This one of the best, if not the best video of this kind, that I've seen on KZfaq. I learned some important stuff, got a very clear impression of the sound and was entertained. No complaints about your playing either.

With all due respect to the many great educators, engineers, and players that I have been blessed to have worked with over the years: 1) I have experienced many teachers that might have struggled to present this material as well as Vaughn Skow. 2) I have known many degreed engineers who could not have constructed a test as robustly as this video. 3) I would take Vaughn Skow to a gig or studio session in a heartbeat. Though Vaughn may not be a Paganini on guitar, he plays well rhythmically and makes good structural choices that emphasize the intended purpose of the video. He is not a prima donna. We would not have to spend a day or a week in rehearsal to prepare for a gig or studio session. I would have no qualms with hitting a gig or studio session cold with Vaughn. Thanks for the good video.

Very interesting video. My impressions: A2 - meatier, thicker, slightly darker and more aggressive A5 - more nasal-sounding, brighter, more jangly. I think I would prefer an A2 for the bridge position and an A5 for the neck position. By the way...you play just fine!

Great video but it’s Henrys not Hernys and it’s a unit for inductance not induction, which is the unit of measurement that describes an inductor’s ability to store an electromagnetic charge thereby resisting a change in current flow, as apposed to capacitor which apposes a change in voltage

Really good video. I’ve just learned more about pickups in 20 minutes, than I have in 30 years playing with them 😁👍

This may be the first demonstration video I've ever watched that was plainly informative from beginning to end. Even your sound examples were very distinct. Thanks!

Nearly 33,000 views, but only 4.7 thousand subs is criminal. Your videos are always informative, entertaining and done with expertise and good humour. Thanks for the PAF info and the great demo.

Alnico 2 are mid focused, less hi end sparkle, less extended bottom, smoother attack, creamier gnarlier saturation, Alnico V is chimier, brighter with extended low and high and sharper attacks and cleaner more defined sound, I like the Alnico 2 for classic leads with British amps like a marshall, vox or oranges and tweeds, basically for vintage gain and the Alnico 5 works well for cleans like blackfaces and modern high gain like mesa and engl and so on, great comparison and educational video, tech parameters well explain

Best explanation about pickups (not only PAFs) on the internet so far! Thanks Vaughn! Very insightful video!

I watched tons of videos to try to answer all my questions on this subject. Vaughn, you got a thumbs up from me (Liked). You did an amazing job! All my questions answered without even asking!!! Thank you!!! BTW, you do an amazing job with the Warehouse speaker videos too that I've seen over the years!!!!

Great and thorough explanation and the sound demos really helped me understand the difference.

A good in-depth discussion on magnetic properties and pickup anatomy in general. In this particular comparison I prefer the A2 magnet as it seems to give a bit more "muscle' to the tone as well as kind of rounding off the edges of the highs so to speak...to my ears anyway.

Great video Vaughn, thanks for all of the useful info! I love this stuff. My Vaughn Skow pickups are still kicking ass! Keep up the amazing work Vaughn.

Henries, not Hernies. It's named after Joseph Henry.

I just got every remaining question I had concerning my pup considerations answered. I can't thank you enough for your diligence. New subscriber and the bell has been rung.

I love the work and effort you put here.. Very informative! Thanks.

Great video! I am so glad I found your channel. I’m pretty deep into learning about all this stuff. They both sound so great, sir… you are making FINE PICKUPS!!! I would be happy to have any of them. Thanks!

I put A2 in the bridge and A5 in the neck on my guitar and found it to be A perfect combo. This video helped me out with that decision. Thanks

What a great video! I’m only just starting to get into swapping pickups and such, and this video just explained so much so easily! Thanks.

Great explanation on the detailed difference

vaughn.. i first stumbled on to you several years ago when you were demoing the bugera 22 and the blackhawk in your foyer.. looks like you have become a music industry unto yourself.. i listened intently back then, and am still listening intently now.. your love of all things tone came through back then, and is being amplified today through your wares.. congrats on the businesses bro.. you are one very cool cat

Don't sell yourself too short Re: your playing. You have a nice solid right hand that sounds really good and is great for hearing the tonal differences of the pickups (which is something lacking in a lot of players I see on the 'Tube demoing gear - they don't whack it like it needs to be whacked!)

I think this is fascinating. Thank you so much. Having virtually identical pups with different magnets....wow. No favorite here for me, but I imagine the choice of guitar can make either sound more or less perfect, in a 335, 355, LP, SG, etc. Different woods, tops, fretboards. One technical query though is that if the gauss is in fact different, I would imagine the sweet spot for pickup height might change a bit, and that might also alter the final tonal output at the sweet spot. I have some Alnico 5 pickups, and have found the sweet spot is somewhere between 1 and 1.5 mm lower than with 2's, and your analysis helps me understand why.

Excellent comparison that clearly shows the difference between the two magnets.

I really appreciated you hard work in our behalf. Awesome Demo! I play 335s and sometimes need really good jazz tones. As such I prefer Alnico 2 in the neck and Alnico 5 bridge. Now I know why. Thank you again.

Great content and information, thanks for sharing, and your guitar playing is far better than mine! Just ordered some Alnico 2 PAF drop ins to replace my stock humbuckers, looking forward to hearing the differences.

Replaced the BB’s in my Les Paul for another set of A2’s. Vast improvement overall in the bridge but the neck went from super bright to rather dark and compressed. Next stop is to try an A5 in the neck. This might solve my issue. Thanks for the awesome video

I thought paf outputs varied widely which means that not all had the same amount of turns. I also thought that not all 57 pads had A2 and not all 59 pafs had at A5. The latter ones from 60 and 61 mostly has A5 but again not always .

Truly brilliant effort undertaken here . Well done indeed !

Thank you for a thorough explanation. I've been in the dark for awhile. Great video. Also I saw all your equipment in the back and that kinda made me subscribe....

I like the ll especially in the bridge position. I want to commend you on the guitar being in tune unlike most demo videos

Also thanks for the info on the magnets and how to change them and the polarity.

Great and complete review. People that talk about resistance don't even know what it is. Inductance and capacitance are also factors that need to be considered.

Very helpful demo! Thank you V.S. I personally prefer the alnico 2's, especially for the cleaner tones. But, with distortion, I hear a bit more clarity with the alnico 5s.

"Alnico 5: brighter on the top, scooped in the lower mids". Thanks for the info! Just got a "korina wood" Agile ALD-3010SE with the Alnico 5's, and having read that Slash used Seymour Duncan Alnico 2's, was trying to decide what was the difference and if I should switch out...since I'm usually cutting the EQ mid's in the mixes to make room for vocals, having Alnico 5's that already do that will make things smoother.

Very seldom do I leave comments but Vaughn you knocked this one out of the park. I got a lot of great info out of this video!!! Thanks

Great video! Thanks a lot! Very good explanation of the differences between alnico II and V. And the easy way of changing bars... Awsome!

Man, this vido has invaluable information, this guy knows what he´s talking about

Much prefer the Alnico 2’s especially into a really clean amp like a Fender.

I loved this video, it was very educational and I appreciate the time you put into it.

Excellent video. Most of what you covered was new information for me.

12:03 - A2 12:19 - A5 15:27 - A2 15:48 - A5 16:12 - A2 16:28 - A5

Amazing explanation and comparison! Thanks to this master of pickups! I've decided my main doubt here, Alnico II on my ES335!!

Thanks for an honest comparison, and most of all the idea to cut pickup pocket thru to back for easier pickup install and test. (APPLAUSE, STANDING OVATION).

