are kent armstrong pickups any good
It felt wrong and so I told him that I wasn't interested." They certainly suit me, although YMMV. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. From the well setup action and the finely-cut nut, to the smooth polyurethane S, Copyright 2022 - Jazz Guitar Online - All rights reserved - Privacy Policy. I was aware that Kent Armstrong made pickups and they were used in a lot of guitars. That neck pup on its' own with a little treble rolled off on the tone control would give you a warm mellow full sound, especially if you pick at the bottom of the neck. The Kent Armstrong's were about 8K Ohms (as they should be). Up solos the neck pickup. JavaScript is disabled. There is a chance that you might have gotten a "good" set of P90's as stock equipment on your Epi. This page was generated at 01:08 AM. I'm actually thinking of up grading. I know for a while you could still get domestic KA pickups built custom direct by him and/or his sons - not sure if that is possible still today or if it is all via WD Music. I had my LP wired so that 1 volume pot was a master volume, and the other was middle pup only. I tell every one of my customers to give them a try if they are looking for high gain, and let them all know I will gladly replace them with something of their choosing and not one have come back looking for replacements in over 14 years. As long as you are talking about KA pickups and bumping the thread, I think of it as no dis-service to the OP. Has an output of 8.14 k. I before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. Display as a link instead, The copper wire coil is now wound around a custom-sized plastic bobbin that features an Alnico bar magnet right down the center. The "Hot Rod" bridge pickup was a fattened up PAF sound, similar to a Burstbucker but with warm thick mid's and highs without being harsh. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Using the middle pup with either gives you something inbetween which I didn't like much. You can post now and register later. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. If I was having another Sei or similar built I'd have KAs in it. They have a nice full tone not thin and bright like most pickups in this output range. They allow me to play the most aggressive styles of music out there like no other, they really complete my tone. Unlike the Duncan SMB4D the Armstrong is very consistent all the way up the neck with thick mids, clear highs and growling lows. I dropped by my local guitar shop today and the tech had just installed KENT ARMSTRONG (?) thanks. Instead, jazz players often focus on tonal purity These are the Kent Armstrong pickups in my Soloist: The bridge pickup has a bright fendery tone, for a humbucker it. Well, this time he has outdone himself. Well, now he has outdone himself. Were asked everything from what they sound like to Will they fit in my guitar? and more. In the 1940s, Nathan Daniel found success with his budget line of electric instrument amplifiers, Silvertone and Danelectro. anyhow, i've had 2 or 3 of those on guitars i've owned and they are thin and overly bright. I currently have one of their mini-humbuckers in the neck of my Tele. son. link above. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. SBUK Kent goes on to describe "It just didn't seem right to me. You must log in or register to reply here. It was strung with Les Paul Signature strings (009). You won't find the distortion on the WD website though. the only ones I didn't like were the stacked humbuck hot output.. way too dark for my taste. Not a new arguement but an interesting take. I wasn't a huge fan of the noiseless P90's I briefly hadthere was a big volume imbalance. I'm about 90% there. They were very impresive. IMO, they are the best jazz pickup out there. Pretty much what the thread title says, anyone know if Kent Armstrong pickups are decent? Like FilterTrons to Gretsch, PAFs to Gibson, and Strat single-coils to Fender, they essentially define the soul of the brand. WebKent Armstrong is one of the foremost electric instrument pickup designers in the music industry. sorry, didnt mean to digress from the original topic. Does anyone know if the Kent Armstrong pickups that "W D Music" sells are the real deal or - are they the Licensed pickups? I got the cheap ones (I was only 18 at the time) and was very pleased. I've got them in two guitars of my own. They also make a set of Rory Gallagher pickups that were made to replicate the original Rory pickups provided by his estate. Some are excellent, some not so great, but of course that's a matter of taste. i wanted to have it rewired so it worked like a normal les paul but i could use the middle pickup on a push pull but i got told it would cost quite alot to do it. WebKent Armstrong Hand Made Johnny Smith floating Pickup. While I really like the SBUS, you can count me in that it's bright. That bridge pup with full treble and plenty of gain