All I know is WD sells Kent Armstrong pups at higher end pricing with no sound clips or specs. 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. The later made-in China pickups are not nearly as well put together as the old ones. You can post now and register later. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. I had a KA Hot 60s Tele Neck pup in a project that I did few years ago, sounded awesome. Neck postion, this KA pup : http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/PAF_Style_Chrome_Cover_HPAC-1, 2. I imagine earlier pre WD Armstrong pickups would hold quite a bit of value. Theyre their own thing. LOL. 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. If I was having another Sei or similar built I'd have KAs in it. ive noticed that about my guitar that the middle doesnt really do much. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Unfortunately for many years these sorely needed pickups - made by Dan Armstrong & Son never materalized.". I'd go for that configuration again if I had a 3 humbucker guitar. 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. Kent Armstrong Vintage Series 6 Shooter JavaScript is disabled. I've got them in two guitars of my own. I put Kent Armstrongs in my much-reviled epiphone LP about a year ago and found them to be a good pickup and much improved over the stockers (obviously). What I did not know was the extent of the Kent Armstrong catalog. Anyone have any experience with them? I have some KA's in a Benedetto Benny. All times are GMT-7. no, i don't like those one bit. They were meant to be used straight into a tube amp, although an OD pedal is ok. Mike, thanks for the feedback (no pun intended). Ive found using a bridge Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini hum in the neck position of my Tele, gives me a warmer, darker No, I agree, with shells it's a lot easier and in some cases sounds richer. Paste as plain text instead, but the hot p90s are staying in. Thanks again. This is the 7 string version of Kent Armstrong's super popular jazz humbucking pickup. His pickups are really, really nice. The reason I asked here is I know I'll get good info I can trust, you go through a lot of chaff before you find something really useful trawling. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars. While some might call it a brittle sound, others love the faster response and better note definition. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Epoxy casting inside the cover allows for added coil to give a sweet mini-humbucker tone. Danos usually feature a 3-way toggle switch. Archtop pickups are halfway down. 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. Most people consider Kent's jazz Pickups to be the best in the world and who are we to argue? A good friend of mine (Roy) had a guitar built for him, to his own personal design and specification, by his good friend the one and only Sid Poole (who made the most finely built electric guitars on the planet before his recent death - even Paul Reed Smith himself is agreed on this, and even here we all accept the quality of PRS constructions and finishes). Mar 9, 2015 #6 That pickup combo gave the most amazing tones. I got the cheap ones (I was only 18 at the time) and was very pleased. This is the links to the two: http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Rocker_Humbucker_Gold_Cover_HRG-1, http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Rocker_Alnico_Humbucker_Gold_Cover_HRG-1A. We understand the questions. regardless, jazz pickups don't sound anything like MB pickups. Sunny Coalville. etc.) I have a set of Kent Armstrong's Icon series Strat pickups. Copyright 2023 Seymour Duncan. son. By I was shocked! humbuck size p90s.. and the vintage 12 pole humbuck. Armstrong pickups If this is your first visit, be sure to I got the hot-rodded PAFs and they have held up quite well. And.they sounded way different too. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Wasn't so keen on the bridge which is hot @ 15k. You cannot paste images directly. i think ill try and persuade my dad to rewire it for me. kent arnstrong hot lips Since I wrote that post I did some trawling and found some good references, also got on the humbucker page at GFS and copy/paste all the specs on the ones I'll get next windfall. the lp studio has the vintage 12 pole humbuck at the bridge, and that's a keeper, too. 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. I believe he still does hand winds to order in the states. Indeed, the Kent Armstrong lipstick pickups on Scheff basses sound strong and clear. 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. Your previous content has been restored. But the name is much more accurate than many players realize. Very warm sound. Playing them clean in a tube amp.best tone I've ever heard. I just ordered some Burstbuckers (#2, #3) on the strength of recommendations on this forum. Rewiring to 1 master vol plus a specific vol for middle pup should be quite cheap; it doesn't need any new / different components. Players love how they teeter between tone and chaos. More than likely, the pickups are worth way more than the rest of the guitar anyway. So there should be a few good European Pickup builders Bare Knuckles, Haussel,etc? S. Thank you for the awesome information in this thread to those who have posted. The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. You must log in or register to reply here. Does anybody really play bebop these days? Matthew Bellamy of Muse used the "Motherbucker" In his first few custom guitars. