when the proliferation of devices producing extraneous RF fields did not -- for the most part -- yet exist. I refer to televisions, modulating neon-light beer signs, video games, iPads, Blackberrys, and the like -- all of which may be found in great profusion in the modern professional musician's environment. There are some venues where I simply cannot play a traditional single-coil Strat because of ambient spurious noise. In those cases I play the next-best thing, a Strat equipped with noiseless DiMarzios. If hum or buzz is an issue, these pickups are a worthy alternative.

JMO

Arjay


If you are referring to the Virtual Vintage/Area series of DiMarzios, I wholeheartedly agree.

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:28 am
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Indeed I am, Martian. But there are other good noiseless types as well (such as the Kinman's and Fender's own Vintage Noiseless). And of course, much of my work is still performed on a single-coil Strat (57/62's, Fat 50's, CS 69's, etc). However there are times when they're simply overwhelmed with noise from multiple external sources.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:41 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Indeed I am, Martian. But there are other good noiseless types as well (such as the Kinman's and Fender's own Vintage Noiseless). And of course, much of my work is still performed on a single-coil Strat (57/62's, Fat 50's, CS 69's, etc). However there are times when they're simply overwhelmed with noise from multiple external sources.

Arjay


Kinmans are pretty much universally accepted as the best out there where DiMarzios are pretty much universally perceived as 95% that of Kinmans. Notwithstanding, the astronomical prices of Kinmans do not justify the expense for that final 5% with the vast majority of players. The Vintage Noiseless, frankly, I think are awful (obviously, 'your mileage does vary'). I thoroughly agree with you though when you say that there are some playing situations which are intolerable with single coils in which case, if I had to habitually play under such situations, I'd go with the VV/Area DiMarzios without batting an eye.

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Post subject: Re: Alnico V pickups
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:49 am
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The Kinman's are pricey, there's no disputing that.

I find the "ninety-five percenters" to be a quality, cost-effective alternative.

Arjay

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