If you’ve heard the cliché that Alnico 2 means warm, soft sound, prepare to be surprised. This is not a polite pickup, and the closer it’s adjusted to the strings, the more raw it gets. In particular, the Alnico 2 magnetic field opens up all of the attack and definition of the low strings. It’s a hot pickup with a strong attack in the bridge position, and its Alnico 2 magnets allow it to work very well in the neck position as well, for players who want a very warm, round sound. If you want an in-your-face-and-proud-of-it sound, the Virtual Vintage® Heavy Blues 2 is the top pick.

           The same technology that allowed us to create the pure vintage Strat® sound of the Area 58™ can also be used to design a much heavier pickup. The Virtual Vintage® Heavy Blues 2 has more mids and lows while still possessing outstanding pick attack. This also makes it an excellent pickup for the arpeggios and sweep picking classical metal players prefer, because it does not become muddy even with high gain.