The downside was that you could get close to a Strat sound, and you could get close to a humbucker sound, but you couldn't nail either one. That said, other Korean Kent Armstrong pickups I tried sounded very good as well, so I would not hesitate trying them. Looking for the ultimate Jazz/Fusion Allrounder Guitar, The "capacitor trick" on a Superblock US: 3 values compared (with audio), Looking for some Wisdom on Mini Humbuckers. These new pickups allow you to completely equalize the string balance through height adjustment of individual polepieces. Kent Armstrong has long been the best jazz pickup designer in the industry. WebDescription Reviews (0) Description This is a low output humbucker that is reminiscent of the early Gretsch FilterTron pickups which are used for rock, country and rockabilly. You can post now and register later. Sky/kent Armstrong Pickups Kent Armstrong pickupsany good? - Harmony Central before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The neck pickup produces a surprisingly authentic jazz tone with . That assembly was then wrapped in cellophane tape, vacuum wax potted, and inserted straight into the trademark lipstick tube coversactual lipstick tubes! People still mistakenly use 0.022uF/22nF/22000pF or 47nF caps on anything, but even a 22nF is really too dark on mid level inductance pickups for fundamental note definition up the entire neck. The new owner loves the sound of the KA too. Also, dont forget to dig into the rest of the Seymour Duncan blog. These are the Kent Armstrong pickups in my Soloist: The bridge pickup has a bright fendery tone, for a humbucker it. Kent Armstrong Pickups | The Gear Page Hughes and Kettner, Victory Amps, Black Star, Two Notes, etc. It had a nice tone, good link above. Kent goes on to describe "It just didn't seem right to me. Also what is the difference between active and passive pickups? Along with Dire Straits Mark Knopfler, Page also found his Dano perfect for electrified blues slide. One common upgrade is the pickup covers. This is the same pickup used by Eastman on their 7 string archtops. After I wax potted them they weren't too bad. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Very warm sound. They cost around 40 give-or-take here (Seymour Duncan and These new pickups allow you to completely equalize the string balance through height adjustment of individual polepieces. I had a KA Hot 60s Tele Neck pup in a project that I did few years ago, sounded awesome. Virtually no one knows about the high end products. 500k pots are good with P90's if the pickup resonance is in a good range. Does anybody really play bebop these days? but the hot p90s are staying in. 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. Well, now he has outdone himself. Rewiring to 1 master vol plus a specific vol for middle pup should be quite cheap; it doesn't need any new / different components. Danos usually feature a 3-way toggle switch. I thought it sounded terrible. I've got them in two guitars of my own. This pickup is only 3/8 thick but sacrifices nothing in terms of the full rich sound that players have come to expect from him. It was definitely an improvement over the stock pickup, which itself was not a bad pickup. thanks. This pickup is only 3/8 thick but sacrifices nothing in terms of And if you do find them, youre going to pay a premium. No more actual lipstick tubes! They certainly suit me, although YMMV. i dont know anything about those models mentioned, but just a word of props for Kent Armstrong, he is a super nice guy and makes a quality product. There was a Kent Armstrong humbucker of some sort in the bridge position of my US Masters when I got it. Sam: How was the pickup swap in your ElRey? You may have to register Most of the time I played with the middle one set to zero volume. I love the look of 3 humbuckers, but the extra one does little sonically. Please check your items carefully and confirm they are correct for color, position, etc. The tone is bright and detailed with a single coil type twang that also provides great crunch on There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. also with respect, I could not agree less. In the 1940s, Nathan Daniel found success with his budget line of electric instrument amplifiers, Silvertone and Danelectro. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Opinions on KENT ARMSTRONG pickups - Seymour 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. All I know is WD sells Kent Armstrong pups at higher end pricing with no sound clips or specs. I had my LP wired so that 1 volume pot was a master volume, and the other was middle pup only. Dan and Kent planned to reproduce the pickups that Dan and Bill Lawrence made for the famed see-through acrylic "Dan Armstrong" guitar, sold by Ampeg. I'd like to try one. 