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. We are not able to accommodate order changes or cancellations once you have completed the check out process. Opinions on KENT ARMSTRONG pickups - Seymour Theres a ton of in-depth information on all of our different designs, how-tos, tone demonstrations, and a whole lot more. They are here to help. Kent Armstrong Pickups | The Gear Page It's funny that this thread just came up, because I discussed this topic with my tech just today. Kent Armstrong The middle pup doesn't do much tone-wise on a 3 pup LP so the stock Epi pup is fine in my view. good low end with plenty of midrange cut-through and hi sparkle Sam Sherry, Thanks for your response. I'll have to get around to trying it in a "real" guitar one of these days. WD Music's Kent Armstrong Humbuckers- Are these any It felt wrong and so I told him that I wasn't interested." Improving my guitars tone. Part 2: A different pickup I contacted Kent Armstrong himself about the pickup thinking maybe I'd just have him make me new one and here was his Well by looking at the list of players that he's made pickups for, he should be **** good. I'm really shocked at reading this thread as I have bought 2 guitars that have had KA pups (mini hum and hums) and in both cases these guitars were totally liberated by replacing themI replaced the KA mini humbucker with a Duncan SM-3 mini and the humbuckers with a Duncan JB and a Bare knuckle Stormy Monday. the upgrade turned both guitars from potential ebay items into favourites.go figure!? 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. Quality-wise they are in between stock Epis and the more expensive Seymours and Gibsons. Then you can dial the middle one to zero. Kent Armstrong makes a number of different hand-wound pickups and will do custom work as well. From the well setup action and the finely-cut nut, to the smooth polyurethane I dropped by my local guitar shop today and the tech had just installed KENT ARMSTRONG (?) To start viewing messages, 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.) If you go for the re-wire, the easiest option is 3 volumes and master tone. 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. I love my Eastman 905, but I don't really love the Kent Armstrong floating pickup that came with it. EDIT: forgot to mention, I'm especially interested coz I have a G-400 Custom which has 3 buckers also, and I have an active picup git, an Ultra-II with NanoMag, it can make some half decent tones. thanks. Glad a better product exists from them but they need a top notch marketing person in the states. I use it with the series parallel switch and with 13.5k output, it works well in passive mode. Best Pickups for Everything This page was generated at 01:08 AM. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. Theyre unique pickups, different from a Tele neck pickup, different from a Stratocaster single-coil pickup. For reference, lets take a look at our (retired) Danelectro Lipstick Tube pickup. I'm actually thinking of up grading. There seem to be a plethora of newer 100 watt smaller floor based amps these days. http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/PAF_Style_Chrome_Cover_HPAC-1, http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Rocker_Alnico_Humbucker_Chrome_Cover_HRC-1A. Kent Armstrong Pickups And like the Rhoads fan mentioned above, the split tones are excellent, and not that weak-ass puss-o-matic tone which is the usual result of split coils. It is true he never runs out of notes. I bought one of the pickups made by WD music in Kent's name. http://wdmusicproducts.com/Merchant2_Code=PUHMBCKR. There was a Kent Armstrong humbucker of some sort in the bridge position of my US Masters when I got it. Top 3: The Best Jazz Pickups by Seymour Duncan Great depth of tone, and not real screamers. tone forum. Assuming they do, it is curious how so many I'm about 90% there. I like the WD Kent Armstrong pickups very much. The Epiphone pickups measured 7.7K (neck) and 8.2K (bridge). 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. 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 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. Most people consider Kent's jazz Pickups to be the best in the world and who are we to argue? 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. For that sort of tone you want the alnico 2 magnets. I think the laminate top really inhibited the projection and the volume of the guitar in a pure acoustic settingmy Gitane D500 is so much LOUDER than any acoustic I've ever used. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Daniel found he could source lipstick tubes from wholesalers for much less than standard pickup covers. Note: This instrument has been modified from it's original condition. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Also, dont forget to dig into the rest of the Seymour Duncan blog. While I really like the SBUS, you can count me in that it's bright. WebKent Armstrong Hand Made Johnny Smith floating Pickup. These custom-made covers allow them to be manufactured in many different sizes and fit the most popular pickup routes like Strat pickups. They're were custom wound and came with the guitar. Someone tell me if this is right, please add corrections? Pickups like our Lipstick Tube Strat pickup drop comfortably into most Fender-style pickup routes. Alnico 3 with Formvar wire. They have a nice full tone not thin and bright like most pickups in this output range. I love the look of 3 humbuckers, but the extra one does little sonically. Looks like you haven't made a choice yet. 