Hi there, thanks for such of great video. Very informative and awesome way to explain truly appreciated, keep up the good work! Cheers from the west coast👍🏻

This shows that nice pickups in a crappy guitar sound crappy, It´s very a very educative video. it clearly shows that IF your guitar doesn´t sound wright for you don´t rush to order new pickups that cost as much as the guitar itself, check with some guitar tech if your guitar (wood, hardware) is any good for better pickups or you may waste a lot of money , perform a good setup including pickup distance from the bottom of the strings, (I know this is a test guitar for quick pickup swap so no offence to the creator of this video). Nice demo thank you

The difference between A2 and A5 is way noticeable... I am impressed !

I got a pair of 59 Alnico two pack ups that I love today. I got a pair of vintage Alnico two , and they’re real high output. and I got a pair of Seymour Duncan green magic Alnico twos in the middle position they’re kinda harsh.

Good stuff! I DID learn something. Both the sound samples and the explanation gave me the whole picture. Thank you Vaughn. I also subscribed.

Great video and info! Thank you so much! Now I know the real difference! Amazing what a magnet change can do!

2's clean 5's dirty for me

First of all, nothing wrong with your playing. More importantly, I can definitely hear the difference, more so on the clean channel. The IIs are distinctly rounder and warmer. Even the OD channel is not that hard to tell, but the difference is a lot more obvious in the clean channel. The IIs are my definite favorite. I have another question that you may have addressed in a different video. Does the baseplate material (metal vs fiber) affect the tone significantly, and what about the depth/shallowness of the bobbins? Thanks for the video - love it.

Very appreciative! Lots of good info, thanks a million!

Can you give millivolts output on those tested iSo happy you put inductance on there great thank you. Thank you so much for your information and know how.

Very cool Vaughn, thanks. I preferred the 5’s. They had a bit more bite and clarity to my ears.

The magic sound combination: neck Alnico II PAF & bridge Alnico V bridge. No other sounds like that.

Learned a lot and truly enjoyed your video. Then I subscribed. Thank you for a great video!!

I like the sound of the alnico II pickups

Awesome comparison and info, thanks!👍🏼

No tocas tan mal, hasta diría que lo haces bastante bien. Eso si, sigues hablando mucho.... Gracias por la comparativa, fue interesante.

thanks for the tutorial. I am going through a couple of LP's and wanted some vintage tone. thanks doc.

I am amazed at how different they, completely different sounds, way more than I expected. The 57 style seem to sound better for this particular guitar and amp

Most informative. Thank you for making the effort.

I honestly prefer alnico 3, with the right wind its just amazing. Its finding that right wind that takes me many sets of pickups for a specific guitar. I wound 5 sets last time to find the wind that sounded good to me. A 3 gives you the variance also.

Those Alnico 2's sounded great.

Dont be stupid enough to trust Tyson Tone..He has had my HARD EARNED ONEY OVER A MONTH NOW!!!! WHAT A GUY!!!!

Great explanation, thanks for putting this video together and sharing your knowledge, thx

I drift on magnet preferences, sometimes I really dig the A2 for certain things, other times I'll use an A4 or A5, on a rare occasion I have an A3 that gets used. I wind mine with the Gibson mentality, whatever color bobbins I have handy, and whatever magnet I grab out of the box. The winding stays pretty much the same, a little under or a little over depending on my mood, lol. Good info, some of us guitar geeks get way into the minutae of vintage stuff.

Very useful and interesting video, thank you for sharing this !

Much of this video contains info I already knew, but the lesson on inductance was illuminating. I realize indicators are low pass filters, I've used them in speaker crossovers for that purpose, but somehow hadn't made the connection with pickups and the frequencies they tend to emphasise. Hey I enjoy speakers, amp building and pickup winding myself. If you lived nearby I'd say we should have a guitar jam session. I could probably learn amp riffs and chords from you. Keep up the good work.

Love this kind of discussion. It’s technical but explained in English. Very well done. What about different magnets in P90s. I have only played A-V P90s. Curious what you would say about A-II P90s.

