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im looking into buying an antiquity bridge humbucker for my les paul. How does this pickup compare to the '59?? Is it as hot?? I've got a jb in the guitar now, so will i be disappointed with the output change if i swap them out- the antiquity for the jb??

gsammo79

The Antiquity will have a less output than a JB and you will notice a smoother warmer tone with less mids and a bit less brightness. Since the antiquties are hand wound the resistance values vary somewhat. If you are concerned about output you can help yourself a little by requesting a higher resistance unit from whowever you buy from. Another trick some folks do is add a full strength A2 or A5 magnet in place of the Dun-aged magnet that comes standard.

Whether the output difference is a problem for you or not likely depends on what amp you play through and the type of music you are playing. I personally prefer lower output pickups and use the amp gain section to give any needed overdrive.

I play through a high-gain amplifier. It's a fender prosonic (double gain controls) but are the antiquities microphonic most likely since they are unpotted??

Hey man, Welcome To The Forum!
The antiquities I have played with have minimal problems, the situations that they squeal under my potted poups squeal under too. Also the microphonics are pretty controllable, and almost musical sounding.

Also the DC resistance is actually higher on the Antiquites, but the magnets are weaker.

I get my pups from descriptions John.

Luke

john is great but actually isnt at blackrose anymore, he has a new site wymoreguitars. i love the antiquitys, but they dont sound like a modern bucker and dont even have as much output as a seth lover but the tone is magical. not my first pick for shredding but classic rock/blues is where this pup excells


Originally Posted by jeremyjohn is great but actually isnt at blackrose anymore, he has a new site wymoreguitars. i love the antiquitys, but they dont sound like a modern bucker and dont even have as much output as a seth lover but the tone is magical. not my first pick for shredding but classic rock/blues is where this pup excells

I know, but that doesn't mean that I don't buy from Kevin!

A lot of people at the LP Forum swear by the Antiquities mated with Alnico 5 mags. If you slap an A5 in it, it will have more beef than a 59 because it's about 0.4k hotter (8.5k vs. 8.1k). I also bet it will be smoother.