Ed's 1978 touring rig.

[dirtycooter]

I definitly never hear A2. The sound has a very hard big bite. I have heard lots of clips of A2 that really interest me but man......I gotta have alot of smack on that pick attack. Hit that string and it has to come out of the gate-POW! Like it had a shit ton of punchin ass on it. That fat chunka of ATBL in the palm mutes......
I think alot of the clips we hear where the A2 is workin nicely is the circuits its in and goin through.
And it is all about the right circuits.
Compression of loud jacked up speaker grind and punchy fatness I think are where most of the compression lives. And it don't have to be THAT loud... but pretty loud where you feel each note and not just hear it.
For most of us workin in that volume range tweakin stuff is not very often feasible.
Then there is the analog compression of the recording equipment.
So speakers, output section, unique analog machines addin in more, and maybe possibly somethin pumpin things up in front is 4 total areas to get a little somethin somethin.
Been listening alot again to the new record-outta space is such a vh1 song. Havin the rig back up and runnin with the same equipment pretty much gets that but feel I am gettin better tone than this record so its really easy to see that digital recording has taken alot away from todays music. Its similar but almost to sterile clean on the studio end. We use to dream about this kinda clean music reproduction back then
Careful for what you wish for

[jnewlyn]

Ideally, I think the digital step should be at the very end during the mastering. Best of both worlds.

[Marshall SL12301]

I definitly never hear A2. The sound has a very hard big bite. I have heard lots of clips of A2 that really interest me but man......I gotta have alot of smack on that pick attack. Hit that string and it has to come out of the gate-POW! Like it had a shit ton of punchin ass on it. That fat chunka of ATBL in the palm mutes......
I think alot of the clips we hear where the A2 is workin nicely is the circuits its in and goin through.
And it is all about the right circuits.
Compression of loud jacked up speaker grind and punchy fatness I think are where most of the compression lives. And it don't have to be THAT loud... but pretty loud where you feel each note and not just hear it.
For most of us workin in that volume range tweakin stuff is not very often feasible.
Then there is the analog compression of the recording equipment.
So speakers, output section, unique analog machines addin in more, and maybe possibly somethin pumpin things up in front is 4 total areas to get a little somethin somethin.
Been listening alot again to the new record-outta space is such a vh1 song. Havin the rig back up and runnin with the same equipment pretty much gets that but feel I am gettin better tone than this record so its really easy to see that digital recording has taken alot away from todays music. Its similar but almost to sterile clean on the studio end. We use to dream about this kinda clean music reproduction back then
Careful for what you wish for

DC, i kind of hear A2 in "beautiful girls" and "Bottoms up" rumor has it after VH finished the 78 tour to support VH I eddie went back to seymour and has the what is now called 78 made for him from his PAF pulled from the ES-335 but it may have had a A5 mag in it for all i know?
Just because seymour sells it with a alnico II does not mean thats what ed used?
Here is the info i got from duncan so far,
right before VH I eddie had seymour wind him a 13.6K paf rewind with a ceramic magnet(duncan custom) he replaced the mighty mite 1300's he was using, then after the 1st record he went back to seymour and wanted less output and more warmth from the pu and the 78 was made from one of ed's PAF's. essentially seymour just made one coil hotter on this PAF. magnet remains a mystery, duncan does not remember what mag it was?

[dirtycooter]

I just have a hard time believing any A2 rumors also for the facts we DO know
Every production guitar Ed has put out is A5
The duncan thing is cobbled up all to hell like the dunlop phase 90 fiasco watergate scandall with the I'm the one, 78, and the old JB ad claiming it was it-Duncans credibility on VH stuff is like totally shot. Plus there is the replica franky pickup.....Its only when you step back and look at all those things really good from a long distance you will slap your forhead and go "hmmm... its all a big sham and I been drinkin the kool-aid too much".
Don't remember my ass!
If you did work on some world champion guitar players stuff-YOU AIN'T GONNA FORGET.
Thats like a engine builder for race cars-its his bread and butter to know wth he's doin to make things scream.
And then after VH1 he made another for the 2nd record and can't remember?
We're alone together in the artic-its 50 degrees below zero-can I sell you some ice cubes?
Just sayin you know, not ranting at you but the whole picture on the pickup thing.
Every single damn great tone he has ever gotten there is some jacked up, f'd up, impossible event that always skews gettin to the actual truth. Why is that?????? Like the broken coil b.s. that I completely don't buy at all.
Its all bogus in my book. Everytime someone puts out a great badass clip here its always a different pickup involved.
How can so many different pickups work to get the same relative kinda tone????
The only good VH tones ever gotten are the fellas here that really listen and use their ears and thats all they needed.
Listening to clips here for a few years now-everyone has fine tuned and kept changin things up to get ever closer. Almost everyone here has progressed alot from first clips to latest clips-listen toold and new ones by the same dudes and its proof right there. But most I think would agree usin our ears is the only way we're gonna get there and ignore all the myths and rumors.
Ponder on them for possible ideas for a direction to move in-but 99% of the time its our ears

[Audiowonderland]