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. The cheaper type are made in the far-east while the more expensive ones are USA made. Unfortunately it didn't work out - for Dan wanted an additional 10% above of the proceeds for the use of his name. In the 1940s, Nathan Daniel found success with his budget line of electric instrument amplifiers, Silvertone and Danelectro. Kent Armstrong Pick-Ups - Any good? | Telecaster In fact, modern guitarists such as Phoebe Bridgers still swing Danelectros over their shoulders quite often. Mike, Any experience with this one? http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Pickups:_Guitar,_archtop/Kent_Armstrong_Suspended_Jazz_Humbuck Super Block United States. Danos usually feature a 3-way toggle switch. SnoMan97December 17, 2008 in Electric Guitars. It would be hard to describe in words just how bad they were. www.wdmusic.com is the us distributor. There are millions of jazz basses out there, much fewer SB basses. I once had occasion to call Mr Armstrong in Vermont and found him to be absolutely accommodating and quite a delightful person. JavaScript is disabled. 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. You are using an out of date browser. dude i love that guitar! We get asked a ton of questions about lipstick single-coil pickups. My main problem is I live in a unit so I can never play anything out loud, I'm looking to re-locate asap. SBUK Up solos the neck pickup. they have the full range and a brief description of each one. WebFor Sale First Edition 2003 Ibanez JTK1 JetKing w/ Kent Armstrong PAF Humbuckers in Transparent Black Red Sunburst Finish. even the lower priced ones.. 30.00 or so, in single coils were excellent. You are using an out of date browser. 1995-2022 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved. If yours sound like P-90's should sound OR you are happy with them, then don't even think about replacing them. I prefer passive pickups for their character and subtle nuances. It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. I always wanted to get a third pickup (the Armstrong Rock Treble, or something like that) for the guitar, but haven't done so yet. Never worry about fitting a pickup under the strings again! It may have just been whatever model I had that I didn't like. Maybe more like a Ford fusion, then say a Holdworth type thing. Also what is the difference between active and passive pickups? Hijacking my own thread:doh: Announcing the all new jazz pickup line! Great price. Most of the time I played with the middle one set to zero volume. 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. I emailed Kent Armstrong himself, and he said they were PAF's. That is not a knock on Eastman, they 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. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. The tone is bright and detailed with a single coil type twang that also provides great crunch on Finally, modern lipstick single-coil pickups offer a variety of wiring improvements. do [/quote] Thanks. 67 AB165 BF Bassman "restoration" complete. One look at them, and its easy to see why they quickly took the name lipstick pickups. Were asked everything from what they sound like to Will they fit in my guitar? and more. Bridge position a hotter KA like : http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Rocker_Alnico_Humbucker_Chrome_Cover_HRC-1A. WebReviews Kent Armstrong Vintage Series 6 Shooter PAF Style Humbucker Pickup This pickup design has sweet, soulful tones with a warm bass, punchy mids, and a bright, jangly treble response. Does anyone know if the Kent Armstrong pickups that "W D Music" sells are the real deal or - are they the Licensed pickups? There are 2 different types of Kent Armstrongs. I just fitted a tele bridge pickup and it's great. Check out any vintage Zep live footage, and youll see what we mean. S, Copyright 2022 - Jazz Guitar Online - All rights reserved - Privacy Policy. There was a set in a D'Angelico I just traded. These are the Kent Armstrong pickups in my Soloist: The bridge pickup has a bright fendery tone, for a humbucker it. Among its other design factors, Danelectros magic can be traced straight to the highly unique pickups that Nathan Daniel designed. 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. I've got a set in an el-cheapo Flying V I have. The magic is in your fingers. 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 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. 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. 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. Instead, jazz players often focus on tonal purity 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. They were very impresive. He is a very good friend and a good guy also. select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. In my case, a 30 minute job involving a certain amount of swearing. I have three MB-3 pickups to rewind. I have another Tele with an SD AlNiCo II pickup that I prefer over the Kent Armstrong. This pickup is vertualy brand new. Kent Armstrong i was looking at the seymour duncan ones but i think there a bit expensive because ill need 3 of them. EMGs or something else but they were so good I've kept them. Kent is Dan Armstrongs (of ampeg plexiglass etc. Here's a link to a great semi-technical explanation: http://www.guitartechcraig.com/techpckp/pickups.htm. