How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

[aleclee]

The recent spate of threads asking for pickup suggestions to sound like ____ got me wondering. At the risk of committing SD Forum blasphemy, how important are pickups when the goal is to emulate someone's tone?

How would you rate pickups' importance relative to

• guitar wood and construction
• amp
• FX
• technique

I realize pickups are an important part of the signal chain but is a Dimebucker into a Marshall going to help you sound more like Darrell than a Custom into a Randall?

Just wondering what folks think...

 

[callous_frigid_chill]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

The amp and is what is most important, imo.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I'd say in this order.
Talent
Amp
Guitar
Pickups.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I'd say in this order.
Talent
Amp
Guitar
Pickups.

I pretty much agree fully here. I think having the right pickups for the guitar is important, I wouldn't place one necessarily above the other.

When it comes down to pure tone, pickups is by far one of the best investments you can make, honestly.

 

[some_dude]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I'd say in this order.
Talent
Amp
Guitar
Pickups.

+1

 

[JimiHWannaBe]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I'd say in this order.
Talent
Amp
Guitar
Pickups.

id have to agree, the pickups are kinnda like that last final touch that pulls everything together though.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I agree, but only to a point. If you are trying to rip off a strat tone, the guitar becomes much more important. I can play a strat through a sub-par amp and still get a better strat tone through it than I could by playing a Les Paul through a Bassman.

I think that guitar type is very important in acquiring a certain type of tone, but it's not nearly as important as duplicating the technique of the original player. Small things are a big part of it. Pick attack, up or down stroke, where you fret the note, when you fret the note in relation to the beat, picking every note or pulling off, etc.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I think pickups actually do make a big difference in sound, I was thinking about this not too long ago. They can make your guitar super muddy, bright, dark, rounded, edgy, responsive, dull, or whatever other discriptive tone words you can think of.

But as far as how important they are to getting a specific persons sound, I think the rig (not including guitar) and technique are more important.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: How important are pickups to nail someone's tone?

I'd say PuP's are more important to getting YOUR TONE !! Once ya got your
sound together you can work on nailing other's. That may sound backward?
Cuz' when your starting out you try to copy your hero's. But after a while
you get a perception of how you sound. I DUNNO? This makes sence
some how? I just don't know how to explain it. :duh: