PunkKitty Posted March 30, 2023 Posted March 30, 2023 Haven't really sat down with my CC as much as I wanted to. Tonight I compared the 225 pickups in my CC to the WCR Crossroads set in my cherry burst 150. In comparison, the 225's sounded kind of muddy. I'm not getting the high end that I would like. But I could be wrong and maybe my ears are screwed up a bit tonight. Wondering how others feel about the 225 CC pickups. I'm not going to swap them just yet. But I have a set of Mojotone 59 Clones, an Antiquity set, or a SD Slash set that I could put in.
Kuz Posted March 30, 2023 Posted March 30, 2023 The 225s are wax potted, lower output A3s. I pulled mine and put in a set of used Throbak SLE 101s (with A2s). I am not a huge fan of A3 magnets in general. The EQ curve is very flat and low output. A3s played clean (incuding the 225s) lack overtones and lack the 3D depth that other PAF clones will give you. My experience with A3s is not muddy, just flat sounding and uninspiring. NOW with some '70s style Overdrive, I think A3s sound MUCH better. The A3s need that extra push from the OD to open up. With OD, A3s and crunchy, clear, and brighter. The biggest problem with the 225s (in my opinion) is that they are waxed potted. With the 225s, you are taking a very low output pickup with A3s that is already flat sounding and squashing/compressing the overtones even more with the wax potting. I think 225s without wax potting would be much more acceptable to me. I called Heritage last year after I got my CC150 and asked if they made their pickups "in house". They were a little vague, but alluded that they did. I asked if they would just pull me a set of 225s BEFORE they were wax potted and sell them to me. They said they would not sale me any 225s and that all 225s are currently wax potted. They said they hoped to offer more pickup options (including 225s without wax potting) for sale in the future.... we will have to wait and see about that.
davesultra Posted March 30, 2023 Posted March 30, 2023 The only type of pickup that I like A3s’ in are P90s’ and sometimes Strat pickups.
ridethatbike Posted March 30, 2023 Posted March 30, 2023 I generally like the 225s but I agree, they don't bloom or anything like what I'd prefer in a PAF. I have some OX4's in my Tokai ES that I may swap into my CC, and then install a spare set of StewMac Parson's Street pickups in the Tokai. Because I like soldering and troubleshooting wiring in semihollows. ??
ElChoad Posted March 31, 2023 Posted March 31, 2023 I have been toying with the idea of pulling my 225s in favor of some BKP Black Dogs. I have those in a Gibson LP and they sound amazing to me.
brentrocks Posted March 31, 2023 Posted March 31, 2023 Not a fan of the 225s. I thought they were too bright.
PunkKitty Posted April 1, 2023 Author Posted April 1, 2023 1 hour ago, brentrocks said: Not a fan of the 225s. I thought they were too bright. I thought they were just dull sounding. Thought I might try changing the magnet to A4, A2, or A5 before I pull them.
zguitar71 Posted April 1, 2023 Posted April 1, 2023 Wow I’m surprised they used A3 magnets in a humbucker. I think they are great in P90s but there are two magnets so it really changes things as far as output and dynamics. With one on the double coil pickups they just don’t have the power even with a hotter wind. With p90s I only like A3s in the neck position I could see it maybe working with a humbucker but an A2 or 4 would be my choice long before the A3. I wonder why they chose those magnets it just doesn’t seem like a good way to go.
Kuz Posted April 6, 2023 Posted April 6, 2023 On 4/1/2023 at 9:46 AM, zguitar71 said: Wow I’m surprised they used A3 magnets in a humbucker. I think they are great in P90s but there are two magnets so it really changes things as far as output and dynamics. With one on the double coil pickups they just don’t have the power even with a hotter wind. With p90s I only like A3s in the neck position I could see it maybe working with a humbucker but an A2 or 4 would be my choice long before the A3. I wonder why they chose those magnets it just doesn’t seem like a good way to go. I think Heritage went with A3s because Gibson uses CustomBuckers in their LPs and the CustomBuckers have A3s.... I have the CustomBuckers in my 335 and I wish they would have stuck with the MHS (Memphis Historic Special) pickups. The original MHS pups had a A3s in the Neck and a A2s in the Bridge. I have the MHS pups in my 345 and they are perfect!
rockabilly69 Posted April 6, 2023 Posted April 6, 2023 On 4/1/2023 at 7:46 AM, zguitar71 said: Wow I’m surprised they used A3 magnets in a humbucker. I think they are great in P90s but there are two magnets so it really changes things as far as output and dynamics. With one on the double coil pickups they just don’t have the power even with a hotter wind. With p90s I only like A3s in the neck position I could see it maybe working with a humbucker but an A2 or 4 would be my choice long before the A3. I wonder why they chose those magnets it just doesn’t seem like a good way to go. A3s in Gibson custom buckers sound great!
PunkKitty Posted April 6, 2023 Author Posted April 6, 2023 7 hours ago, Kuz said: I think Heritage went with A3s because Gibson uses CustomBuckers in their LPs and the CustomBuckers have A3s.... I have the CustomBuckers in my 335 and I wish they would have stuck with the MHS (Memphis Historic Special) pickups. The original MHS pups had a A3s in the Neck and a A2s in the Bridge. I have the MHS pups in my 345 and they are perfect! That's interesting. I've read several posts on TGP and MLP that pan the MHS pickups in favor of the CustomBuckers. It's all personal taste.
yoslate Posted April 6, 2023 Posted April 6, 2023 On 3/29/2023 at 10:31 PM, PunkKitty said: In comparison, the 225's sounded kind of muddy. I'm not getting the high end that I would like. On 3/30/2023 at 10:17 AM, ridethatbike said: I generally like the 225s but I agree, they don't bloom or anything like what I'd prefer in a PAF. On 3/31/2023 at 6:23 PM, brentrocks said: I thought they were too bright. On 3/31/2023 at 8:26 PM, PunkKitty said: I thought they were just dull sounding. 8 hours ago, rockabilly69 said: A3s in Gibson custom buckers sound great! 32 minutes ago, PunkKitty said: It's all personal taste. PK for the win....
Spectrum13 Posted April 6, 2023 Posted April 6, 2023 1 hour ago, yoslate said: PK for the win.... Makes no sense... who tastes with their ears? Do we listen with our tongue? Not eye. 1 hour ago, yoslate said: PK for the win....
davesultra Posted April 6, 2023 Posted April 6, 2023 37 minutes ago, Spectrum13 said: Makes no sense... who tastes with their ears? Do we listen with our tongue? Not eye. No one can ever accuse me of being a “pickup licker”!
PunkKitty Posted April 6, 2023 Author Posted April 6, 2023 3 hours ago, davesultra said: No one can ever accuse me of being a “pickup licker”! I can really do without the weird kinks.
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