@@mattrobinson Hey, I sincerely want to thank you for showing off the Tonerider pickups here...a couple of years ago I bought the Alnico Classic 2 PAFs and put in one of my LPs and now I have them in every guitar I own. And I would have never even considered them had I not heard your demonstrations. I've found the pickups for me.
Wow !!! Killer tone !!! First...I'm blown away by your playing ! Those pickups are very impressive for the bucks ! After watching your demo i bought a set of tonerider for my les paul. Thanks !
Got a set of these in the neck of my 2001 l.p. standard, outstanding tone from them, a set of coil tapped Rocksong in the neck, it's such a versatile guitar, 50's wiring also.
great !!!! killer one question ..i have a all mahogany grestch with a hot humbucker on the neck... better alnico II or birminghan alnico 5 humbucker on the bridge?
Hey! I'm trying to decide between these or the AC2 (or even AC4). For a more blues playing, which set would you recommend? I would love a sound inline with Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa. Thank you!
The ac2 for Gary Moore and bonamassa 100% The Birminghams are more aggressive and harder sounding. The ac4s are somewhere in between. The ac2’s will get you exactly what you are looking for
Recently I upgraded my guitar with TR AII Classics because of your videos... I also considered buying these Birminghams, but well... I like the Classics better. :)
That sounds absolutely stunning! Great playing as well. Thinking about getting a set of those for a les paul lacking pickups. Now the question is gold covers or no covers 🤔🤭 do you prefer these or alnico 2?
Cheers mate. The alnico ii is my favourite pickup ever, if I could have only one set it would be that but the Birmingham’s are a great alternative for heavier more modern tones. The alnico ii’s are smoother and more polite sounding. All depends on what kind of tones you’re going for really. I prefer both sets with covers really as it warms the tone up slightly
@@mattrobinson cheers. As I thought. I am balancing on the edge, I love both sides, modern and vintage. I think i'll go with Birmingham set with gold covers since I love the sound of my lp studio with gibson 498t in the bridge.
Hi, not sure what amp you use or tones you want to get but The Birmingham’s are great for higher gain amps because they have a tight bottom end. I wouldn’t mix the AC2 with the Birmingham personally. The AC2 neck will sound very dark by comparison. hope this helps
@@tiagoliveira_guitar the Birmingham’s have more punch. The AC2 and AC4’s mix well together though. Overall the Birmingham is brighter, harder and punchier than the AC2
Nice review! I recently bought an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and an Epiphone SG Custom, I already have a Tonerider Alnico II set and I would like to take this Birmingham set (or alternatively Tonerider Alnico IV), which of the two sets do you think is better to install on the SG ?
Thanks Antonio, the alnico ii is still my favourite for every guitar I’ve tried it in. The alnico iv is more modern sounding and the Birmingham is much brighter. It depends what tones you’re going for really. I see it like this: Ac2 - clean, smooth and natural sounding Ac4 - more compressed and modern Birmingham - classic sounding but bright and aggressive Hope this helps Matt
@@mattrobinson Thank Matt, I usually play blues, rock, and hard rock , If you had to choose a set of humbuckers for an SG and a Les Paul, which would you go with? Thank you
Great to see you back Matt. After watching your videos, I got a HB SC-450 and a SC-Custom. Although, I really much prefer the look of your old SC400 to the new models. Would you say these pickups sound like the same specs as a JB/Jazz combo?
Thanks man. Yeah it’s a shame they had to change the shape, I’d say the Duncan’s are hotter. The Birmingham’s are still quite low output so have more of a classic vibe than a JB
@@85metalgod Hi mate, I wired them modern but just rewired them 50s style a few weeks ago and love it. I love the way the vol and tone pots work with the 50s wiring, and it doesn’t get all muddy when you roll the volume down
I installed these in the cheap Harley Benton TE-20 HH the other day. I'm using a 0.022uf capacitor on the tone pot as per Tonerider's generic humbucker wiring diagram. How do you feel about the tone? Mine seems maybe a little dark but I'm used to single coil sized stacked humbuckers in my Strats. What cap value did you use?
Hi Steve, I used .022uf like you and found them a bit bright for my tastes. I prefer the darker alnico ii classics. Then again I’m going through a Marshall plexi which is a very bright amp so I suppose it depends how bright or dark your amp is too. I’d try bypassing the tone pots if you want to bring out some more treble
@@mattrobinson yeah I'm just a home player and it does sound different on my Blackstar 1 watt vs my VHT Ultra 6 watt. I should have used a B500k linear pot for the tone as the range is all in the lower third. A later parts change I guess. Still getting used to this after the muddy stock pickups but I really like the Birmingham pickups.
