Neck pickup differences?

[Philly Q]

Quite a specific question, so maybe more for Tim and his magic elves, but I thought I'd throw it out there:

My Abraxas neck is AIV, 7.3K.  I think the Mule neck is AIV, 7.3K.  The Stormy Monday neck is 7.1K (mine is actually 7.5K, AII, but I don't think the DC resistance would change with a different magnet?).

 :?: So, the question is: Abraxas, Mule, AIV Stormy Monday - how exactly do they differ?  I know DC resistance doesn't necessarily tell the whole story.

[il˙ti]

Resistance definitely doesn't tell the whole story. My Mule neck is 7,1. It's a very relevant question though, I wonder why I haven't seen it asked before. I especially don't see what the difference between the Mule neck and SM neck is, when the DC resistance varies so much. Mule has offset coils and SM doesn't? Just a guess.

I think the Abraxas neck uses 43 gauge wire as opposed to 42AWG for Stormies and Mules, in that case that probably accounts for the difference.

[Philly Q]

Mule has offset coils and SM doesn't? Just a guess.

I think the Abraxas neck uses 43 gauge wire as opposed to 42AWG for Stormies and Mules, in that case that probably accounts for the difference.

You could be right on both counts - wish we knew for sure!  :)

It just struck me yesterday when I was getting ready to sell the Abraxas neck, with a view to possibly getting a Mule neck at a later date.  I looked at the specs and thought hang on, do I need to sell this?

That said, the Abraxas neck "feels" to me like a hotter-than-PAF kind of sound, but who knows?  I've never actually tried a Mule neck to compare.

[kellar]

Interesting question indeed.

My Stormy neck is 7.1K, while my Mule neck was 7.3K. So, not much of a difference there. Both are AIV magnets.

With that being said, the differences between the two are fairly profound. The Mule, despite hardly any difference in strength, was much easier to drive than the Stormy Monday. The Mules bass response was also significantly stronger than the Stormy Monday. The Stormy Monday is very crisp and clean, very even string response. Almost a "pop" bass response, very tight and clean. It has a certain airy quality when overdriven.
The Mule was a better "rock" pickup, very versatile, while the Stormy Monday is better for blues, jazz, and blues leads.

The two best neck pickups I have ever played, but very different despite their structural similarities.

[Chris Rowberry]

Guess ill have to try and answer this one while Tim is away. The Abraxas neck has a 42 gauge wire to answer that question :) Also the Stormy Monday has A2 magnets unless u have asked for otherwise where as the Mule neck will have an A4 magnet this will be why u can drive it harder.

DC reading can be very inaccurate depending on the temperature of the pickup at the time, for instance when we put them in the wax pot and take them out they can be reading over 1 k too hot simply because of the temperature the pickup has risen too. Another thing to consider is that our bodies can lower the DC for example if i use my hands to DC some pickups i get 1 k less, as soon as i DC them without touching the pickups and only the plastic handles of the DC meter i suddenly get the correct number. This does vary with different people though.

Though some of these pickups are similar in DC depending on what magnet will determine how much they differ due to the stronger the magnet the more power/drive it will have. We offset all our coils and although a few do DC almost the same there is still quite a few winds in between them giving them a different tone. IE offsets between coils and amount of winds.

I hope that all made sence and answered all your questions :)

[il˙ti]

So... the difference between an AIV Stormy Monday and AIV Mule is just that the Mule is wound a little hotter? And Abraxas is a little hotter again.

Theoretically, all three models can be measured at ~7,3K, but they are still different... right?

[Chris Rowberry]

If they are all at the same temperature then they should all DC a little different.

Yep the Mule would be hotter but also there is different offsets in these pickups which will help change the tone.

[Philly Q]

If they are all at the same temperature then they should all DC a little different.

Yep the Mule would be hotter but also there is different offsets in these pickups which will help change the tone.

And that's the key bit I'm wondering about!!  :lol:

Thanks for the technical details and explanation Chris, that's cleared up some questions.  Now can anyone describe how different they sound?

(edit: thanks Kellar, excellent descriptions.  Although I have a Stormy Monday (AII) the Mule sounds more my kind of thing.  But can anyone add the Abraxas into that comparison?)

[remak]

BKP's measurement for my Abraxas IV set is
N 07.5K
B 14.0K

I found the Mule neck very silky, warm and full in the bass end. I was a bit underwhelmed by the bridge Mule. The Abraxas set sound just as sweet as the Mules with a little more balance in the bass and a hell of a lot more balls in the bridge.