SETbuckers - Classic Series
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PE wire with A2 or A5 magnets
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Color: Black
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Cover: Nickel and Gold, adds $10 and $20, respectively
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Pole piece spacing: 49.2mm
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5 lead wires + grounding shield (wiring diagrams)​
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C-2N/2B
VTB : Vintage The Beginning
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A2 magnet / PE42
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HB: 7.63k (Neck), 8.30k (Bridge)
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SE: 4.51k (Neck), 4.85k (Bridge)
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SET: 3.33k (Neck), 3.61k (Bridge)
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Price: each - $75, set - $140
Like other AlNiCo2 pickups (Gibson 57 Classic®, Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates®, etc), VTB produces balanced tone with more focus on the mid range than A5 pickups. The clean sound is round and feels easy to ears. Coil turns was set for mellow and smooth overdrive sound.
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When in SE or SET mode, it gives jolly grits and bites.
C-5N/5B
VB : Vintage Beyond
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A5 magnet / PE42
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HB: 7.36k (Neck), 8.38k (Bridge)
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SE: 4.38k (Neck), 4.80k (Bridge)
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SET: 3.33k (Neck), 3.61k (Bridge)
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Price: each - $75, set - $140
Open
More and more Les Paul and super Strat models take AlNiCo5 (A5) pickups for its
cleanliness and smooth but aggressive overdrive. A5 picks up high and low frequencies equally well, giving a slight mid-scoop effect. When combined with PE wire, its sound becomes more "woody" and dry, making it more adequate for articulate playing. It also
takes up overdrive very well, even up to heavy distortion. Coil turns was adjusted for an accent on cleanliness with the neck pickup and on power with the bridge pickup.
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When in the SET mode, it offers bell-like cleanness. The SE mode is like somewhere
between a true single coil and P90 pickups, which actually applies to all SETbuckers.
Nickel Covered
M-2N/2B
VIC : Vintage Into Clarity
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A5 magnet / SPN42
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HB: 7.21k (Neck), 8.21k (Bridge)
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SE: 4.31k (Neck), 4.81k (Bridge)
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SET: 3.33k (Neck), 3.61k (Bridge)
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Price: each - $75, set - $140
VIC is designed for maximum cleanliness in the classical Patent Applied For pickup format, while retaining the humbucker traits. The neck pickup (M-2N) pairs well with the bridge pickup (M-2B). It also goes very well with high output bridge pickups like M-3B and I-2.
The SET mode offers a balanced output and clean tone color with a real single coil pickup in a Hum-Sing-Hum (HSH) configuration.
M-3N/3B
ANC : A New Classic
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A5 magnet / SPN43
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HB: 11.77k (Neck), 13.29k (Bridge)
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SE: 7.04k (Neck), 7.81k (Bridge)
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SET: 4.68k (Neck), 5.07k (Bridge)
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Price: each - $75, set - $140
Do you need more power and overdrive but still don't want to ditch a classic vibe? ANC is here for you! The humbucker spec was deliberately set at a sweet spot through trial-and-errors. This pair goes along with any wood types (personally, I like the pair in an ash/swamp ash body guitar). If you are a big fan of even higher output and strong overdrive, check on I-2 in Inspire series.
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The SET mode from M-3N mimics a telecaster single coil sound quite a bit, while the SE mode drives smoothly. Split modes from M-3B produce round but aggressive sound. You can get a good biting drive from it.