Lower output humbucker/higher gain preamp or mid output humbucker/lower gain preamp?

[Bowtomecha]

I’m trying to figure out what this says about me. I like mid output humbuckers and a good amount of preamp gain with an overdrive pedal on low gain in front. But I prefer the tones I get when I have the volume pot on my guitars between maybe 5 and 7 if you imagine the positions. I like the articulation and the dynamics I get. I’m not sure if getting a lower output humbucker and raising the gain on the preamp on my amp would necessarily get me the same feel. It’s just something that I gravitate towards without really thinking about it. What is it that I’m trying to reach here with this? I’m not a two volume pot kind of person as I’ve never gotten along with that kind of setup. I forget or spend too much time fiddling.

I also like having the guitar volume all the way up for metal and rock rhythm parts and saturated leads. But I get a real flexible sound pulling back on the volume pot where the output is healthy but the tone is malleable in my hands. But it’s still modern (I’m not aiming for a vintage hot rodded sound) and not anemic. So is this the pickup giving me more headroom and the circuit as a whole somehow tuning that peak this way? Will it be similar if I use a lower output humbucker and boost the overdrive or preamp gain?

I think I started doing this to eliminate the noise my pickups receive (can’t really be helped since I practice in a garage with really of power) and the noise isn’t noticeable to me when I have my guitar volume rolled off. But I ended up liking how my technique responds to it this way.

[Mincer]

I think if you like the way it sounds, and it works for you, who cares if it isn't conventional.

[Rex_Rocker]

Personally, I have never gotten into mid-output pickups. But I think it's just a preconception of mine. I don't tend to like middle-grounds when it comes to gear.

But it's something I really want to experiment with. I like Duncan '59B's, DiMarzio PAF Pros, and Gibson Burstbucker Pros. I also like Duncan Black Winters and Gibson 500T's. Almost exact opposite sides of the spectrum. But I've never really experimented with something in between the 10K and 14K range. Except maybe the 498T, which I love.

I would love to try something that has the benefits of a JB and a 59. Namely, the smoother, squishiness of the JB with the twang and sparkle of the '59B.

But I wouldn't let the amp decide what pickup I want to try next, personally. If an amp doesn't have enough gain for me with a PAF, then it's probably not the amp for me. But I'm also using TS-type boosts 90% of the time.

[beaubrummels]

IME it's all a balance. You can have hot pickups into a weak amp or weak pickups into a hot amp. Certain pickups in certain guitars work better with various volume settings than others also. It takes a great deal more sensitivity in the hands to make the former be dynamic, but good sounds can be had either way.