Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark L
So, while I’m going to recommended (here at agf) Monel/nickel acoustic strings on my very nice Eastman 904ce oval hole, I’m thinking it might be a nice time to change/upgrade the stock Kent Armstrong floater. I believe this one is MIChina. The guitar is a 2007 iirc, no longer in production.
What say ye? USA Kent Armstrong, Benedetto or ?? Is there a Charlie Christian floater? Small pu makers? All thoughts appreciated.
Use will be solo fingerstyle jazz/composed ballads, samba/bossa nova and some flatpicking/comping in an ensemble.
Thanks, archtop sages!
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Hi Mark,
I'm a fan of Kent Armstrong hand-wound pick ups in general. I have a top mounted PAF in my custom Holst (absolutely love the sound), and have installed the equivalent floating PAF in a couple of "budget" archtops.
Here is an example of an installation that I did on an Ibanez AF105F.
I don't currently own an archtop with the Kent Armstrong hand-wound floating PAF but I found a YouTube video of someone who installed one on his Peerless Monarch. He talks a little about why he chose this p/u and then has several minutes of video, demo'ing the guitar/pickup combo as well as contrasting vs. another guitar that has a top mounted PAF.
I will be mounting a new KA hand-wound floating humbucker on my Ibanez GB40th with a custom ebony finger-rest. I'll post sound samples when I complete the installation. But, in the meantime, I thought this person's demo well illustrated the sound and attributes of the Kent Armstrong hand-wound p/u.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph1BCaabez8&t=1s
Of course, your mileage may vary! Best wishes in your search!