are kent armstrong pickups any good

S, Copyright 2022 - Jazz Guitar Online - All rights reserved - Privacy Policy. They also split for single coil use better than any other humbucker I've tried. Most people consider Kent's jazz Pickups to be the best in the world and who are we to argue? So those VT hand-wound, 12 pole HB'show much does something like that run? S. Thank you for the awesome information in this thread to those who have posted. Has an output of 8.14 k. 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. Copyright 2023 Seymour Duncan. Then you can dial the middle one to zero. 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. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. The later made-in China pickups are not nearly as well put together as the old ones. 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. Maybe I got a bad set but they were the muddiest most life-less pickups I have ever tried. 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. These new pickups allow you to completely equalize the string balance through height adjustment of individual polepieces. Great price. By But part of that is the guitar. 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. He had a KA Vintage in the neck and KA Hot Rod (both nickel covered) in the bridge. He made pickups for many UK builders (not to mention Benedetto (sp?) No lie, folks, he also built the Televersary. 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. Lipstick wiring is also a contributor. I have spoken to him many times on the phone. Compare to Super Block United Kingdom. I replaced it with a Dimarzio Tone Zone and have been happy as can be since. They offer authentic PAF tone, sounding open and warm while retaining excellent string to string articulation. WebKent Armstrong has long been the best jazz pickup designer in the industry. Display as a link instead, It is true he never runs out of notes. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0631601a9af2e4 Kent is a great guy. We are not able to accommodate order changes or cancellations once you have completed the check out process. Theyre unique pickups, different from a Tele neck pickup, different from a Stratocaster single-coil pickup. the only ones I didn't like were the stacked humbuck hot output.. way too dark for my taste. 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. His pickups are really, really nice. He has a Classic 57 mounted as a floating humbucker That could be a great solution! I'll hafta get some of Telenators PT-90's. I once had occasion to call Mr Armstrong in Vermont and found him to be absolutely accommodating and quite a delightful person. Very well built pickups, that sound good also. 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. dude i love that guitar! Along with Dire Straits Mark Knopfler, Page also found his Dano perfect for electrified blues slide. Privacy Policy | I got the cheap ones (I was only 18 at the time) and was very pleased. It may have just been whatever model I had that I didn't like. The Kent Armstrong Humbucker on the Eastman AR371ce measured about 8.7K Ohms at the output jack. 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. I can cast beige ones but adding the colour decreases my working time. Assuming they do, it is curious how so many All rights reserved. and start thinking about it and then my bank account will suffer. All of these modern updates have done nothing to quell demand for lipstick pickups, new and old. It is only available as a side-mount (pickguard mount) due to varying neck sizes from manufacturer to manufacturer. I changed out the stock p.ups because they were pretty crappy (apparently they have improved a lot over the years). Most people consider Kent's jazz Pickups to be the best in the world and who are we to argue? Virtually no one knows about the high end products. It really brightened the sound but the guitar needed that. It may not display this or other websites correctly. #Bedroom Level# Tube Amp, Is it possible. 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. Players love how they teeter between tone and chaos. Matthew Bellamy of Muse used the "Motherbucker" In his first few custom guitars. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, You cannot paste images directly. There is a chance that you might have gotten a "good" set of P90's as stock equipment on your Epi. We get asked a ton of questions about lipstick single-coil pickups. regardless, jazz pickups don't sound anything like MB pickups. 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). before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. ive heard both good and bad bout kent armstrong, but the overwhelming majority says good. Announcing the all new jazz pickup line! I just ordered some Burstbuckers (#2, #3) on the strength of recommendations on this forum. The middle pup doesn't do much tone-wise on a 3 pup LP so the stock Epi pup is fine in my view. LOL. I would have been doing all the work and Dan would get as much - actually more for just using his name. There seem to be a plethora of newer 100 watt smaller floor based amps these days. 