Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

B

bullo

New member
Hi,

By no means I want to start another "BEST PICKUP" thread. There are million of those and always the same conclusions: the best is the one you like.

I agree. However, I wanna open a different survey.

What is the BEST pickup in terms of Technical Specifications.


By this, I mean which PU meets MOST of the following technical specifications. All PUs, brands, types, active, passive count here.

-Frequency response (the wider and flatter the better)
-Noise (the Lower the Better)
-Output (The higher the better, without compromising Sustain via string pull)
-Sustain (the higher the better, without compromising Output)
-String Pull (the lower the better)
-Dynamic Range (the higher the better)

Only tech specs. Terms such as 'Transparency', 'Response', etc don't count.

Please fell free to comment. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

Regards,
Danny Bullo
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

Let me guess, you're an engineer and not an artist
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Trechnical Specifications, not Tone

Re: Best Pickup in terms of Trechnical Specifications, not Tone

ahhaha not really...

im a guitar player and a producer.....

For me life changed after amp modeling software. Today you can process a guitar signal in a way you never thought before. So all this tech stuff starts to take place IMHO

Danny
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

For a passive pickup design with huge output, massive sustain with little string pull, and huge dynamic range, just put some Duncan Parallel Axis 'buckers in every guitar regardless of style...

I have been a live sound and radio engineer for years. I have heard some great modeling amps too.

However, you should know that if you don't start with solid tone, you still get junk in the end. Technical specs don't necessarily reflect how the pickup will balance to the instrument or the listeners' ears.
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

thank Grindspine! good info!

i agree about amps sims...but also i what to find the "best" PU because something else:

We get used to some aesthetic we 'like' and over time we relate others to that one. An example: Today's Super Pro Digital Cameras are MUCH better than film cameras (noise, resolution, etc). But movie producers STILL shoot with FiLM...because we are all used to it and it is part of the aesthetic.

With PU and Microphones is the same. you may like some vintage Sure mics with a terrible frequency response.....

Now...it is good to know both....

What about lace alumitones? They claim to be the future of PUs..with all specs enhanced...

anyone?
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

bullo said:
-Frequency response (the wider and flatter the better)
-Noise (the Lower the Better)
-Output (The higher the better, without compromising Sustain via string pull)
-Sustain (the higher the better, without compromising Output)
-String Pull (the lower the better)
-Dynamic Range (the higher the better)
Click to expand...
I'm not as knowledable as some people here by a long mile, but aren't you describing an active pu design?.
- FR: Depends on the PU itself, but they tend to be flatter in FR than a passive.
- Noise: Active PUs are designed with this in mind. Ultra low noise.
- Output: The same applies here. Actives are usually hi output.
- Sustain & string pull: As the magnets are way smaller in an active design, an active PU has less string pull, that improves sustain.
- Dynamic range: This is where actives pickups has more problems. EMGs 81 and 85 are compressed. If you use 18 Volts instead of 9, they lose that compressed character, but still... Duncan's Blackouts are known to be less compressed, and the new 81X and 85X EMG PUs. Bass active PU on the other hand are designed with more dynamic range in mind, so it can be achieved.
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

When it comes to sheer specs: q tuners. As silent as emg's. Enormous dynamic range.. But their sound is boring.


Otherwise just piezo pickups
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

IMO, technical best is a side issue. It would be all very well having, say, the best signal-to-noise but, if the tone is crap, who cares about the tech spec?
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

bullo said:
Hi,

By no means I want to start another "BEST PICKUP" thread. There are million of those and always the same conclusions: the best is the one you like.

I agree. However, I wanna open a different survey.

What is the BEST pickup in terms of Technical Specifications.


By this, I mean which PU meets MOST of the following technical specifications. All PUs, brands, types, active, passive count here.

-Frequency response (the wider and flatter the better)
-Noise (the Lower the Better)
-Output (The higher the better, without compromising Sustain via string pull)
-Sustain (the higher the better, without compromising Output)
-String Pull (the lower the better)
-Dynamic Range (the higher the better)

Only tech specs. Terms such as 'Transparency', 'Response', etc don't count.

Please fell free to comment. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

Regards,
Danny Bullo
Click to expand...

I would forward that, since technical specs depend on the job, this is a rather pointless discussion.
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

maybe most wont agree. but...For example, a recording engineering knows many microphones and their specs.... Knowing those specs 'justifies' and support the idea of 'i like this mic for this thing'. I mean.....taste is subjective. YES. But by knowing the tech aspect we could really 'fine tune' our taste and understand it more and be able to get exactly what we want. In my opinion, tech aspect counts 50%. The other 50% is how you like it, both being equally important.