on the amp gets you a nice biting tone like Claptons' John Mayall period. For a while you could still get domestic KA pickups built custom direct by him and/or his sons - not sure if that is possible still today or if it is all via WD Music. So those VT hand-wound, 12 pole HB'show much does something like that run? I heard the hot rod vintage is better than a JB? This is fairly hot for a jazz guitar. Well, this time he has outdone himself. custom pickups into a 1994 Gibson Les Paul Standard. I don't have one but I use the capacitor in my ToneBlock 202, and I do have the treble up higher than I used to. Note: This instrument has been modified from it's original condition. Looks like you haven't made a choice yet. depends on the sound you want of course - they ARE at least as good as the Gibson Johnny Smith mini humbuckers that came on some of the older Gibbies and Heritage archtops, but well Also, the lack of adjustable poles is a turn off for me, YMMV, but I will say the best "smooth top" floating jazz pickup I've owned is the Bartolini 5J pickup, which is an excellent choice for that thinner, more acoustic sound. You are using an out of date browser. (and Szab (or Szabo) and not Sczabo or Szarb for God's sake). I have no experience of his full size humbuckers but have always thought his fender singles were real good and a lot of people speak very highly of his P90s. Armstrong or Rautia pickups are a much better way to go. I've known that these two types of pick-up magnets existed for a while now, what is the difference between them and what are the tonal characteristics of each? Bags of twang and not microphonic like the SD pickup I replaced. Alan Mearns - incredible Bach arrangements / playing. Bridge position a hotter KA like : http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Rocker_Alnico_Humbucker_Chrome_Cover_HRC-1A. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The tone is bright and detailed with a single coil type twang that also provides great crunch on I didn't like the Duncan I had in the bridge though and opted for a GFS Vintage Alnico Tele and was actually super impressed by it. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, the idea that the motherbucker is Broootal! Ceramic tend to have a "thinner" sound, but powerful ceramics give good metal tones when over-driven. Perhaps the most famous use of vintage Danelectro tone is the surprisingly clean-yet-crushing riffs on Led Zeppelins Kashmir. Jimmy Page proved that a Danelectro could punch way above its weight class when paired with a mammoth bass tone. I had an old discontinued KA Tele neck pick that sounded great in one guitar, but just so so in another, so I put it back in that one it sounded good in, and sold the guitar. The PAF is OK but the Distortion kicks but. Terms & Conditions | Registered Trademarks, There are 2 different types of Kent Armstrongs. At this point, I do not know if Kent Armstrong supplies Epiphone with other OEM pickups in addition to these P90's. Most people consider Kent's jazz Pickups to be the best in the world and who are we to argue? I replaced it with a Dimarzio Tone Zone and have been happy as can be since. Assuming they do, it is curious how so many For the past 25ish years he was THE top pickup rewind guy in the UK and only recently relocated back to the states (his pickup rewind business here continues to operate in his absence). Post up some sound files, I'd love to hear them. For reference, lets take a look at our (retired) Danelectro Lipstick Tube pickup. I can tell you for fact that the Stock P-90's in my 2004 Casino were not even close to the Kent Armstrong P-90's I replaced them with. I have the Tele bridge pickup and it's OK, but not great. I have another Tele with an SD AlNiCo II pickup that I prefer over the Kent Armstrong. Wa Haven't got them yet. They are very dull and lifeless None of that typical P-90 sound. Let me continue to believe that my stock Casino pickups are as good as any others because when I read opinions like yours I once again go to this page, http://www.pinupmusicparts.com/Pickups-Kent_Armstrong_P90_Famil.html. I have some KA's in a Benedetto Benny. are actually Asian-produced "Rainbow" pickups by Kent Armstrong. I've had a number of Kent Armstrong pickups over the years, and been pleased with them all. It was definitely an improvement over the stock pickup, which itself was not a bad pickup. The later made-in China pickups are not nearly as well put together as the old ones. Perhaps Ryan Burke of the 60-cycle Hum Podcast described it best, saying, they basically sound the way they look: Despite their penchant for clean sounds, theyre also a ton of fun with a cranked amp exuding a snarly breakup and a loose low end. i dont like the idea of a guitar having a battery too toy-ish IMO. dude i love that guitar! All times are GMT-7. So while many ended up collecting dust in basements, others found themselves on the worlds biggest stages and recording timeless