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 this drumming I have Announcing the all new Side mounted Jazz Pickup. Amazing humility saying built and repaired pickups for 50 years when he is the guy personally hand making the pickups for the amazing Ken Smith basses. S. Thank you for the awesome information in this thread to those who have posted. I was talking with my luthier the other day abound building an archtop and he was also saying he could put a BK Stormy Monday as a floating pickup even being a regular-sized humbucker. Paste as plain text instead, 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. This is the 7 string version of Kent Armstrong's super popular jazz humbucking pickup. Active pickups are battery-boosted for even more power, usually with an on-board 9v battery. Your IP: 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. L5 CES started in '53, had p90s, soon got staple pickups, then Carvin or Kiesel Alan Holdsworth HH2 WD Music's Kent Armstrong Humbuckers- Are these any 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. Kent Armstrong Pickups The, not so good, PUs may be great to other folks. Powered by Invision Community. Their relatively hollow, plywood-composite construction also plays a significant role. But not everyone. They sound very authentic for P90's and when used in Parallel, they move into Tele territory for tone. Thanks to their popularity, finding vintage, original lipstick pickups is next to impossible. Kent Armstrong Pickups They also split for single coil use better than any other humbucker I've tried. They were very impresive. I have used Seymours and Gibsons and there's very little difference, except in the price. Kent Armstrong FWIW, the markings on the bottom of the original P-90's say Epiphone (engraved in the bottom plate) with a sticker on each that says either neck BHK or Bridge BHK for the respective pickup. 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 put a Vermont Armstrong P-90 pickup in my Ampeg AMG-100. I really like my Ibanez AM205-AV Prestige. A Smooth Sam pickup will breathe depth and articulation back into your favorite archtop guitar and make you fall in love all over again. He learned to wind pickups from his father and Bill Lawrence. 62.133.128.109 They were OEM pickups pulled from some Jazz guitars. Top 3: The Best Jazz Pickups by Seymour Duncan Assuming they do, it is curious how so many Announcing the all new jazz pickup line! Theyre their own thing. I've never had any experience of KA humbuckers but the single coil pickups that japasul is considering are great and for the price of KA's I don't think that you can go too far wrong. I was aware that Kent Armstrong made pickups and they were used in a lot of guitars. I got the hot-rodded PAFs and they have held up quite well. Middle position, your stock Epi neck pup, 3. It is the bridge model of the 4/5 string soapbar. For such high output pups, they sure preserve a lot of the guitar's acoustic tone. Theyre unique pickups, different from a Tele neck pickup, different from a Stratocaster single-coil pickup. Alan Mearns - incredible Bach arrangements / playing. I put a set of noisless Kent Armstrong P90's in a PRS SE Soapbar 2 - I also wired them Series or Parallel. The neck model was built Reverse Wound / Reverse Polarity from the bridge model for hum-canceling operation when using both pickups. 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. Up until now, I have had no other verification of this claim, until he directed me to the WD Music website (as milospilo has provided the link above). This explains why I wasnt as concerned with the Epiphones tone. I have mentioned in previous posts that my tech had claimed that the stock P90 pups in my '56 Gold Top Les Paul and Zephyr Blues Deluxe (see my sig.) (HJGN-2 for neck mount version) Made in the tradition of the Johnny Smith endorsed Gibson instruments introduced in the early '60s. IMHO, for a Casino a good set is about 7.5k/8k for the bridge and 6.5k/7k for the neck pickup. but ebay prices will beat them.. handy for descriptions though. By 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. The magic is in your fingers. Kent Armstrong This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. That's the only first hand experience I have with Kent Armstrong pickups. I would be interested in you comments about the Benedetto swap. I just purchased an El Rey4 and I find the original pickup kind of listless. Archtop pickups are halfway down. Among its other design factors, Danelectros magic can be traced straight to the highly unique pickups that Nathan Daniel designed. I was shocked! All rights reserved. For me, the tone is wayyy too bright, and it seems like the top 80% of the tone wheel is all the same (this could actually be a wiring issue, I have to have it inspected). Kent Armstrong We get asked a ton of questions about lipstick single-coil pickups. Down solos the bridge pickup. Kent Armstrong Vintage Series 6 Shooter You are using an out of date browser. It would be hard to describe in words just how bad they were. The lead "Vintage" pickup was less chunky sounding than a Burstbucker 1 but creamier than an Antiquity. Looks like you haven't made a choice yet. But he is the ideal example of repetitiveness, and also extreme rythmic monotonity, which is interesting to Good info, I kinda want to check out a newer one from the custom shop. Never worry about fitting a pickup under the strings again! Theres a ton of in-depth information on all of our different designs, how-tos, tone demonstrations, and a whole lot more. Matthew Bellamy of Muse used the "Motherbucker" In his first few custom guitars. I love my Eastman 905, but I don't really love the Kent Armstrong floating pickup that came with it. This instrument is listed as being in 'very good' condition in accordance with Reverb's definition of the term. I don't need to read posts like this, Greg! The Kent Armstrong Humbucker on the Eastman AR371ce measured about 8.7K Ohms at the output jack. It may have just been whatever model I had that I didn't like. http://wdmusicproducts.com/Merchant2_Code=PUHMBCKR. Clear editor. There are 2 different types of Kent Armstrongs. the pickups in my bree/blue fretless are kent armstrong hand-wounds very nice. 