Kent Armstrong Benedetto B6A

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker, 12 pole pieces, fully shielded, handmade.
Impedence or other specs: It does not come wired, allowing you the option of wiring it in series or in parallel.

Model of guitar or bass: American Standard Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson '57 PAF
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Any one who plays a high end jazz box, chances are there is an Armstrong in it/on it.
You musical style(s): Blues, jazz, anything really. Last night I was kicking 12 bar blues, this morning I studied Aguado and harmonic minors.
Reason for pickup change: I had mounted a S-7 on my jazz box and was so tripped out with the clarity, and the gentle break up with a little gain, I thought; man I bet these would fly in the Strat, and there you have it, they do.

Perceived output level: Well tempered,even.The clarity with distortion, crunch, gain, whatever, is magnificant.
Tone: Balanced, even. Beautiful for anything from jazz to blues to metal.
Sonic evaluation: Am playing through a Peavey Ultra 112 with 5881s or Sveltlana's 6L6s. 12AX7s are JJs. 2 Celestion 12" Vintage 30 speakers. Effects: Deltafex, 535Q and an OS2. In my opinion a lot of pickups foster competition between various tones, producing a less than stellar tone. Not so with Armstrongs. Armstrong pickups are extremly well balanced, versitle and can handle anything and everything you can throw at them. They are easy to add effects to, and finding the tone you want is fairly easy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a lot of different styles of music, really anything that strikes my fancy I'll give it a try, and if I like it I'll work at it. The spectrum of use for these pickups is vast. I believe they can handle most styles of music.

Comments: I am content to have these on my Strat an the S7 on my jazz box, a Washburn J-10 with ebony cello tailpiece and a 250k pot. The buck stops here. Am not looking to match the same tone in every guitar I own...though might be fun in the neck position of my resonator....or I mignt add a third to the Strat. A Strat with 3 humbuckers, now that would be something! I would replace these in a minute, in fact I might purchase a couple of spares in case Mr. Arstrong and Company go belly up. I have no doubt at all these pickups will be very expensive and much sought after in 20 years. I have been playing for a couple of years, played a bunch before I joined the Navy in '77, picked it up again when I retired in '98, like riding a bicycle. I have always loved music, composition,theory, and tone. My ear tells me these are great pickups, maybe your's will tell you the same. Contact Bill Fender at Legato Guitars (www.legatoguitars.com), he is the only source I know of.