rock n roll. no, i don't like those one bit. Both these Kent Armstrong made in the USA pickups are far superior to what Eastman is selling on most of their guitars. They cost around 40 give-or-take here (Seymour Duncan and A no brainer is if price is an issue and you're only playing jazz on this ax, you only need to replace the neck pickup. I changed out the stock p.ups because they were pretty crappy (apparently they have improved a lot over the years). If this is your first visit, be sure to I have a set of Kent Armstrong's Icon series Strat pickups. But during the electric guitar boom in the 1950s, he added the original Danelectro and Silvertone guitar to his lineup, again with the starter-budget guitarist in mind. Yeah, I have his "high output" (not the "distortion" model but the one below that) and whatever is below that (forget what it's called) models in my Carvin DC-127. Playing them clean in a tube amp.best tone I've ever heard. I like the WD Kent Armstrong pickups very much. I know for a while you could still get domestic KA pickups built custom direct by him and/or his sons - not sure if that is possible still today or if it is all via WD Music. And not only did these metal tubes give his pickups a unique look, but the metal cover helps shield the electronics and mellowed the otherwise ice-picky sound of his design. It is the bridge model of the 4/5 string soapbar. There was a Kent Armstrong humbucker of some sort in the bridge position of my US Masters when I got it. I thought it sounded terrible. Really thin They are here to help. They seem very open with a good output; they don't seem to colour the sound of the instrument as much as the Barts (which appears to be the general consensus)and somehow seem more balanced sonically. Only really good for heavy metal sounds, although if linked to an on/off switch can be good to switch from passive to active for screaming solos. Compare to Super Block United Kingdom. They weren't very good. This is probably a dumb question to a lot of you but I'm still relatively virginal guitar-wise. These custom-made covers allow them to be manufactured in many different sizes and fit the most popular pickup routes like Strat pickups. do To start viewing messages, If you go here' date='. You cannot paste images directly. do kent armstrong do alnico 2s? I love my Eastman 905, but I don't really love the Kent Armstrong floating pickup that came with it. When searching for the right single-coils for his guitars, Daniel knew they would have to be easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Just depends what tones you're after; whatever you choose, you'll probably end up buying pedals to make it sound more like one of the others. They sounded decent. We are not able to accommodate order changes or cancellations once you have completed the check out process. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. And while these guitars might be missing the tonal contributions of a plywood Dano, they still bring that beautiful twang to every guitar theyre in. My Epi originals had a passive resistance of about 14.5K Ohms!!!!! The action you just performed triggered the security solution. And Danelectro continues to build the reissue Danelectros around the lipstick pickup platform. I was happy with it. Matthew Bellamy of Muse used the "Motherbucker" In his first few custom guitars. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. I've had several KA PUs. But the in-between Alnico magnets are the traditional 50s/60s Gibson/Fender standards and generally have a warmer fuller tone than ceramic. I use it with the series parallel switch and with 13.5k output, it works well in passive mode. For such high output pups, they sure preserve a lot of the guitar's acoustic tone. I put a set of noisless Kent Armstrong P90's in a PRS SE Soapbar 2 - I also wired them Series or Parallel. IMHO, for a Casino a good set is about 7.5k/8k for the bridge and 6.5k/7k for the neck pickup. These modern designs are much more reliable and standardized than vintage lipsticks while retaining most quirks that make old ones special. KA's are available in double creme though and come standard with 4 wires if you're into coil tapping and in the UK they're extremely cheap and I think quite a bargain. again, i cannot help with what you are really asking, but after reading some disparaging other comments, i thought i should at least share my experience with his handmade jazz pickups, which are superb. There are millions of jazz basses out there, much fewer SB basses. i was looking at the seymour duncan ones but i think there a bit expensive because ill need 3 of them. Among its other design factors, Danelectros magic can be traced straight to the highly unique pickups that Nathan Daniel designed. I've been browsing the wdmusic site and have found a few products with identical descriptions, one is for a ceramic version the other an alnico version, both are the same price and tech specs except for the magnets. My main problem is I live in a unit so I can never play anything out loud, I'm looking to re-locate asap. I wanted to have some time with the guitar before I went with the swap but at the next string change, I'll change out the pickup. I tried the humbucker sized P90s. Never worry about fitting a pickup under the strings again! I thought it sounded terrible. Vermont-wound pickups from Mr. Armstrong and his son are still within easy reach. Any users out there? tone forum. All times are GMT-7. But then Danelectros are no longer the only place youll find lipsticks. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. After I wax potted them they weren't too bad. The lead "Vintage" pickup was less chunky sounding than a Burstbucker 1 but creamier than an Antiquity. The magic is in your fingers. For that sort of tone you want the alnico 2 magnets. Powered by Invision Community. You must log in or register to reply here. I've only tried his Firebird pickups & thought that, even though they seem like quality product, tonally they were very "polite" & lacking any personalityflat & not in a good way. So now I use the Gretsch when I know an amp is going to be needed and my Heritage 575 is too modern soundingah the choices I get to make. I have used Seymours and Gibsons and there's very little difference, except in the price. What's the opinion from those But I don't know if they're the same pickups as those on the WD website. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. http://www.kentarmstrong.com/KentContact.html. I love the look of 3 humbuckers, but the extra one does little sonically. I wandered over to the Kent Armstrong website earlier. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Hi, I don't have a personnal experience with the Armstrong Casino P90s, but I've had other KA pickups (a Firebird mini hum and lipstick pickps) and they were quite good. Maybe more like a Ford fusion, then say a Holdworth type thing. There was a set in a D'Angelico I just traded. Really thin and very harsh. It's just magnets and wire at the end of the day. Please check your items carefully and confirm they are correct for color, position, etc. He has a Classic 57 mounted as a floating humbucker That could be a great solution! Your IP: All of these modern updates have done nothing to quell demand for lipstick pickups, new and old. He was jamming on it while I was in the store which is what caught my attention. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. (HJGN-2 for neck mount version) Made in the tradition of the Johnny Smith endorsed Gibson instruments introduced in the early '60s. 1995-2022 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved. Today, lipstick pickups and their tone are still synonymous with the Danelectro sound. They sound very authentic for P90's and when used in Parallel, they move into Tele territory for tone. Very warm sound. His current product line is produced to his specs overseas for the "mass" market and as such seems to carry a big "bang for the buck" combined with low cost. 2 reviews, 4,340 hits, 0 comments 9.9 Superb HSDO-1 Super Distortion This is a high output, tight, bassy I used them exclusively in my tele strat builds for a long time, and those are all nice pups, too. Rewiring to 1 master vol plus a specific vol for middle pup should be quite cheap; it doesn't need any new / different components. i think ill go for them. Gotta find that pup and find a guitar to install it in soon! Theyre unique pickups, different from a Tele neck pickup, different from a Stratocaster single-coil pickup. Mike, thanks for the feedback (no pun intended). I prefer passive pickups for their character and subtle nuances. Not a good comparison as the Kent Armstrongs you mention are his factory wound models.To pit them against a Bare knuckle that is a hand wound at 3 times the price.Have you tried any of Kent's hand wound models? I have the Tele bridge pickup and it's OK, but not great. Sep 26, 2012 #9 Stephent28 Supporting Member Feb 1, 2005 C470, CO I'm not sure how their other pickups are. select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. Their relatively hollow, plywood-composite construction also plays a significant role. 04-16-2008, 05:17 PM Well by looking at the list of players that he's made pickups for, he should be **** good. I really like my Ibanez AM205-AV Prestige. #Bedroom Level# Tube Amp, Is it possible. Mike, Any experience with this one? http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Pickups:_Guitar,_archtop/Kent_Armstrong_Suspended_Jazz_Humbuck That assembly was then wrapped in cellophane tape, vacuum wax potted, and inserted straight into the trademark lipstick tube coversactual lipstick tubes! Between the warmth and adjustability, you just can't beat this pickup. So what are they? I put a set of noisless Kent Armstrong P90's in a PRS SE Soapbar 2 - I also wired them Series or Parallel. Also what is the difference