Route 5A Blade Pickup - Alnico tone in a compact package

[Scott Swartz]

The Route 5A pickup is a variation on my 507 model with an Alnico 5 magnet and a revised coil to match the Alnico magnet. It has the same stainless blades and compact dimensions as my 507 pickup.

Big deal you say, how much difference can the magnet make?

The Alnico magnet changes multiple things, but the most important one is less surface magnetic strength at the top of the blades. This is similar to how 6 string guitar pickup companies offer PAF style pickups with Alnico 2 or Alnico 5. Alnico 2 with its lower magnetic strength is well known to give a smooth tone on the plain strings.

And that is what happens on the Route 5A pickup versus the 507 or the similar reissue ceramic magnet pickup with the same three numbers in a different order. Ceramic gives a “hot” sound with high output, Alnico is smoother and lower output. The new coil wind on the Route 5A pickup gives a similar bass/mids/treble balance as the 507, but the attack is smoother and less bright and overall the tone has a more singing quality.

Note that the historically popular steel blade pickups such as the George L (no longer made) and the original chrome Bill Lawrence x05 series (and reissue) were/are all ceramic magnet.

Its also interesting that in 6 string guitar world for the most part ceramic is used only by metal players with a lot of gain which is very different from steel guitar. The high gain tone is helped by the prominent attack of ceramic but most steel players use a very different tone.

Whatever the reasons are that pedal steel blade pickups have always used ceramic magnets, the Route 5A pickup offers a new tonal choice with the same compact dimensions of my 507 pickup, enabling it to mount and have room for height adjustment in almost any wide mount or narrow mount pickup pocket.

https://www.steeltronics.com/product/ro ... -humbucker

507 Pickup Top View 012324.jpg

[Jerry Overstreet]

Sounds like a winner Scott!

[john widgren]

I have had one of these babys installed in my zumsteeI E9 for a while...I positively LOVE IT! Sounds great at home, in the studio, and on stage with a big band. Musical, sweet, plenty powerful, but not too hot. Good for heavy handers like me. Very forgiving. The lows are big and round. Almost lapsteel like. Its a different thing but it works for me!
Ive been a fan of Scott for years and this new pickup is marvelous IMHO. I immediately bought a second one to roll into other guitars.

[Robert Herr]

I visited John a couple of weeks ago and got to sit and play his Zum with the alnico pickup. I contacted Scott the next day to order one!!