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Pickups:_Guitar,_archtop/Kent_Armstrong_Suspended_Jazz_Humbucker.html. Has anyone checked Peter Bernstein Zeidler? Sam: How was the pickup swap in your ElRey? I haven't needed to use him for years but his rewinds were superb. The variability might have worked in your favor. Click to reveal Powered by Invision Community. Kent Armstrong pickups - any good? - Ultimate Guitar I'd like to try one. There is a chance that you might have gotten a "good" set of P90's as stock equipment on your Epi. To answer that question, well have to dig into their history, lipstick pickup construction, and their relationship to Danelectro guitars. but ebay prices will beat them.. handy for descriptions though. Unlike the Duncan SMB4D the Armstrong is very consistent all the way up the neck with thick mids, clear highs and growling lows. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Rickstar123 Specifically the tele bridge and the neck mini humbucker pickups. 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. They make many, many pickups. If you have any other questions about lipstick pickups, lipstick pickup construction, or lipstick wiring, dont hesitate to get in touch! Down solos the bridge pickup. However, there are some people who want even more flexibility in this style of pickup, so Kent has brewed up something new and even more versatile. May 20, 2009 in Epiphone Electrics. Kent Armstrong - Any Good? - Seymour Duncan User What's the opinion from those around here who's tried some of his work? JavaScript is disabled. The lead "Vintage" pickup was less chunky sounding than a Burstbucker 1 but creamier than an Antiquity. I have spoken to him many times on the phone. When I first got the guitar my standard procedure was to swap things for. All rights reserved. Display as a link instead, I did not. It was definitely an improvement over the stock pickup, which itself was not a bad pickup. Though arguably, modern improvements have made lipstick pickup design better, some players live and die by the originals. Between the warmth and adjustability, you just can't beat this pickup. In the same price range I prefer GFS pups. I've fitted their humbuckers and P94s to several guitars in recent years. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. Kent Armstrong They cost around 40 give-or-take here (Seymour Duncan and 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. Both these Kent Armstrong made in the USA pickups are far superior to what Eastman is selling on most of their guitars. ive seen a few for sale and was hoping u could tell me a bit about their sounds and what 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. It will still fit and fasten to any other archtop that is replacing a floater. That meant that the bobbins and custom-machined pole pieces Fender and Gibson used were out. As long as you are talking about KA pickups and bumping the thread, I think of it as no dis-service to the OP. VPB Hot Rod Series Hot Twins Split Pickup For Fender Precision Bass 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. I put a Vermont Armstrong P-90 pickup in my Ampeg AMG-100. 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 The pickups are hot a great pairing with my Engal Powerball, Mesa Roadking and Carvin V3 all modern high gain amps. He has a Classic 57 mounted as a floating humbucker That could be a great solution! do kent armstrong do alnico 2s? It is only available as a side-mount (pickguard mount) due to varying neck sizes from manufacturer to manufacturer. been to his house and talked to him many times. 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 wandered over to the Kent Armstrong website earlier. I have the Tele bridge pickup and it's OK, but not great. Below are pictures of this model of pup as well as the Casino, as listed on the WD website: A site named "Dan Armstrong - A Man and His Guitars" outlines the history of Dan and his son, Kent, and their manufacture of guitars and pickups. (HJGN-2 for neck mount version) Made in the tradition of the Johnny Smith endorsed Gibson instruments introduced in the early '60s. All are welcome, from seasoned pros to absolute beginners. Hit the internet today, and youll find many companies making lipstick pickup replicas. So while many ended up collecting dust in basements, others found themselves on the worlds biggest stages and recording timeless rock n roll. Never worry about fitting a pickup under the strings again! This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Santa Barbara, California. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. 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. I also suggest that you choose your priority for heat level. Down solos the bridge pickup. Jazz guitar players are less interested in output and the unique voice pickups can bring to their instrument. My Epi originals had a passive resistance of about 14.5K Ohms!!!!! I had that configuration on an Epi LP and it worked great. 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. 04-16-2008, 05:17 PM Well by looking at the list of players that he's made pickups for, he should be **** good. Also, the bridge model had slightly increased output to better balance with the neck position pickup. Every one of my archtops (5) has a Kent Armstrong 14-pole PAF humbucker. From years of modifying and designing special recipes for his customers, Kent You may have to register But not everyone. WebThe Rocker cleans up nicely and is warm, even in an alder/maple set up. I have a set of his humbuckers in my neckthrough semihollow. I put Kent Armstrongs in my much-reviled epiphone LP about a year ago and found them to be a good pickup and much improved over the stockers (obviously). I have Was not knocked out by the tele set I had. Due to their size limitations and other considerations, lipstick pickups provided a low output and DC resistance that excelled at clean tones.
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