between active and passive pickups? Announcing the all new jazz pickup line! Epoxy casting inside the cover allows for added coil to give a sweet mini-humbucker tone. I may be wrong, but i think that is one of the overseas "licensed" pickups, not handmade in Vermont. Kent Armstrong humbucker removed from I have a Bendetto floater on my Guild Benedetto AA and I love it. This pickup is only 3/8 thick but sacrifices nothing in terms of By contrast, the Armstrong (VT-made) PAF 12-pole humbucker has a much fatter, more electric sound. He also has a line of Korean-made pickups that are very good for the price, but they're not in the same league as his hand-wound stuff. Webhey guys, i was wondering if any of u have had experience with kent armstrong pickups. That said, other Korean Kent Armstrong pickups I tried sounded very good as well, so I would not hesitate trying them. WebEmail: sales@kentarmstrong.com Phone: (239) 543-3625 Fax: (239) 543-5874 WD Music Products, Inc. 17570 N. Tamiami Trail Suite 1 North Fort Myers, FL 33903 What I did not know was the extent of the Kent Armstrong catalog. Anyone have any experience with them? Danos usually feature a 3-way toggle switch. Kent is Dan Armstrongs (of ampeg plexiglass etc. That meant that the bobbins and custom-machined pole pieces Fender and Gibson used were out. Learning Jazz Improvisation - "Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate". This instrument is listed as being in 'very good' condition in accordance with Reverb's definition of the term. Rickstar123 Especially the humbuckers and P90 humbucker retrofit and P90s Im very easy to satisfy; just give me a '58 Les Paul, a '52 Fender Tele w/ Bigsby, a '63 Gibson ES-335, a '62 Marshall JTM45, a '59 Fender Bassman, and a dozen or so assorted vintage Fender blackfaces and tweeds to play through and Ill be just fine. Great price. You must log in or register to reply here. Pasted as rich text. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Roy and Sid worked together on the project on a no-compromises basis - the finest mahogany body, a quilt top that Paul Reed Smith himself suggested they use for the project and so on. You may have to register I just fitted a tele bridge pickup and it's great. You are using an out of date browser. been to his house and talked to him many times. I did not. In fact, you were doing that on the vid and it was good. Not horrified, but bowled over with mediocrity. These pickups still deliver the same tone but are much more reliable and easier to manufacture. So if you are in the market for these old-school models, we recommend finding a broken-down Dano from the 50s or 60s and pulling the pickups out yourself. Nice wire, nice waxed string cover on the coil, nice box, good screws and springs. I'll have to get around to trying it in a "real" guitar one of these days. I played a mates Bare-Knuckle p.ups the other day and they sounded AWESOME. This sweet sounding jazz pickup comes in either neck-mount or side-mount configurations. also with respect, I could not agree less. One retailer mentions that Kent Armstrong's pickups with adjustable poles can be adjusted to work with either nickel or bronze strings, a claim that doesn't appear to originate with the manufacturer. I have a KA 12 pole humbucker packed away somewhere that I had in the bridge position of a Tele I sold, not sure if it's a US, and remember that it sounded really good and was good enough that I made sure to remove it before selling the Tele. I tried the humbucker sized P90s. It would be hard to describe in words just how bad they were. Maybe I got a bad set but they were the muddiest mo Thanks one and all, that's filled in a lot of blanks for me, and hopefully others. That pickup combo gave the most amazing tones. If you go here. SnoMan97December 17, 2008 in Electric Guitars. A Smooth Sam pickup will breathe depth and articulation back into your favorite archtop guitar and make you fall in love all over again. Assuming they do, it is curious how so many people automatically rip out the stock Epi pickups and replace them with (you guessed it) Kent Armstrongs. The neck pickup produces a surprisingly authentic jazz tone with, the tone rolled down, with it rolled up it's a a warm nice tone with. He learned to wind pickups from his father and Bill Lawrence. I put a Vermont Armstrong P-90 pickup in my Ampeg AMG-100. The middle pup doesn't do much tone-wise on a 3 pup LP so the stock Epi pup is fine in my view. I had that configuration on an Epi LP and it worked great. Kiesel Guitars: Allan Holdsworth Signature. This company advertises that they have the hand wound Kent Armstrongs: http://www.oneflightupguitars.com/kentarmstrong.html. Though arguably, modern improvements have made lipstick pickup design better, some players live and die by the originals. I don't need to read posts like this, Greg! Is this Mark Whitfield's new D'Angelico??? Hughes and Kettner, Victory Amps, Black Star, Two Notes, etc.