Kent Armstrong Mini Humbucker

Kent Armstrong's take on the Firebird PU. A mini-humbucker with plain chrome casing and no visible polepieces. It comes with 4-conductor wiring as standard and features an Alnico magnet and coil impedeance of 6.2kohm.

The mini-humbucker has gone into a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe in place of a DiMarzio DLXii in the bridge position. Whilst not as punchy as the soapbar-sized DiMarzio, the KA is both sweeter and more subtle. It balances well with the original Gibson mini in the neck.

The output is a little bit more than a Fender Strat single coil but with more girth and richness. The 4-conductor wiring allows it to be phase-reversed with the neck PU via a DPDT switched tone pot. So I can get that rich country rock both-in-phase sound and the classic Peter Green blues honk sinply by pulling up a tone pot knob.

I have a number of Armstrong PUs and none has let me down, be they single coils or humbuckers. I thought I'd give the mini a go to sort out the unsatisfactory bridge sounds of my Deluxe. Job done...

Medium output, rather like a toppier PAF but without any harshness. A little bit more grunt than the neck position Gibson mini-humbucker. It is bright and cutting but in a useful and musical fashion. Good string balance. Works well with the neck PU either in- or out-of-phase.

Whether my valve [tube] Hiwatt or solid-state Lab Series combo, the KA mini sounds solid and punchy with clear highs and firm bass. I suspect its relatively modest output helps its clarity and does not overwhelm pre-amp sections, although having said that you can get a good solid crunch of it.

Runs through a pedalboard with:

Boss TU-2>>Monte Allums CS-3>>modded Blubber wah>>Monte Allums BD-H2O >>Monte Allums SD-808 >>ProCo Rat2>>Boss CH-1>>Boss DD-3

I used this pickup in both a blues band and a rock/metal outfit. Seemed quite happy taking on both genres. Overall this is versatile little pickup that is easy to under-estimate. Neck or bridge position, it will deliver - unless you're looking for sheer unadulterated power. In which case you probably wouldn't even consider looking at a tiddler like this. HOWEVER do remember that Neil Young has a Firebird in Old Black's bridge position and he's not exactly lacking in power or volume...

A good, well-constructed pickup with a good compromise between power and tonality. It's clear but punchy. Then of course take into account cost. KA eats the opposition on price but without compromising on performance or structural integrity.

Simply another Kent Armstrong winner.

This is a mini-humbucker in the style of the old Gibson Firebird pickup, without adjustable pole pieces. Impedance is around 6.2, but it still sounds a bit darker and broader than a strat or tele single-coil of similar impedance. It's brighter than most overwound single-coils, however. The cover is plain chrome, without a big brand logo like the Seymour Duncan equivalent.

I'm using it as the neck pickup in a MIM Telecaster, replacing the stock (blah) pickup. It required a custom pickguard (I got one from Warmoth), but the body was routed for a full-size humbucker, so it was an easy fit. The other pickup on the guitar is a Vintage Vibe T-90 (P-90 style Tele bridge pickup), which is an excellent match.

I chose this because a: the original pickup kinda sucked, and b: I've always been fond of the mini-humbucker sound in older Gibsons and other guitars that use them.

This is a superb pickup. The sound is clear, balanced, woody, and elegant - almost acoustic-sounding. I suspect this pickup is the same as or very close to the Kent Armstrong floating mini-humbucker that is standard equipment on many brands of handmade jazz guitars. It has a HUGE dynamic range, from light fingerpicking to heavy power chords. It works equally well with clean amps, overdrive, heavy distortion, and fuzz - anything that doesn't require a full-tilt "hot" pickup. Tonally, it's sweet and laid-back - not an aggressive or snarly pickup at all.

Output level is similar to, say, a P90 - lower than most humbuckers, a bit hotter than typical single-coils. It balances very well with the Vintage Vibe bridge pickup, which is about like a hot P-90. It also balanced well with a Keystone bridge pickup, which is a bit hotter than a stock Tele pickup. With the height adjusted, I think it would match even a stock-style Tele bridge without too much mismatch. The sweetness helps in that regard. Pickups with a hot midrange aren't as easy to balance.

I've been playing it through Weber Proluxe, Epiphone Valve Junior, Trace-Elliot Velocette, and Pignose amps. Pedals (that matter) include a RNC compressor, Prescription Electronics Germ, Keeley-modded Rat, Orange Sunshine fuzz, and Danelectro wah. It works well with every amp and pedal I've tried.

Honestly, this is one of the best pickups I've ever used! It's all wood and strings and air, extremely natural-sounding, and supremely responsive to touch. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to hear their fingers and picks and the guitar's wood tones, rather than electronics alone.

I'd happily replace this if anything happened to it. I've played Gibson and Duncan mini-humbuckers, and this one is as good or better than any of them. I love the clarity, the sweetness, the woody tone, the massive dynamic range, and how well it gets along with any amps or effects I care to use.

I tend to own only one electric guitar at a time, and switch every few years. This Telecaster is new to me, and I'm really digging it! I've been through a couple of bridge pickups trying to get it dialed in, but I very much doubt I'll change out this mini-humbucker.

I should add that I've owned several Kent Armstrong pickups in various guitars over the years, and they've ALL been terrific. They don't seem to have either the brand-name recognition of Duncan and Dimarzio, or the hipness of small boutique winders, but they're as good as it gets. Sound, appearance, and construction quality are always as good as I could hope for.