I like A2 magnet in a bridge position, because it is less nasal. But question is: PRS has A2 pickups, very expensive, boutique, with a lower amount of turns, so bridge pickup is 7.2k. Is this somehow better, and, if yes, why? Are underwound pickups less dark sounding, more focused and single coil like or what? Mr. PRS says that the best humbuckers sound like a single coils.

Great explanation!👍🏼 (hate to be that guy, but it‘s Henrys, not Hernies)😌

It’s crazy how much ones intuition comes into play with hearing these pickups.I remember back in the 90s when I could still play these old guitars(pickups)The older 58 burst or 57 gold tops always sounded better to me. The worst sounding burst I ever heard was a 60 with bright red burst…The tone was harder and very stiff in comparison to the 57.We thought maybe the pickups had been swapped,So this really makes sense…

Nicely done. Luv the two's!

What about parasitic capacitance of the coil? Which should be highly depended on tension

I slightly prefer the Alnico II. Makes sense, because I have Vaughn Skow Custom wound Alnico II pickups in my main guitar! 🤙

I just revisited your video because it's such an excellent reference source and I have a question. I was wondering what would happen by throwing an alnico 3 into the comparison. All else being equal, how would the inductance be effected compared to the alnico 2 and alnico 5 magnets? Using Gibson pickups as an example, the '57 Classic pickup which uses alnico 2 and the CustomBucker pickup which uses alnico 3 sound so much different from each other both in output and tone. I'm also wondering why Gibson wouldn't use alnico 5 in the CustomBuckers.

Thanks man!!! Awesome video! That was i need it. I got the answers to my questions, so now i know i was right. Take care bud! God bless you! 🤘

Clearly the sound I want on a LP is the alnico 2 sound, and the sound I want on a Strat is the alnico 5 sound.

👍🇺🇸❤A2's (clean & dirty) & A5's (dirty)......are both my faves above the rest .

Really liked this A/B comparison vid and ofcourse all the theory behind ... You only missed 2 things.. Not complaining but 1- Mixing A2/A5 or viceversa 2- out of serie one of those combination. I know it takes a lot of time doing these.. I apreciate your time on this

Seymour offered C.D.'s which id bought all of them. The attn to playing dynamics was impeccable⚠️ just buy them if they're any still circulating.

COOL Video Bro ! I've been using a '57 Classic (A2 Magnet) in the Bridge Position and a '61R (A5 Magnet) in the neck position on my #2 SG Standard and its the best pickup combination I've come up with.....BUT, I only use GIBSON USA pickup's. I figure, If GIBSON invented the P-90 FFS.....they know what they are doing....... and there is no need to use after-market pickup's at all.

Great information! 👍

Great job, very educational!

THANKS, VAUGHN!

Hey, this premiered on my B-day, which is also the same day Bradley Nowell passed away:,( We miss you, Bradley.

II’s for cleans V’s dirty. I have II’s in three different guitars and there is a subtle difference. I play clean most of the time, blues and Jazz. With a bit of presence and treble you can get close to the V’s playing dirty tones. Thanks for the demo.

You can just buy pickups for the price of magnets anyhow. So I've got a bunch of Zebras varied from low wind to PAF mainly because of nickel baseplates also... Lol. I used special II to get rid of extra pickup parts

Appreciate it my friend.

I really love the A2's, but I see someone posted that he put A2 in Bridge and A5 in the neck, that does sound like a WINNER...

Great and highly informative video, I really learned a lot! Many thanks Vaughn. salutations. :-)

I feel like 2’s give you the classic Les Paul tone, and 5’s give you a perfect SG tone.

I liked A2 bridge & A5 neck.

Subscribed, thanks for the straight up comparison Vaughn! Ps - the playing ain’t so bad, either 👍

Very much appreciated. Thank you sir 😁👍

Awesome video! Thank you... SO... would it stand to reason that an Alnico 4 be slightly less bright than the Alnico 5? Or does it not work this way? Thank you again for the fantastic video!

The p90s were wound on the same machines as the pafs and they sound great.

I like the sound of alnico II. Thanks for doing this.