Tribute ASAT Classic alnico bridge pickup swap?

[mitchell_guitarguy]

I've got a 2014 Tribute ASAT Classic (Tobacco Sunburst), and it has the standard single coil sized MFD's. I love the way the two pickups sound together, but the bridge pickup by itself does not have the twang I'm looking for. How much more Tele twang would a Seymour Duncan alnico bridge pickup sound compared to the MFD I have right now? Would an alnico bridge pickup sound good with the MFD neck pickup? And how big of a difference is the outputs of the MFD and alnicos?

[Craig]

I've got a 2014 Tribute ASAT Classic (Tobacco Sunburst), and it has the standard single coil sized MFD's. I love the way the two pickups sound together, but the bridge pickup by itself does not have the twang I'm looking for. How much more Tele twang would a Seymour Duncan alnico bridge pickup sound compared to the MFD I have right now? Would an alnico bridge pickup sound good with the MFD neck pickup? And how big of a difference is the outputs of the MFD and alnicos?

If you replace the MFD bridge pickup with an Alnico tele pickup, you will need to modify the neck MFD pickup. See this post: http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic ... 531#p53531 for details [Note: the principal is the same regardless which
MFD pickup is being replaced (neck or bridge)]

Hope this helps.

[mitchell_guitarguy]

If you replace the MFD bridge pickup with an Alnico tele pickup, you will need to modify the neck MFD pickup. See this post: http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic ... 531#p53531 for details [Note: the principal is the same regardless which
MFD pickup is being replaced (neck or bridge)]

Hope this helps.

OK. How would the output compare between, say a Seymour Duncan alnico II? I'm thinking about replacing both the neck and the bridge. I do like the clean sound of both pickups together for chords though. Is it possible to wire the tone knob as a push pull and control treble tone while it is down and bass while it's out? It'd be nice to be able to at least roll some of the bass off for a more traditional Tele tone while still keeping the unique MFD fullness as an option.

[Liquids]

More twang...Bill Lawrence Wilde pickups for tele will likely give you a clearer tone than you knew was possible with the right model. Less awkward mid girth, and either a more "vintage" or a more 'flat with extended non-spikey high end" frequency response.

To boot, they won't hum!

Try the rails (flat, extended) or surf the site for other low wind (lower inductance) tele bridge models.

Don't be fooled by their being hum-free or low hum! Every BL SC style pickup I've owned (quite a few by now) has been clearer than standard-style single coils.

Go in knowing that if he says "vintage" he means the classic sound of that variant of SC pickup.

Otherwise, he is going for flat response, which may be somewhere between MFDs and classic sounds, yet totally different and without spikey high-mid high frequencies, just CLEAR highs (that you still may want to tame with the tone knob, but it's way different).
The higher ranges of inductance will sound more like a P-90...they have their own sound truly, but that's the closest familiar reference. More meat, still clear, not middy or muddy, but somehow meaty.

The guy was a magician with pickups...that is, he really understood how to design them and control the variables like a good engineer/scientist. The results defy all the comparisons and verbal descriptions, because no one else has done what he did, especially in the classic/vintage realm. Sadly, he's most oft associated with high gain max-output humbuckers - the L-500(XL).

Cheers!

[blargfromouterspace]

OK. How would the output compare between, say a Seymour Duncan alnico II? I'm thinking about replacing both the neck and the bridge. I do like the clean sound of both pickups together for chords though. Is it possible to wire the tone knob as a push pull and control treble tone while it is down and bass while it's out? It'd be nice to be able to at least roll some of the bass off for a more traditional Tele tone while still keeping the unique MFD fullness as an option.

You'd need a dual concentric pot for the treble and bass control.

Go for the Alnico II, they sound fantastic

[Craig]

You could swap out the MFD's with G&L Alnico V Tele style single coils, effectively changing
your ASAT Classic to an ASAT Classic Alnico model. The G&L On-Line Store has the pickups
available for sale.

For a comparison of the two, see: MFD and classic Alnico pickups compared side by side.
Here's another post to check out: ASAT Classic Alnico Pickups.

Hope this helps.