Kent Armstrong STHR1 Hot Rails

Pickup features: Humbucker (Single Coil Size)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Not as hot as you might think
Tone: As expected
Sonic evaluation: Most will want to know if saving the money on a Seymour Duncan HotRails is worth it? The answer - I've got 2 teles, one backup for the other, I think they've got this pickup a bit wrong, well at least in that my olther tele has a Seymour Duncan HotRails in it and it just sounds better, bit fuller, about perceived 25% more output, wouldn't be able to switch guitars without turning the gain up on the amp for the Kent Armstrong.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: Good value, better than not doing a change if you're after guts from a tele but I would spend the extra and get the Seymour Duncan, simple as that, its hard to squeeze tone out of single coil sized humbuckers and the Seymour Duncan seems to be the best.
Have friends with Kent Armstrong pickups, regular humbuckers, and these are really good, think this model is just a little flawed.

Pickup features: Single coil sized switchable humbucker using oush pull pots.
Impedence or other specs: Don't know but its very loud!

Model of guitar or bass: Lake Placid Blue Japanese Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: The guitar has Kent's in the bridge and middle position.
Other pickups on guitar: Standard Fender item at the neck.
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Various types of Rock
Reason for pickup change: I didn't change them. They came fitted to the guitar, and I think it was a factory job because the middle pickup has heavier windings and sounds great - snappy as a single coil and fat and heavy when switched to humbucker.

Perceived output level: These pickups give the guitar and great output level. It's higher and more responsive but not too loud and it has eliminated a lot of feedback.
Tone: Balanced but with great treble when switched to humbucker.
Sonic evaluation: I use a 1969 AC30 Top Boost, the pickups are fitted to a Lk Placid Blue Jap Strat and I use a Line 6 Pod 2.0 aswell as effects by Digitech, Zoom, Electro Harmonix, Dunlop and Ibanez.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock mostly and these Pickups are great. It's gives the guitar total flexibility.

Comments: I would definitely go for Kents Armstrongs again. I didn't pay for the fitting but I would do it if I had to. I bought the guitar as it is now for 230 pounds and it was totally mint with the pickups factory fitted and individually switched by the two tone pots. It also has the custom windings so I almost ran when I bought this guitar. People - avoid expensive duncans and emg's - this is the business if you want to get a guitar that can do anything! Theyre so cheap too - 40 pounds each! Mad!

Pickup features: Passive dual-blade Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 13000 ohms

Model of guitar or bass: Telecaster/Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock Tele/Strat
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: who knows?
You musical style(s): blues, rock, funk, soul
Reason for pickup change: To rid myself of those awfull Fender single-coils. To make noise that doesn't sound like breaking glass at a cat fight.

Perceived output level: They have about the same out-put as any ceramic 13000 ohm humbucker; DiMarzio distortion, etc.
Tone: high on bass and mid, medium on high-end. I don't really care much about balance, that's why God put tone controls on amps.
Sonic evaluation: I put these on my alder Strat., then another set on my alder Tele.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I like long crying-growling notes that stay with you until YOU want them to stop. Love SRV but wouldn't dream of copying him. Like it better at the bridge.

Comments: I play only Fenders and don't care if they are real Fenders; guitars are low-tec., if they stay in tune and are built with a big chunk of alder . . I'll play them. In my 40 years at the guitar I've tried hundreds of pickups. I don't really like PAF buckers nor Fender SCs.
I DO like P-90's and anything sounding remotely similar. DiMarzio SDS-1's are nice too and sound alot like P-90's. These Armstrongs are, no doubt, not the only pick-up in the world, but I've come to love them over the years. They are super well constructed and kinda pretty to the eye. I perfer ceramic magnets and 11 to 13k ohm windings; any more and you really start to roll off the highs. Ceramics are nastier than alnico, and the Blues, to me, is nasty. This is a good product without any marketing using comentaries from rock-star girl-looking-cute-assed-hair-salon salesmen. I am aginst that. Why would anyone throw his cash to Harvard rich-boy marketeers? Armstrong is a small proud and honest company who will eventually get rich the hard way.

Pickup features: Mini-Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: It's loud!

Model of guitar or bass: Fender 50's reissue strat (JAP)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Reissue
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Reissue
Artists using this pickup: Don't know.
You musical style(s): Rock/Blues/Indie
Reason for pickup change: Stock pikups were too 'tinny' and quiet I was always getting drowned out in the band.

Perceived output level: I used to struggle to keep up with my band set on 10 now I'm too loud at 3!!
Tone: Nice fat middy sound, real humbucker crunch.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this pickup in my reissue Jap Strat with a Marshall valvestate vs100r amp. This pickup absolutely rocks! It has given me the real rock sound that I have always wanted on the strat that I love. Big, fat sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a huge mix off stuff and my Strat is still very versatile. It even sounds good clean which suprised me.

Comments: If I lost this pickup I would *definately* buy it again, it's half teh price of the Seymour Duncan and louder! From the price of one Seymour I have fitted to of these babies. I have a Les Paul copy with real humbuckers and these just blow it away, best rock sound I have heard from a strat in a long time! They are pretty easy to fit too, too me about 1/2 an hour and I'm no wiz at these things. This is THE tone I have been looking for, I am there at last!