@@mattrobinson thanks, but most of those are of my friend Dean Cascione and others like Mathew Mills and Joe Stump doing a couple demos of a DIY overdrive pedal that I built. I don't have any of me on there yet. Have to up my performance level first!
Hi, I would like to change the PUs of an alder hh stratoid. I am looking at birmingham, rocksong, ac II and ac IV. I would like to keep a strat sound without trying to emulate the LP sound. I use that guitar to play mainly 90's rock. I think the birmingham are the best fit, what do you think? Thank you very much
@@mattrobinson No problem, I just found the Tonerider recommended heights of 3mm for neck and 2mm for bridge. They seem better than the generic 3/32" I was using. At least it's a starting point while fine tuning. Take care enjoy your day.
I’d say the ac2. I have a strat with a cruiser in the neck, great pickup at what it does. The Birmingham is much brighter and has a stiffer move aggressive feel to it. Better suited to harder rock IMO
Thanks Davide, the alnico ii classics are my personal favourites as they are so natural and just give you that classic sound. The alnico iv are similar but not quite as classic sounding to me. After that I’d say the Birminghams. They are a little to bright for my tastes but still good for certain situations with darker sounding amps. I’d say I like the rock songs the least for my style as they are too compressed, pushed and hot for me.
Cheers mate, I’d choose these for this style. The rock songs are way darker and more mid focused and probably suit more modern styles. These Birmingham’s are very bright but more dynamic and suit the 70s rock vibe
Way brighter and more aggressive to me. They would suit harder rock or darker amp tones but the ac2 is the winner for my setup as the Marshall is already very bright.
Man, i know these are supposed to get you that AC/DC tone, but this is straight Slash territory. Bravo!
Wow,..I saw Tonerider's new Birmingham pickups just yesterday for the first time and I swear I thought of you.
Glad to see you back here playing.
Thanks man
@@mattrobinson
Hey, I sincerely want to thank you for showing off the Tonerider pickups here...a couple of years ago I bought the Alnico Classic 2 PAFs and put in one of my LPs and now I have them in every guitar I own.
And I would have never even considered them had I not heard your demonstrations.
I've found the pickups for me.
@@stricknine8623 thanks man, glad to help. They are still my favourite pickups too
Birmingham in the neck, AC2 in the bridge. Works a treat for me 😊
funny you mention that, I just got a set the other way AC2 neck and Brum bridge
Missed your tone.
Happy see you playing again
Regards from Spain.
Thanks mate, appreciated
Hey, Matt. So great to see you around here again! 🙂
Thanks mate, appreciated. It’s been a while ha ha
Wow, great tones! Great playing too. I’ve never heard a Tonerider I didn’t love.
Thanks man, yeah me too
Wow !!! Killer tone !!!
First...I'm blown away by your playing !
Those pickups are very impressive for the bucks !
After watching your demo i bought a set of tonerider for my les paul.
Thanks !
Got a set of these in the neck of my 2001 l.p. standard, outstanding tone from them, a set of coil tapped Rocksong in the neck, it's such a versatile guitar, 50's wiring also.
Those pickups will work well in Birmingham England or Birmingham Alabama....haha !!
Amazing glad to have you back !!!!
Matt, great to see you back !!!
Holy Sh*t Dude! You made these puppy sound totally Bad Ass! I gotta have a set now!
Cheers Kenny
Welcome back young fella well compared to me anyway haha excellent playing as always 👀👍
Dam!!!! You’re back!!! Good to see you, sir! Are these supposed to be Black Sabbathy since their called Birmingham’s?
Thanks mate, yeah I think so. They nail them classic rock tones into a Marshall
They’re meant to be ‘70s rock; Sabbath, Zep, AC/DC, Skynryrd, etc. Named after the Birmingham in the midlands and the one in Alabama. 🙂
Nice to hear you again!
Welcome back matt, glad to see 'ya again !
Showing out again mr.!😁
Yeaaah!!! Nice to hear you rock again!! 🤘🏼
Maestro is back yes🎸👍
great !!!! killer one question ..i have a all mahogany grestch with a hot humbucker on the neck... better alnico II or birminghan alnico 5 humbucker on the bridge?