Danny Bullo
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

Who cares? It's all about what sounds good. I don't care if it's made out of recycled mudflaps. If it sounds good, it is good.
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

Ehhhh...

The right pickup for the guitar is what wins, not the most technically perfect pickup.

Pickup selection depends VERY MUCH on the guitar the pickup is going into, the style of music to be played, and what you want the pickup to achieve.

That said, as long as you have a balanced sounding wind, like a PAF or a variant thereof, you can use the magnet type + strength to tweak the pickup to gell with the guitar. Alnico 4 is probably the most even sounding, and is more likely to give you the pure sound of the wind itself. But it's not very high output, isn't super tight, and has a bit of that alnico sag/squish to it. And active pickups in my experience are soulless.

If you want a clinically cold, robotically perfect pickup, use piezos or a synth or something.
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

thank you all.


If you want a clinically cold, robotically perfect pickup, use piezos or a synth or something.
Click to expand...

that is good. Yes, id like the 'coldest and most perfect' pu. not because 'i like the tone'.....i think the most perfect a PU is, the best you can tweak it with effects..of course...if you are into the extreme effect world...
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

bullo said:
In my opinion, tech aspect counts 50%. The other 50% is how you like it, both being equally important.

Danny Bullo
Click to expand...

You don't play an instrument, I guess... isn't it?
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

bullo said:
thank you all.




that is good. Yes, id like the 'coldest and most perfect' pu. not because 'i like the tone'.....i think the most perfect a PU is, the best you can tweak it with effects..of course...if you are into the extreme effect world...
Click to expand...

BTW....i have a Godin Guitar...It has Piezo as well as Hex output...

IMHO...piezo sounds ok....but barey usable...the onboard eq really adds noise.

Yes. I play A LOT....

BTW... I feel a little attacked here...

I mean...guitar is probably the most versatile instrument in the world. Expect people to see it differently. Expect someone who goes 'i dont use amps', or 'i process the guitar like synths'. etc.
 
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Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

bullo said:
that is good. Yes, id like the 'coldest and most perfect' pu. not because 'i like the tone'.....i think the most perfect a PU is, the best you can tweak it with effects..of course...if you are into the extreme effect world...
Click to expand...


As in recording, the same applies for getting good tone:

the better you can get the source sound to be, the better the end product will be. Put a cold, lifeless pickup in front of a bunch of effects, and it will still sound like a cold, lifeless pickup.

Put something with lots of punch, clarity, warmth and liveliness in front of a bunch of effects, and you'll get a seriously awesome tone.

WTF is the point of getting lots of effects if your source sounds like sh!t?

Technical specs should always be paid attention to when selecting a pickup, but not to the degree that you're doing so man. 50% for just tech specs is way too much. It should be more along the lines of 15% tech specs, 15% how it meshes with the guitar, 70% how it sounds to your ears and whether or not it gives you a sonic erection.

Actually, come to think of it, that boner inducing quality is paramount. People listen with their ears. It's gotta sound f'n GREAT right outta the gate, not just "Adequate, and I'll fix it with effects later"

A great pickup should make you want to make sweet passionate love to your guitar. It's gotta arouse that level of passion and intensity. If it doesn't, then you haven't got the right pickup.
 
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Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

Guys, lay off of TS. It's an interesting question, regardless of whether or not it's practical.
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

CountFunkula, thank you!
I seriously HATE re posts! i started the thread saying this, i didn't want to beat the dead horse of see who is cooler and has more knowledge, etc.

and Yes..I play the guitar. Doesnt matter percentages... that is personal..... before showing off please read this header, i also thought it was interesting to know.

By no means I want to start another "BEST PICKUP" thread. There are million of those and always the same conclusions: the best is the one you like.

I agree. However, I wanna open a different survey.

What is the BEST pickup in terms of Technical Specifications.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Best Pickup in terms of Technical Specifications, not Tone

The crux of the issue here is that the guitar/amp are musicians' tools, and we want to have something at this point that allows us to express a vibe or emotion.....its the endpoint of the guitarist's artistic side.

After that we switch to the best way to capture that with no signal loss, tone colouration, distortion or a myriad of other anomalies.

The two are so far apart in terms of approach to gear that there is no overlap of ideology.

Lets face it, the entire evolution of electric guitar was a 'failed' attempt to amplify an acoustic guitar, and rock and blues pushed this further from 'pristine' sound with tube distortion. An electric guitar DI is a nasty thing to hear
 
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