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. And.they sounded way different too. I like the WD Kent Armstrong pickups very much. There was a set in a D'Angelico I just traded. Check out any vintage Zep live footage, and youll see what we mean. Hit the internet today, and youll find many companies making lipstick pickup replicas. He was jamming on it while I was in the store which is what caught my attention. They have a nice full tone not thin and bright like most pickups in this output range. Kent Armstrong I was happy with it. Alnico 3 with Formvar wire. Hot is darker After listening to Mark Whitfield's videos I thought his playing was excellent, however the Soho's tone was very bright and plinkyto me. has body but the upper frequency contour is really interesting. I had some double blade Strat pickups in my parts Strat for a while. The fit and finish of the year 2000 Fender American Standard Strat are excellent. before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. What would you guys recommend fro the bridge of a Les Paul if I want deep bass, solid mids, and sweet(smooth) highs. check out the FAQ by clicking the In fact, you were doing that on the vid and it was good. they have the full range and a brief description of each one. 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. There seem to be a plethora of newer 100 watt smaller floor based amps these days. JavaScript is disabled. Matthew Bellamy of Muse used the "Motherbucker" In his first few custom guitars. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, You are using an out of date browser. Never worry about fitting a pickup under the strings again! So while many ended up collecting dust in basements, others found themselves on the worlds biggest stages and recording timeless rock n roll. No lie, folks, he also built the Televersary. Tech experts from Seymour Duncan are regularly on this forum, and are clearly labeled as employees of Seymour Duncan. yes. They can be a little bit of figuring to roll off and clean up but once you find the sweet spot your good to go and you can't expect pristine creamy cleans from pickups of this output. IMO, they are the best jazz pickup out there. At this point, I do not know if Kent Armstrong supplies Epiphone with other OEM pickups in addition to these P90's. There is a chance that you might have gotten a "good" set of P90's as stock equipment on your Epi. Rickstar123 For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Indeed, the Kent Armstrong lipstick pickups on Scheff basses sound strong and clear. It's just magnets and wire at the end of the day. He is a very good friend and a good guy also. To start viewing messages, Bags of twang and not microphonic like the SD pickup I replaced. You could probably find a wiring diagram on the net, and it's a 15 minute job for someone who's good with a soldering iron. I got the cheap ones (I was only 18 at the time) and was very pleased. Between the warmth and adjustability, you just can't beat this pickup. Legendary Tones - 2000 Fender American Standard Strat All times are GMT-7. 6.6k. Sold through big-box retailers like Sears Roebuck, they offered budding players decent amps at bargain prices. Mike, thanks for the feedback (no pun intended). Anyone have any experience with them? Kent Armstrong Pickups For that sort of tone you want the alnico 2 magnets. Kent Armstrong humbucker removed from I currently have one of their mini-humbuckers in the neck of my Tele. Kent Armstrong - Any Good? - Seymour Duncan User That meant that the bobbins and custom-machined pole pieces Fender and Gibson used were out. If I was having another Sei or similar built I'd have KAs in it. I used them exclusively in my tele strat builds for a long time, and those are all nice pups, too. We are not able to accommodate order changes or cancellations once you have completed the check out process. Very well built pickups, that sound good also. check out the FAQ by clicking the thanks for your help. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0631601a9af2e4 Mar 9, 2015 #6 In my case, a 30 minute job involving a certain amount of swearing. However, Dan and Kent had a major falling-out, as the story explains: "The proposal was for Kent to manufacture and distribute the pickups, and for using his fathers name they would split the proceeds. As long as you are talking about KA pickups and bumping the thread, I think of it as no dis-service to the OP. You are using an out of date browser. Alnico magnets are the traditional 50s/60s Gibson/Fender standards and generally have a warmer fuller tone than ceramic. When I first got the guitar my standard procedure was to swap things for. Tech experts from Seymour Duncan are regularly on this forum, and are clearly labeled as employees of Seymour Duncan. 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. The PAF and bridge humbucker in my Jackson Soloist are excellent pickups. When I first got the guitar my standard procedure was to swap things for I want to do it unobtrusively and I don't like piezo pickups, so I'm planning on getting a floating pickup and making a new pickguard to mount it. It is true he never runs out of notes. While I really like the SBUS, you can count me in that it's bright. You cannot paste images directly. ive noticed that about my guitar that the middle doesnt really do much. EMGs or something else but they were so good I've kept them. dude i love that guitar! Don't despare so quickly. 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. If this is your first visit, be sure to They make the Mexi Standard that I've had since 1998 sound so good I play it as first choice on a lot of gigs now. I believe he still does hand winds to order in the states. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars. Was not knocked out by the tele set I had. Super Block United States. These are the Kent Armstrong pickups in my Soloist: The bridge pickup has a bright fendery tone, for a humbucker it. Building A Jazz Language - Bebop focus, for the moment. This is fairly hot for a jazz guitar. Bridge position a hotter KA like : http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Rocker_Alnico_Humbucker_Chrome_Cover_HRC-1A. They are built/distributed by WD Music, which is a great company that is very helpful to smaller custom pickup builders with a wide range of pickup parts available for purchase. WebKent Armstrong - Any Good? Both these Kent Armstrong made in the USA pickups are far superior to what Eastman is selling on most of their guitars. That bridge pup with full treble and plenty of gain on the amp gets you a nice biting tone like Claptons' John Mayall period. I have one of his "hot-rails" type tele bridge pickups in my thinline and that is an amazing sounding pickup, not to mention the nicest made pickup of this type that I have seen from ANYONE (it even has a chrome plated grounding plate on the base), and that is one of his "mass-produced" pickups. 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. Maybe more like a Ford fusion, then say a Holdworth type thing. 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. i was looking at the seymour duncan ones but i think there a bit expensive because ill need 3 of them. All times are GMT-7. I can't remember what the model on it was, but I do remember trying to find it and it was discontinued. Judging by their use on low-end guitars I assume they're cheaper to make. Between the warmth and adjustability, you just can't beat this pickup. Well by looking at the list of players that he's made pickups for, he should be **** good. That is not a knock on Eastman, they This page was generated at 01:08 AM. They allow me to play the most aggressive styles of music out there like no other, they really complete my tone. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, the idea that the motherbucker is Broootal! I emailed Kent Armstrong himself, and he said they were PAF's. 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. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. I had a licensed Armstrong Floater installed in my Korean Gretsch Synchromatic(laminate) and I have to say it turned an unusable acoustic jazz guitar into an excellent electric jazz guitar for trad jazz/swing style rhythm playing and leads. Floating archtop pickups and bronze strings 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. 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. Your previous content has been restored. Some are excellent, some not so great, but of course that's a matter of taste. 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. If it's a 3-humbucker guitar I strongly recommend the following : 1. He had a KA Vintage in the neck and KA Hot Rod (both nickel covered) in the bridge. i dont know anything about those models mentioned, but just a word of props for Kent Armstrong, he is a super nice guy and makes a quality product. I've had a number of Kent Armstrong pickups over the years, and been pleased with them all. It felt wrong and so I told him that I wasn't interested." Thanks again. Today, lipstick pickups and their tone are still synonymous with the Danelectro sound. If yours sound like P-90's should sound OR you are happy with them, then don't even think about replacing them. Most people consider Kent's jazz Pickups to be the best in the world and who are we to argue? 2 reviews, 4,340 hits, 0 comments 9.9 Superb HSDO-1 Super Distortion This is a high output, tight, bassy I used the vintage in the neck and the HPAOR1 in the bridge. WebFor Sale First Edition 2003 Ibanez JTK1 JetKing w/ Kent Armstrong PAF Humbuckers in Transparent Black Red Sunburst Finish.