Low output awakening

[bigcupholder]

If you're playing with less gain, it makes sense that lower output pickups sound better. Higher output pickups tend to be a lot more mid focused, which works better for high gain and otherwise sounds harsh. IMO that's the biggest difference, not compression or output.

Also, if you're not used to playing at high volume, literally anything will be a revelation. The way the guitar reacts acoustically to that volume is an experience that can't be replicated any other way.

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[Dahla]

Well… I don’t think it’s the low output pickups that is the key to your experience. I think it’s the pure unadulterated joy of volume. Just sayin… *wink*


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[ToneFiddler]

Well… I don’t think it’s the low output pickups that is the key to your experience. I think it’s the pure unadulterated joy of volume. Just sayin… *wink*


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^^yes, it’s not like high output pickups don’t sound better with a driving amp, too

[pskorz]

So many fun ways to mix it up!!! My main amp is a classic 50. I can crank it pretty good for most practice/gigging scenarios.
les Paul or PRS w/ super distortion bridge = great.
59 in the neck=great.
epiphone dot with Mojotone 59 clones=great!

[nexion218]

When you get less compression, you get more touch sensitivity; really more dynamic range. I started experimenting with dynamics as I got to be a more experienced player.

My thoughts exactly. The less I suck at playing, the more comfortable I become using less gain/moderate output pups.

[Inflames626]

This thread reminds me of when I discovered the Gibson 498t and Full Shred as my go to passives after decades of believing only active pickups could give me the sound I wanted.

My experience is more with DAWs, plugins, and recording. But, with the increased popularity of devices like the Fractal Axe FX and Kemper Profiling amp for live playing, the gap between studio and stage is closing.

With that in mind, I think it is helpful to figure out whether you want your tone to come from early or late in your signal chain.

Early in the chain will have more influence on the overall tone, but it will be harder to remove if you dial it in wrong. Things later in the chain have the effect of solving problems earlier in the chain if dialed in correctly and modestly.

Like the original poster, I started with active pickups and high gain everything in my teens and 20s. However, computer recording has now given us infinite gain so we don't need high output pickups as much.

Over the past 10-15 years I have discovered low to moderate passive pickups combined with a high gain signal chain combine the best of both worlds when you need dynamics and aggression.

Speaking for the genre I like (90s-00s Swedish melodic death metal), the pickups aren't as important as the amp. The amp itself isn't as important as how you dial in the boost on the front end. And your boost is nothing if your pickups aren't responding to your playing the way you want.

Instead of a tone chain, it's a tone circle.

One could say my genre isn't important as far as dynamics, but when you need consistency and clarity in the midst of all that saturated distortion and you're constantly switching between rhythm and melody playing at the bridge pickup, dynamics are more important than you might think.

That said, I've come to the following pickup hierarchy, if you will, for recording, especially in standard tuning:

Ceramic/high output pickups in bridge--great for solos and cutting through a mix. Mild compression helps. Fatiguing on the ear if used for rhythm. Notch out "hairy" frequencies as needed.

Ceramic/Alnico 5 high output pickups in neck--great for soloing when more warmth is needed but you still need to cut through a mix.

Alnico 5/high to moderate output pickups in bridge--great for rhythm work.

If you want more compressed consistency with rhythms, use high output active pickups. If you want more dynamics, use a lower output Alnico 5 and make up the gain later in your signal chain, mainly through the boost.

Alnico 2 moderate to low output pickups in neck--great for soloing, especially when vocal-like bends are needed.

Ceramic moderate to low output in neck--great for when bright cleans are needed such as with stereo chorus. In my experience a high output ceramic in the neck is not a good choice as the bassy-ness of the neck position fights the brightness of the ceramic pickup.

These days, I don't think pickups are as important as the tweaks you make later in your signal chain. But, if your pickup feels off to you, your playing will be off. So pickups still have their place.

Also, don't forget the power of impulse responses! Simply finding the right one can make so many otherwise additional tweaks unnecessary.

Don't judge a pickup based upon how it sounds when your guitar plays alone. It can sound amazing when you are practicing but when you go to record suddenly you have to get rid of a bunch of frequencies that are stepping on other instruments. It is there when a lot of a pickup's defining characteristics can be lost.

Finally, the big push over the last 10 years or so toward making more responsive/dynamic pickups that blend the qualities of passive and active designs misses the mark, I think. We already had those pickups decades ago. We just now have enough flexibility and power in our signal chains to dial in the exact sound we want despite the limitations of the older designs.

An exception to this might be Seymour Duncan's Blackouts line, which somehow combined the consistency and precision of an active design with the dynamics and life of a passive pickup. In the event that pickup doesn't work based on tuning, small tweaks make it close to perfect (say AHB-1 vs AHB-3).

My compliments to Mr. Beller for creating one of the best sounding metal pickups I have ever heard for lower tunings. Those tricky low mids were adjusted in such a way that many years after the Blackouts introduction I still prefer it for my lower tuned, heavier material.

[Metalman_666]

Well… I don’t think it’s the low output pickups that is the key to your experience. I think it’s the pure unadulterated joy of volume. Just sayin�€� *wink*


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Lol. You're probably right, it has been a long while and nothing compares

Still, I made a conscious choice to bring lower output axes with me and that's the direction I've been gradually moving in. If I'd bought the dual P90 guitar I posted about wanting on this forum about 9 years ago, I might have had this revelation sooner!

Do think it's possible to get close with modern tech, but damn.

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