Best amp to hear differences between pickups?

[Mincer]

While I 100% agree with the practical advice of going with the amp you know best, I think it sort of avoids the question of which specific amp would, in theory, showcase the tone and dynamics of different pickups to a wide range of players. .

To be fair, it was just for the individual player (yourself) and not a wide range of players. Everyone is different, and if I plug into an unfamiliar amp with a new pickup, I have nothing to base it on, much less if there is a new guitar with unfamiliar wood. I might love it, but that is gonna be a long shot.

[sumitagarwal]

To be fair, it was just for the individual player (yourself) and not a wide range of players. Everyone is different, and if I plug into an unfamiliar amp with a new pickup, I have nothing to base it on, much less if there is a new guitar with unfamiliar wood. I might love it, but that is gonna be a long shot.

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

Let me rephrase this: what's a highly-interactive amp with relatively neutral tonality?

[Mincer]

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

Let me rephrase this: what's a highly-interactive amp with relatively neutral tonality?

I'd have to go back to a clean amp that you are really familiar with.

[Laughing Kookaburra]

I’d test a pickup on the amp that I use most. Or amps, as the case may be. I would test the pickup on that amp in the manner that I normally play it, that is, dirty, clean, in between, or whatever.

[Fender_Punk]

I would say a Sovtek MIG 50W or 100W head. Or a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI.

[NegativeEase]

The question was about HEARING the difference between pickups.

I stand by a Fender DR, TWIN or Jazz Chorus type SS for this task

[GuitarStv]

The question was about HEARING the difference between pickups.

I stand by a Fender DR, TWIN or Jazz Chorus type SS for this task

I find that edge of breakup sounds reveal the most differences between pickup voicings to me. The little hint of compression helps you hear nuances that you would miss in a completely clean amp. Not sure the ultra clean of a JC, or a twin (at least a twin at non retarded volume levels) would work.

[NegativeEase]

I find that edge of breakup sounds reveal the most differences between pickup voicings to me. The little hint of compression helps you hear nuances that you would miss in a completely clean amp. Not sure the ultra clean of a JC, or a twin (at least a twin at non retarded volume levels) would work.

If you getting the edge of breakup from the amp, yes -I can see that... -as -as soon as an amp goes into saturation the differences between pickups becomes less of the thing -as soon as they are really compressed the nuances start to disappear.

[maug2122]

You did the right thing. I plugged my Chandler Tube Driver into the loop of the JC once and did not like it at all. It sounded too sterile. Plugged in the front of the amp, the Chandler makes the JC sounds like a very powerful well, defined Marshall. IMO the JC 120 is a great amp for high-gain applications.

Man, those Chandler Tube Drivers can make an SS amp sound come alive .

[dave74]

IMO the best amp to compare pickups is: The setup you primarily play with the boost/od/eq that you primarily use.
This isn't the best to compare for others, like if making a shootout video, but when comparing for yourself it's only how it all meshes through your own rig that matters.

[Securb]

Man, those Chandler Tube Drivers can make an SS amp sound come alive .

Yep, I have the rack unit. I tried it out in the 90s through a JC120. It sounded so good I bought both of them. That night the guys in the practice room next door knocked on the door because they wanted to see my new Marshall. They expected to see a Marshall 8x12, and all that sound was coming out of a Roland 2x12

[Animal]

I prefer to test pickups unplugged, that way I can listen to the acoustic properties.

[El Dunco]

Any..? I have never played an amp that homogenises the difference between pickups.

EDIT: Oh for fugs sake. I straight up thought you meant NECK vs BRIDGE pickup. Meaning with the toggle switch! Wow. What an idiot. I have an interview on a show tomorrow, that’s probably why.