I just have a hard time believing any A2 rumors also for the facts we DO know
Every production guitar Ed has put out is A5
The duncan thing is cobbled up all to hell like the dunlop phase 90 fiasco watergate scandall with the I'm the one, 78, and the old JB ad claiming it was it-Duncans credibility on VH stuff is like totally shot. Plus there is the replica franky pickup.....Its only when you step back and look at all those things really good from a long distance you will slap your forhead and go "hmmm... its all a big sham and I been drinkin the kool-aid too much".
Don't remember my ass!
If you did work on some world champion guitar players stuff-YOU AIN'T GONNA FORGET.
Thats like a engine builder for race cars-its his bread and butter to know wth he's doin to make things scream.
And then after VH1 he made another for the 2nd record and can't remember?
We're alone together in the artic-its 50 degrees below zero-can I sell you some ice cubes?
Just sayin you know, not ranting at you but the whole picture on the pickup thing.
Every single damn great tone he has ever gotten there is some jacked up, f'd up, impossible event that always skews gettin to the actual truth. Why is that?????? Like the broken coil b.s. that I completely don't buy at all.
Its all bogus in my book. Everytime someone puts out a great badass clip here its always a different pickup involved.
How can so many different pickups work to get the same relative kinda tone????
The only good VH tones ever gotten are the fellas here that really listen and use their ears and thats all they needed.
Listening to clips here for a few years now-everyone has fine tuned and kept changin things up to get ever closer. Almost everyone here has progressed alot from first clips to latest clips-listen toold and new ones by the same dudes and its proof right there. But most I think would agree usin our ears is the only way we're gonna get there and ignore all the myths and rumors.
Ponder on them for possible ideas for a direction to move in-but 99% of the time its our ears

The pickup in Frankie now is 14k A2 that Duncan replicated for the replicas. I have a 9k "Brownbucker" made by a guy in California who frequents several guitar boards and it has lots of bite and attack. The magnet makes a difference but it is just part of a much bigger equation. Properly mismatched coils for example will really bring out the snap in a pickup regardless of magnet. A light swamp ash body will assist as well. I think an A2 mag is very plausible personally.

[Marshall SL12301]

I that brownbucker is the one by ARCANE they are incredible! You would never know it is the A2 in it, it has the attack and bite of the A5 magnet, I should have kept mine. but thankfully i just got the MCP 2nd degree black belt which is 9K and alnico 5 and is even better than the brownbucker,so i dont miss it as much

[Tone Slinger]

Yeah, just seems that an A2 magnet has the right warmth and voice to it. An A5 is awesome too, but seems VERY bright. A ceramic is just TOO hard sounding, sort of clamping tone in a wierd 'brittle vacuum'.
I'm sure there are 'other' ways to tame the high end/brightness of an A5 magnet, other than using LOTS of turns with awg 44 wire (JB for ex. at 16k). The 2nd degree Black belt at 8.9k with awg42 wire and A5 seems to prove that from what I'm hearing from you guy's.

[Good Guest]

Changing from a 500k typical humbucker value pot to a 250k typical fender single coil value will tame those highs.

[Marshall SL12301]

Yeah, just seems that an A2 magnet has the right warmth and voice to it. An A5 is awesome too, but seems VERY bright. A ceramic is just TOO hard sounding, sort of clamping tone in a wierd 'brittle vacuum'.
I'm sure there are 'other' ways to tame the high end/brightness of an A5 magnet, other than using LOTS of turns with awg 44 wire (JB for ex. at 16k). The 2nd degree Black belt at 8.9k with awg42 wire and A5 seems to prove that from what I'm hearing from you guy's.

here is a alnico 5 and IMHO is doing the VHI tone just fine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FLa5Y ... age#t=507s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I guess what i am saying is that the magnet really is not a big issue it seem to me much more about amp/effects/pup than which mag is in the pu

case in point my old 1978 ducan custom with its stock ceramic sounds pretty much just like the alnico 5 loaded MCP black belt? those two pu's are very similar on tone even though spec wise they are totally diff???
The ONLY thing i can think of is that BOTH are voiced for that VH I tone??? the duncan custom was made for eddie right before he did the 1st record so i guess that when dave freidman had the BB made by wade they went by just tone and not spec? I would love to hear daves point of view on this

[garbeaj]

here is a alnico 5 and IMHO is doing the VHI tone just fine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FLa5Y ... age#t=507s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is a little difficult for me to discern anything about the tone because Phil X doesn't really know how to play the songs...from what I can tell about the tone by struggling to hear past the hacky playing is a sound pretty far from first album tones IMHO.

[OokraMoO]

It is a little difficult for me to discern anything about the tone because Phil X doesn't really know how to play the songs...from what I can tell about the tone by struggling to hear past the hacky playing is a sound pretty far from first album tones IMHO.

Sure he's not playing it note perfect but if you can't make an assessment of the tone from that playing (which is actually pretty good) you should really get your ears checked.

This is how I imagine you after you post ALL THE TIME about other peoples playing.

You even knock fucking Doug Steele and he's a monster player.


Flame on.

[efraser68]

Ha! That was pretty funny

[stef]

here is a alnico 5 and IMHO is doing the VHI tone just fine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FLa5Y ... age#t=507s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is a little difficult for me to discern anything about the tone because Phil X doesn't really know how to play the songs....

i agree

[Ralle]

Into details now, are we...

[Audiowonderland]

I that brownbucker is the one by ARCANE they are incredible! You would never know it is the A2 in it, it has the attack and bite of the A5 magnet, I should have kept mine. but thankfully i just got the MCP 2nd degree black belt which is 9K and alnico 5 and is even better than the brownbucker,so i dont miss it as much

Different pickup I think. I bought mine even before he had a website but this is the place.

http://www.zhangbucker.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;