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 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. 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. 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. Alan Mearns - incredible Bach arrangements / playing. but ebay prices will beat them.. handy for descriptions though. Alnico magnets are the traditional 50s/60s Gibson/Fender standards and generally have a warmer fuller tone than ceramic. I did not. They sounded decent. Never worry about fitting a pickup under the strings again! The neck pickup produces a surprisingly authentic jazz tone with . I heard the hot rod vintage is better than a JB? I had a KA Hot 60s Tele Neck pup in a project that I did few years ago, sounded awesome. But I don't know if they're the same pickups as those on the WD website. Up solos the neck pickup. Building A Jazz Language - Bebop focus, for the moment. Thanks to their popularity, finding vintage, original lipstick pickups is next to impossible. custom pickups into a 1994 Gibson Les Paul Standard. i think ill try and persuade my dad to rewire it for me. If you go here. Also, the bridge model had slightly increased output to better balance with the neck position pickup. The problem with P90s is that they are more than often too hot. 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). 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. And if you do find them, youre going to pay a premium. IMO, they are the best jazz pickup out there. He is a very good friend and a good guy also. I played a mates Bare-Knuckle p.ups the other day and they sounded AWESOME. While scores of guitarists got started on these plywood powerhouses, most would move on to something more reliable as their playing progressed. But then Danelectros are no longer the only place youll find lipsticks. They include his 61 Strat, 57 Strat, 66 Tele, Gretsch P90's, 59 Esquire and 78 Musicmaster pickups. [/quote] Thanks. before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. Theres a ton of in-depth information on all of our different designs, how-tos, tone demonstrations, and a whole lot more. EMGs or something else but they were so good I've kept them. They are here to help. Does anybody really play bebop these days? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It may not display this or other websites correctly. But not everyone. Is there any better bang for the buck in a new guitar than this. 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. I was aware that Kent Armstrong made pickups and they were used in a lot of guitars. 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). Upload or insert images from URL. Between the warmth and adjustability, you just can't beat this pickup. I'd go for that configuration again if I had a 3 humbucker guitar. I prefer passive pickups for their character and subtle nuances. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. They're were custom wound and came with the guitar. As long as you are talking about KA pickups and bumping the thread, I think of it as no dis-service to the OP. Jangly, chiming, clear, and detailed are often used to describe their singular voice. I contacted Kent Armstrong himself about the pickup thinking maybe I'd just have him make me new one and here was his Epoxy casting inside the cover allows for added coil to give a sweet mini-humbucker tone. I've got a set in an el-cheapo Flying V I have. Nice wire, nice waxed string cover on the coil, nice box, good screws and springs. Some are excellent, some not so great, but of course that's a matter of taste. You must log in or register to reply here. Don't despare so quickly. The new owner loves the sound of the KA too. Pretty much what the thread title says, anyone know if Kent Armstrong pickups are decent? the 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!? (and Szab (or Szabo) and not Sczabo or Szarb for God's sake). I've had several KA PUs. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. link above. I have used Seymours and Gibsons and there's very little difference, except in the price. Seymour Duncan Strat Sized Lipstick Pickup, Seymour Duncan Danelectro Lipstick Pickup, Seymour W. Duncan Biography: The Man Behind It All, Mark Holcomb Scarlet & Scourge Signature Humbuckers, The Wes Hauch Jupiter Rails Humbucker Pickup Set, The Present and Future of Lipstick Pickups. 1995-2022 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 Playing them clean in a tube amp.best tone I've ever heard. Well by looking at the list of players that he's made pickups for, he should be **** good. They were very impresive. If you go here' date='. thanks for your help. Was put on a customers guitar and modified to fit a D'Aquisto see offset bracket in picture. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. yes. He learned to wind pickups from his father and Bill Lawrence. he is quite the crackuphe was full of quips and one liners - it was an entertaining conversation. Maybe a medium output but with nice growl. Just youtube "Stockholm Sydrome Glastonbury" You'll get the idea, the idea that the motherbucker is Broootal! 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. I think it could do the whole fusion thing, but I have not really ran it like that. The lead "Vintage" pickup was less chunky sounding than a Burstbucker 1 but creamier than an Antiquity. has body but the upper frequency contour is really interesting. Specifically designed for use with traditional arch-top electrics. Was not knocked out by the tele set I had. I have 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. Hijacking my own thread:doh: 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. Theyre their own thing. WebKent Armstrong Hand Made Johnny Smith floating Pickup. This is the 7 string version of Kent Armstrong's super popular jazz humbucking pickup. All I know is WD sells Kent Armstrong pups at higher end pricing with no sound clips or specs. select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. Up solos the neck pickup. Kent then went on to make his own pickups using the name 'Rainbow Pickups' and once his name was more established, he changed it to Kent Armstrong Pickups. good low end with plenty of midrange cut-through and hi sparkle The extended cover allows for use with traditional 7 string arch-top electrics. 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 mixed and matched and put his 54 neck and 57 middle with a 62 in the bridge to slightly increase output and fatten up tone. Any users out there? In the same price range I prefer GFS pups. SBUK I use it with the series parallel switch and with 13.5k output, it works well in passive mode. son. Very warm sound. no, i don't like those one bit. In the 1940s, Nathan Daniel found success with his budget line of electric instrument amplifiers, Silvertone and Danelectro. They sound very authentic for P90's and when used in etc.) Well, now he has outdone himself. It sounded pretty good. That meant that the bobbins and custom-machined pole pieces Fender and Gibson used were out. Pickups like our Lipstick Tube Strat pickup drop comfortably into most Fender-style pickup routes. Instead, jazz players often focus on tonal purity Pasted as rich text. I also suggest that you choose your priority for heat level. 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. 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 PAF and bridge humbucker in my Jackson Soloist are excellent pickups. 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. The cheaper type are made in the far-east while the more expensive ones are USA made. Kent Armstrong humbucker removed from Specifically the tele bridge and the neck mini humbucker pickups. Anyone have any experience with them? I had a KA Hot 60s Tele Neck pup in a proje Maybe more like a Ford fusion, then say a Holdworth type thing. You won't find the distortion on the WD website though. I've had those pick ups in my MIM Tele for the last 5+ years and I think they're great, infact I kept them when I recently sold the guitar. What's the opinion from those I don't think they're anywhere near the Rolphs but I can't be arsed to swap them between guitars to do a real comparo. I'm actually thinking of up grading. Tech experts from Seymour Duncan are regularly on this forum, and are clearly labeled as employees of Seymour Duncan. I'd like to try one. Note: This instrument has been modified from it's original condition. Every one of my archtops (5) has a Kent Armstrong 14-pole PAF humbucker. Well, this time he has outdone himself. It was definitely an improvement over the stock pickup, which itself was not a bad pickup. I have some KA's in a Benedetto Benny. 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. And Strat Players like SRV retrofitted lipsticks into their Fenders years ago. Someone tell me if this is right, please add corrections? SnoMan97December 17, 2008 in Electric Guitars. Mike, Any experience with this one? http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Pickups:_Guitar,_archtop/Kent_Armstrong_Suspended_Jazz_Humbuck All times are GMT-7. There are 2 different types of Kent Armstrongs. 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.) 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. He was jamming on it while I was in the store which is what caught my attention. But the in-between There are millions of jazz basses out there, much fewer SB basses. It felt wrong and so I told him that I wasn't interested." Even with a dynacomp switched on! Danelectros had a unique sound that no other guitar could capture. One look at them, and its easy to see why they quickly took the name lipstick pickups. Kent Armstrong makes a number of different hand-wound pickups and will do custom work as well. All are welcome, from seasoned pros to absolute beginners. Armstrong or Rautia pickups are a much better way to go. Kent Armstrong sells his pickups exclusively through WDmusic. 