JeffB
Let it B
One thing I've noticed is that alot of folks don't like high output buckers. I've held that opinion before too. However after playing some high gain pups recently I've come to the conclusion that they really are not as bad as people make them out to be..*if they are approached correctly*
I think the general mindset of people wanting a high gain pup, like a Distortion or DiMarzio Super, or Gibson 500, is that the pup is supposed to be able to handle all the gain you can throw at it. But I've come to find that isn't really the case and in fact the opposite. They get farty and crappy sounding just like a PAF does when overloaded. It takes a bit more to overload them, but they have a saturation point like any other pup, and that point is really not that much more than a PAF style output.
For more musical distortion, better clarity/leads/chugga, I've found you are better off backing DOWN the gain on your amp when using a distortion class pup.
As a real world example, I've been spending alot of time with s 500T pup lately in a phenomenal sounding Les Paul Classic. The 500T is NOTORIOUS for sounding like @$$...at least when you read reviews or talk to alot of people.
At first, I felt the same way. Then I started tweaking the gain levels on my Rivera until it was starting to approach the threshold of overload. The notes and power chords still had tightness, were crisp and clear, and were not sounding compressed. On my Rivera's gain channel (no boost) thats with the pre-amp vol at 6-6.5(out of 10). At that spot I've got classic 70's Les Paul crunch ala Ace..or think Carry on My Wayward Son..the tone that bridged the gap from the classic sweet (and sometimes farty) tones of the british blues guys and the compressed bright sounds of 80's metal. Crispier, more raw and crunchy. When set to this level of gain the 500T doesn't sound anything like @$$. Tight. Cuts through the mix. Good pinch harmonics. Very balanced. No over/underabundance of anything (it's very similar to a SuperD).
If I crank that gain up to 7 which is right AT the threshold w/ the 500T, it's Adrian Smith. Think 22 Acacia Avenue, The Prisoner, Any of the Les Paul stuff from Live After Death (e.g.hallowed be thy name). Or Fast Eddie Clark on the first Fastway album. It's got more Marshall "Kerrang", still tight and somewhat raw, but a *teeny* bit compressed. Again, here the pup sounds wonderful..hardly like @$$.
If I drop the gain back to 4-5 the 500T takes on a very raw bluesy tone or early 70's sound...kinda PAF-ish...with some edge to it. Not as "sweet" as alnico pup but def a good, very musical tone..got some great early Thin Lizzy/ Martin Barre type sounds.
BUT, if I hit 7.5 on the gain,all of a sudden the 500T lives up to it's poor reputation: harsh..thin,fizzy,sloppy lows. A nasty buzzy,screechy mess. It's amazing how that little bit of extra gain destroys the character of the pup.
I'm sure many of right now are thinking "Thank You for pointing that out Capt. Obvious" :laugh2: But my point here is that I feel many players are too quick to dismiss some pups when in fact they are just not approaching that pup correctly (granted there ARE alot of crappy pups out there, but). Especially guilty are many of the younger players (but certainly not all) who waltz into a store and totally crank the gain on something (guilty of that myself in my younger days). Of course things are going to sound terrible when you do that. Many of you prefer a lower output pup. I understand that alnico is sweeter. No doubt..but I think if people realized that Hi-output pups are meant to drive the amp, and not the other way around, and also realize that because they are so hot you need to be MORE conservative rather than less they'd be alot happier with them. Less gain is MORE with these.
Thoughts?
I think the general mindset of people wanting a high gain pup, like a Distortion or DiMarzio Super, or Gibson 500, is that the pup is supposed to be able to handle all the gain you can throw at it. But I've come to find that isn't really the case and in fact the opposite. They get farty and crappy sounding just like a PAF does when overloaded. It takes a bit more to overload them, but they have a saturation point like any other pup, and that point is really not that much more than a PAF style output.
For more musical distortion, better clarity/leads/chugga, I've found you are better off backing DOWN the gain on your amp when using a distortion class pup.
As a real world example, I've been spending alot of time with s 500T pup lately in a phenomenal sounding Les Paul Classic. The 500T is NOTORIOUS for sounding like @$$...at least when you read reviews or talk to alot of people.
At first, I felt the same way. Then I started tweaking the gain levels on my Rivera until it was starting to approach the threshold of overload. The notes and power chords still had tightness, were crisp and clear, and were not sounding compressed. On my Rivera's gain channel (no boost) thats with the pre-amp vol at 6-6.5(out of 10). At that spot I've got classic 70's Les Paul crunch ala Ace..or think Carry on My Wayward Son..the tone that bridged the gap from the classic sweet (and sometimes farty) tones of the british blues guys and the compressed bright sounds of 80's metal. Crispier, more raw and crunchy. When set to this level of gain the 500T doesn't sound anything like @$$. Tight. Cuts through the mix. Good pinch harmonics. Very balanced. No over/underabundance of anything (it's very similar to a SuperD).
If I crank that gain up to 7 which is right AT the threshold w/ the 500T, it's Adrian Smith. Think 22 Acacia Avenue, The Prisoner, Any of the Les Paul stuff from Live After Death (e.g.hallowed be thy name). Or Fast Eddie Clark on the first Fastway album. It's got more Marshall "Kerrang", still tight and somewhat raw, but a *teeny* bit compressed. Again, here the pup sounds wonderful..hardly like @$$.
If I drop the gain back to 4-5 the 500T takes on a very raw bluesy tone or early 70's sound...kinda PAF-ish...with some edge to it. Not as "sweet" as alnico pup but def a good, very musical tone..got some great early Thin Lizzy/ Martin Barre type sounds.
BUT, if I hit 7.5 on the gain,all of a sudden the 500T lives up to it's poor reputation: harsh..thin,fizzy,sloppy lows. A nasty buzzy,screechy mess. It's amazing how that little bit of extra gain destroys the character of the pup.
I'm sure many of right now are thinking "Thank You for pointing that out Capt. Obvious" :laugh2: But my point here is that I feel many players are too quick to dismiss some pups when in fact they are just not approaching that pup correctly (granted there ARE alot of crappy pups out there, but). Especially guilty are many of the younger players (but certainly not all) who waltz into a store and totally crank the gain on something (guilty of that myself in my younger days). Of course things are going to sound terrible when you do that. Many of you prefer a lower output pup. I understand that alnico is sweeter. No doubt..but I think if people realized that Hi-output pups are meant to drive the amp, and not the other way around, and also realize that because they are so hot you need to be MORE conservative rather than less they'd be alot happier with them. Less gain is MORE with these.
Thoughts?
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