Cheers, I’d say Birmingham bridge if you have a hot neck pickup because it has more punch than the alnico ii
Hey! I'm trying to decide between these or the AC2 (or even AC4). For a more blues playing, which set would you recommend? I would love a sound inline with Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa.
Thank you!
The ac2 for Gary Moore and bonamassa 100%
The Birminghams are more aggressive and harder sounding. The ac4s are somewhere in between.
The ac2’s will get you exactly what you are looking for
@@mattrobinson thank you very, very much! :)
Recently I upgraded my guitar with TR AII Classics because of your videos... I also considered buying these Birminghams, but well... I like the Classics better. :)
Yeah, the classics are still my number 1 set too. I had to try the Birmingham’s though. They are similar just a bit more punch and presence
That sounds absolutely stunning! Great playing as well. Thinking about getting a set of those for a les paul lacking pickups. Now the question is gold covers or no covers 🤔🤭 do you prefer these or alnico 2?
Cheers mate. The alnico ii is my favourite pickup ever, if I could have only one set it would be that but the Birmingham’s are a great alternative for heavier more modern tones. The alnico ii’s are smoother and more polite sounding. All depends on what kind of tones you’re going for really. I prefer both sets with covers really as it warms the tone up slightly
@@mattrobinson cheers. As I thought. I am balancing on the edge, I love both sides, modern and vintage. I think i'll go with Birmingham set with gold covers since I love the sound of my lp studio with gibson 498t in the bridge.
@@vero9369 yeah the Birmingham’s probably sound closest to the T pickups
@@mattrobinson sure! I'll try to make some video when I got the guitar setup.
Hi Matt! I'm thinking of Birmingham at the bridge and AC2 at the neck... How do you think it will sound ?
Hi, not sure what amp you use or tones you want to get but The Birmingham’s are great for higher gain amps because they have a tight bottom end. I wouldn’t mix the AC2 with the Birmingham personally. The AC2 neck will sound very dark by comparison.
hope this helps
@@mattrobinson i use a line 6 Helix... Does the AC2 have some punch in the bridge position? And mix it with AC4?
@@tiagoliveira_guitar the Birmingham’s have more punch. The AC2 and AC4’s mix well together though.
Overall the Birmingham is brighter, harder and punchier than the AC2
@@mattrobinson for the bridge, between AC2 and AC4, which has more punch?
@@tiagoliveira_guitar ac4
Nice review! I recently bought an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and an Epiphone SG Custom, I already have a Tonerider Alnico II set and I would like to take this Birmingham set (or alternatively Tonerider Alnico IV), which of the two sets do you think is better to install on the SG ?
Thanks Antonio, the alnico ii is still my favourite for every guitar I’ve tried it in. The alnico iv is more modern sounding and the Birmingham is much brighter. It depends what tones you’re going for really. I see it like this:
Ac2 - clean, smooth and natural sounding
Ac4 - more compressed and modern
Birmingham - classic sounding but bright and aggressive
Hope this helps
Matt
@@mattrobinson Thank Matt, I usually play blues, rock, and hard rock , If you had to choose a set of humbuckers for an SG and a Les Paul, which would you go with?
Thank you
@@antonio.cappelli I’d always choose the ac2 in any guitar. It just has the right balance for any style for me
@@mattrobinson Thanks a lot
@@mattrobinson Even if you play for exemple AC/DC or Led Zeppelin song's ?
Great to see you back Matt. After watching your videos, I got a HB SC-450 and a SC-Custom. Although, I really much prefer the look of your old SC400 to the new models. Would you say these pickups sound like the same specs as a JB/Jazz combo?
Thanks man.
Yeah it’s a shame they had to change the shape, I’d say the Duncan’s are hotter. The Birmingham’s are still quite low output so have more of a classic vibe than a JB
I think these are supposed to be in the ballpark of Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers, and probably Dimarzio 36th Anniversary PAFs.
Great playing and great sound!!! Do You prefer this new Birmingham or the Ac2?
Thanks man, for my personal style I prefer the AC2. The Birmingham’s rock more so it all depends on your own personal touch
@@mattrobinson thank you! I'm checking both for my Les Paul. Someone told me also Iron Gear pickups are nice...
@@paolomariani2426 yeah, never tried irongear ones but I’m pretty happy with my ac2’s
Welcome back!!!
Thanks mate
@@mattrobinson Question for ya. When you wired up your acii classics on your LP, did you wire "vintage" or "modern"? Thanks
@@85metalgod Hi mate, I wired them modern but just rewired them 50s style a few weeks ago and love it. I love the way the vol and tone pots work with the 50s wiring, and it doesn’t get all muddy when you roll the volume down
@@mattrobinson Hey appreciate the reply. Literally working on wiring a set right now. Lol.
@@85metalgod good luck ha ha
Freakin awesome!
Do you like these or the alnico II better??
Nice chops bro 🤙
And GREAT demo! Thanks
Thanks, I prefer the alnico ii for my own style but the Birmingham’s are great for what they do
I installed these in the cheap Harley Benton TE-20 HH the other day. I'm using a 0.022uf capacitor on the tone pot as per Tonerider's generic humbucker wiring diagram. How do you feel about the tone? Mine seems maybe a little dark but I'm used to single coil sized stacked humbuckers in my Strats. What cap value did you use?
Hi Steve, I used .022uf like you and found them a bit bright for my tastes. I prefer the darker alnico ii classics. Then again I’m going through a Marshall plexi which is a very bright amp so I suppose it depends how bright or dark your amp is too. I’d try bypassing the tone pots if you want to bring out some more treble
@@mattrobinson yeah I'm just a home player and it does sound different on my Blackstar 1 watt vs my VHT Ultra 6 watt. I should have used a B500k linear pot for the tone as the range is all in the lower third. A later parts change I guess. Still getting used to this after the muddy stock pickups but I really like the Birmingham pickups.
@@SteveMavronis Just watched some of your videos, nice playing man! Hope you end up with the tone you’re looking for
@@mattrobinson thanks, but most of those are of my friend Dean Cascione and others like Mathew Mills and Joe Stump doing a couple demos of a DIY overdrive pedal that I built. I don't have any of me on there yet. Have to up my performance level first!
Hi, I would like to change the PUs of an alder hh stratoid. I am looking at birmingham, rocksong, ac II and ac IV. I would like to keep a strat sound without trying to emulate the LP sound. I use that guitar to play mainly 90's rock. I think the birmingham are the best fit, what do you think? Thank you very much
Yeah, the Birmingham or ac2 would be my choice in that situation. I would go ac2 bridge and Birmingham neck
Nice!!! Very nice sir...!!! 🤙
just curious for blues, which set would be better? the vintage alnico ii?
100% the alnico ii classics for blues. They are perfect blues pickups in my opinion
@@mattrobinson that was a fast reply! Appreciate it, and thank you for your playing, it's a real inspiration.
What is your bridge/neck pickup heights? Trying to fine tune that on mine. At the moment I'm at 3/32" from the highest (22nd) fret.
Hi, not sure sorry never measured but I think I had them pretty close to the strings if I remember correctly.
@@mattrobinson No problem, I just found the Tonerider recommended heights of 3mm for neck and 2mm for bridge. They seem better than the generic 3/32" I was using. At least it's a starting point while fine tuning. Take care enjoy your day.
What do you reccomend of the birmingham or ac2 in the bridge for the andy timmons type of tone? i have a dimarzio cruiser in the neck
I’d say the ac2. I have a strat with a cruiser in the neck, great pickup at what it does. The Birmingham is much brighter and has a stiffer move aggressive feel to it. Better suited to harder rock IMO
hi, i like your style of guitar playing. I wanted to ask you among the various tonrider pikups you've tried which one you liked best and which least

Thanks Davide, the alnico ii classics are my personal favourites as they are so natural and just give you that classic sound.
The alnico iv are similar but not quite as classic sounding to me.
After that I’d say the Birminghams. They are a little to bright for my tastes but still good for certain situations with darker sounding amps.
I’d say I like the rock songs the least for my style as they are too compressed, pushed and hot for me.
These or the rocksong dude? If you had to choose a set for the stuff you just played. Awesome playing, as usual fella. Keep it up dude!!
Cheers mate, I’d choose these for this style. The rock songs are way darker and more mid focused and probably suit more modern styles.
These Birmingham’s are very bright but more dynamic and suit the 70s rock vibe
Are there pickups brighter than the ac2?
Way brighter and more aggressive to me. They would suit harder rock or darker amp tones but the ac2 is the winner for my setup as the Marshall is already very bright.
@@mattrobinson thanks for the answer! I am planning to put the alnico 2 hss set in a stratocaster, i think you convinced me!