Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

[BridgerHumbucker]

Because of arthritis, I play extremely light strings (36-28-20-13-10 & 7) tuned to E flat. Also I play 24 inch scale guitars ( mostly Jaguars) I recently had put in a Gibson Dirty Fingers in the lead and a Dimarzio Super 2 in the neck and compared to an identical Jaguar with a Seymour Duncan JB in the lead and a Jazz in the neck, it played a lot 'stiffer'
( both guitars have had the frets leveled and set up the same )
My question is, do High Output Pickups make a guitar play harder
( especial one set up with my extremely light gauge strings?)
Also the pickups were originally set up as close to the strings as possible, though I've lowered them now, I can't tell if I'm fooling myself that they are playing easier or not.
Any and all thoughts on the matter are appreciated.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Definitly not. Just swap them around and you will see.
For me is the ease of playing connected with the shape of the neck back. Some hundred of an inch make a difference for me and also the meat on the shoulders.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

I find that low output pickups actually make playing harder, but not in the same way that you mean. What I'm saying is that a vintage Strat pickup will make your mistakes much more noticeable than a Super Distortion, for example.

The type of pickup should have no effect on how well the guitar plays, but sometimes they mess with our perceptions. The wrong pickup might make a legato passage not feel quite so fluid or make it almost impossible to pull a solid pinch harmonic.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Foe me higher output pickups make a guitar "play easier" and forgive mistakes/inconsistencies due to the compression.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

When my ears are fatigued, or if I'm just in a crappy mood and my stuff sounds bad, my guitars feel physically harder to play. I know nothing actually changed, but considering that playing guitar (or any instrument) is a physical action with both physical and auditory feedback, it makes sense that both would affect the physical action.

In other words, it's psychosomatic, but I believe that yes, the pickups could make you perceive the guitar as being harder to play.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Hey BH - I too have arthritis (Psoriatic Arthritis)

I get what you are doing - but it may be having the opposite effect. The keys to light strings and high output is that YOU have to be light. Being light & relaxed is actually pretty difficult. The best example is the description of DiMarzio's Evolution pickup. They talk about "for the right player". Well - that means someone with superb control.

While you may think the more volume pump and less string resistance would make it easier, it may actually be harder (stiffer) as you are now seeing where there are flaws in your playing that you could get away with.

Yes - high output compression addresses slop, but so does heavy distortion from the amp. But when it comes to subtly, you may be losing it from the pickup. Remember - with a JB, everything is gonna be on "10" sort of (or at least 8). Takes more strength, control, and subtle to coax subtle out of those.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

( especial one set up with my extremely light gauge strings?)
Also the pickups were originally set up as close to the strings as possible, though I've lowered them now, I can't tell if I'm fooling myself that they are playing easier or not.
Any and all thoughts on the matter are appreciated.

Setting pickup lower will make response of the guitar to your playing feel stiffer.

 

[BridgerHumbucker]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Hey Curly, I mean Aceman
I appreciate hearing from someone else with arthritis, you relate to the problems i speak of.
1st off, I hear all your saying and agree, but if I had to describe my playing, I have an extremely light touch, I play in the range / style of Gary Moore, John Sykes technique and speed wise (fairly accurate not sloppy). The super light / low action set up helps me keep playing like that. I failed to mention the JB and Jazz on the other Jag are ' Duncan Designed' so they may be lower output compared to the USA editions. I had started to read many places how high out put pickups with strong magnetic fields could ' slow' a string down and make it play stiffer ( especially the neck pickup)
Just wanted to see if anyone here had any insight into this. Any other comments from the forum?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

I would think that it would depend on the type of player. If you use dynamics and the volume control all the time, the higher output pickups are sort of working against you by compressing the signal. I would think in your case, where you are using a shorter scale, and smaller strings, it would be the right thing to do, however.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Definitly not. Just swap them around and you will see.
For me is the ease of playing connected with the shape of the neck back. Some hundred of an inch make a difference for me and also the meat on the shoulders.

Absolutely correct!!!

The shoulder on the neck makes worlds of difference in its playability. Way more difference than total neck thickness.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Foe me higher output pickups make a guitar "play easier" and forgive mistakes/inconsistencies due to the compression.

By "play easier", you mean that it is easier to play "sloppy" and get away with it.

 

[dave74]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

High-output pickups and sloppy playing still just sounds sloppy to me.

Sure there's less output difference between hard-picked notes and soft-picked, but just because the range is reduced/compressed doesn't mean you can't apply dynamics.

For some it might be a crutch so they don't have to play cleanly, but playing cleanly with high-output and achieving some nuance is every bit or even more challenging as it is with vintage or medium output.

It's even harder and more required IMO to not be noisy and scratchy through hot pups.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

By "play easier", you mean that it is easier to play "sloppy" and get away with it.

Yep To the point above, you do need more finesse to exhibit actual dynamics, but it's a lot more like playing a keytar than it is like playing a Steinway. The lack of inherent dynamic variance is one less variable, so it is "easier."

 

[BridgerHumbucker]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

If I could reiterate, when I say " play stiffer" I mean does the magnetic pull of the Higher output pickups pull on the strings.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

If I could reiterate, when I say " play stiffer" I mean does the magnetic pull of the Higher output pickups pull on the strings.

Not in any practically noticeable amount.

But don't underestimate what the "feel" of stiffness does to your playing. To achieve same response with "vintage" wound pickups compared to medium wound you have to dig in harder. If difference isn't really obvious you might do that without noticing...

 

[BridgerHumbucker]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Not in any practically noticeable amount.

But don't underestimate what the "feel" of stiffness does to your playing. To achieve same response with "vintage" wound pickups compared to medium wound you have to dig in harder. If difference isn't really obvious you might do that without noticing...

Actually may I add, the 2 guitars in question (The guitar that plays harder has a Gibson Dirty Fingers in the lead and a Dimarzio Super 2 in the neck and compared to an identical Jaguar with a Seymour Duncan JB in the lead and a Jazz in the neck) are being A/B'd Unplugged, any discernible pull is just going by feel, not what I'm hearing through an amp.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Highoutput Pickups = Harder Playing Guitar?

Actually may I add, the 2 guitars in question (The guitar that plays harder has a Gibson Dirty Fingers in the lead and a Dimarzio Super 2 in the neck and compared to an identical Jaguar with a Seymour Duncan JB in the lead and a Jazz in the neck) are being A/B'd Unplugged, any discernible pull is just going by feel, not what I'm hearing through an amp.

Then it's just difference in those particular guitars. Whatever the pull is, it's going wreck your sustain before your going to feel the difference when playing.