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. Unfortunately it didn't work out - for Dan wanted an additional 10% above of the proceeds for the use of his name. JavaScript is disabled. 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 like the WD Kent Armstrong pickups very much. well ive got a korean made epi which im guessing is about 93 95ish so would and upgrade to kent armstrongs be a good idea? Announcing the all new Side mounted Jazz Pickup. These pickups still deliver the same tone but are much more reliable and easier to manufacture. From the well setup action and the finely-cut nut, to the smooth polyurethane humbuck size p90s.. and the vintage 12 pole humbuck. If you go for the re-wire, the easiest option is 3 volumes and master tone. 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. These custom-made covers allow them to be manufactured in many different sizes and fit the most popular pickup routes like Strat pickups. That pickup combo gave the most amazing tones. JavaScript is disabled. If you have any other questions about lipstick pickups, lipstick pickup construction, or lipstick wiring, dont hesitate to get in touch! Theres a guy selling the following KA pickups around here for a reasonable price Are they any good? You must log in or register to reply here. Tech experts from Seymour Duncan are regularly on this forum, and are clearly labeled as employees of Seymour Duncan. The pickups are hot a great pairing with my Engal Powerball, Mesa Roadking and Carvin V3 all modern high gain amps. This explains why I wasnt as concerned with the Epiphones tone. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Powered by Invision Community. JavaScript is disabled. Paste as plain text instead, Has anyone checked Peter Bernstein Zeidler? Thanks one and all, that's filled in a lot of blanks for me, and hopefully others. Fender has even offered several lipstick-equipped Strats right from the factory floor. I have the Tele bridge pickup and it's OK, but not great. These are the Kent Armstrong pickups in my Soloist: The bridge pickup has a bright fendery tone, for a humbucker it. That's the only first hand experience I have with Kent Armstrong pickups. These modern designs are much more reliable and standardized than vintage lipsticks while retaining most quirks that make old ones special. http://wdmusicproducts.com/Merchant2_Code=PUHMBCKR. Terms & Conditions | Registered Trademarks, There are 2 different types of Kent Armstrongs. WebWPU90H Hot Rod Series Hot Soap P-90 This beefed up version of Kent Armstrong's already muscular WPU90 pickup utilizes the sweetness of a pure alnico magnet. But the name is much more accurate than many players realize. Talk with your fellow tone freaks on the web's liveliest (and friendliest!) It's like an on-board pre-amp boosting and distorting the signal. 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. Ceramic tend to have a "thinner" sound, but powerful ceramics give good metal tones when over-driven. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. They are some of the cleanest pickups I have played. I used them exclusively in my tele strat builds for a long time, and those are all nice pups, too. Hit the internet today, and youll find many companies making lipstick pickup replicas. 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. Kiesel Guitars: Allan Holdsworth Signature. WebKent Armstrong is one of the foremost electric instrument pickup designers in the music industry. they have the full range and a brief description of each one. I wasn't a huge fan of the noiseless P90's I briefly hadthere was a big volume imbalance. Among its other design factors, Danelectros magic can be traced straight to the highly unique pickups that Nathan Daniel designed. Alnico 3 with Formvar wire. To start viewing messages, check out the FAQ by clicking the You are using an out of date browser. Archtop pickups are halfway down. Rewiring to 1 master vol plus a specific vol for middle pup should be quite cheap; it doesn't need any new / different components. ive seen a few for sale and was hoping u could tell me a bit about their sounds and what WebKent Armstrong - Any Good? 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 will still fit and fasten to any other archtop that is replacing a floater. What's the opinion from those around here who's tried some of his work? i dont like the idea of a guitar having a battery too toy-ish IMO. The tone is bright and detailed with a single coil type twang that also provides great crunch on For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. do This is probably a dumb question to a lot of you but I'm still relatively virginal guitar-wise. Post up some sound files, I'd love to hear them. Haven't got them yet. I had a 12 polepiece nickel covered Kent Armstrong in the neck position of a double humbucker Tele for a while, and it was a very sweet sounding humbucker. 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. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars.

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