Re: Help me with a SD Blog article: what pickups cut through the mix?
Depends on the EQ of the other instruments/vocals. There is no one answer. I've heard bands that have a lot of high end, and a middy guitar cuts thru loud and clear. I've also heard bands that everyone seems to be in the midrange, and it's all jumbled and muddy; a brighter tone stands out.
A guitar's tone doesn't occur in a vacuum, it's part of the whole band's sound. You may have to adapt your tones to some degree to fit the band you're in. If the other guitarist's tones are similar to yours, the audience may not be able to hear both guitars part of the time (even most of the time); it's a valid question to ask: why have 2 guitars then?
Another thing that happens in many local bands, is that the guitarists don't make the time or effort to work out their parts so that each makes a big contribution to the songs. Even with similar tones, the guitars can each stand out. It's common in many bands for the guitars to play to exact same chords on most songs, and then to top it off, the bass player will just be thumping along on the root notes. That's a formula for a truly forgettable evening.