Pickups
ACG Pickups are handmade exclusively by Aaron Armstrong of Kent Armstrong and Son Pickups.
Aaron and I have been working on our custom pickups since I built my second bass, these designs continue to evolve and this collaboration continues with the release of the new MC series which are available exclusively in our Über Spec basses.
B Series Pickups
Our B Series pickups are available in 3 formats and in up to 3 sizes of casing. Pickups can be custom made to a customers preference if you are looking for something specific, with a choice of winding and magnet type available.
AC FB Humbucker:
This hum cancelling pickup uses coils which are rotated through 90 degrees with magnets inside them placed against a single blade of steel running the length of the pickup. This gives the advantage of hum cancelling while still maintaining the narrow magnetic aperture of a single coil. The bridge and neck versions have different gauges of wire and number of turns giving added versatility to the sounds you can get from your ACG bass.
The FB Pickups are the first port of call for all of our custom basses, and represent a more open, high fidelity tone giving a great balance throughout the register of the bass guitar.
FB Pickups are available in 25mm, 40mm and 50mm casings.
AC PB Split Coil:
A hotter version of the classic PB with the same lay out of coils but with ceramic magnets. In this pickup rather than using plastic bobbins the coils are essentially air coils which means that the magnets sit snugly inside the coils. This results in a lower loss of induction into the coils.
The PB Pickup is the perfect choice for that big fat punchy tone we associate with the classic PB sound. Massive low end on tap along with growly midrange should give you all the presence you need.
PB Pickups are only available in 50mm casings.
AC RFB Humbucker:
This wide aperture humbucking pickup provides a more aggressive, darker tone, with a lot punch and a smoother high end when compared to the more modern hifi tone of our FB pickup.
A great choice for a powerful rock or extremely punchy funk tone, anything where you really want to be noticed. The pickup can be wound in series mode for a serious amount of low mid punch or parallel for pronounced mid range clarity. It can also be combined with a 3 way switch to allow access to series, parallel and single coil mode making for an incredibly versatile setup, a great choice for a single pickup bass, or in combination with any other pickup for a veritable Swiss Army knife of an instrument.
RFB Pickups are available in 40mm or 50mm casings, however we recommend 50mm casings to get the best from the design.
AC SB Single Coil:
As with the p-bass pickups the coils here are air coils allowing the magnets and coils to be in very close proximity leading to a nice tight responsive pickup. Using a similar specification to the vintage jazz bass but with ceramic magnets this pickup is a more modern take on a classic sound.
The SB Pickups work brilliantly as a pair to achieve that perfect JB tone, or in combination with a PB or FB Pickup, open articulate and aggressive, as and when required.
SB Pickups are available in 25mm, 40mm and 50mm casings, but we recommend going for 25mm for that classic look.
AC SB/OW Single Coil:
An overwound version of the SB Single Coil. Overwinding makes the mids more prominent while reducing the top end.
AC SB70 Single Coil:
Our vintage wound alnico single coils designed to replicate the natural mid scoop of the classic 70’s jazz bass pickups.
MC Series Pickups
Our MC Series pickups have come about through lengthy collaboration between Aaron Armstrong, John East and myself and are the ultimate pickup for use with the ACG DFM filter pre-amp.. These pickups are available exclusively in our Über Spec basses.
The MC Series Multi-Coil Pickups are part of a propriatorey system exclusive to AC Guitars. The system uses different components for the two pickups in order to provided a bridge version and a neck version which accentuates the tonal qualities for the two positions.
This system leads to improved dynamics and far greater clarity over the entire range of the bass.
We believe that our MC Series pickups offer you the most sonic versatility and clarity possible, in conjunction with our ACG DFM pre-amp every possible subtlety and nuance is present and there to be played with.