How would you demo a set of pickups?

[DThompson55]

Hey Hi - I have a lap steel web page, and one of my followers asked if I could compare the Seymour Duncan Li'l 59 that I installed months ago, and which I recommend highly, to the stock pickups in the Rogue RLS-1. Which got me to thinking, what would you do/play to actually demonstrate the tonal differences in pickups? Here's the thing. I don't know what those tonal differences are going to be before I start working on the demo. I do know it'll show no hum. That's the main reason I went with the Li'l 59. And I'd like to get the comparison right the first time. I don't want to have to swap out the pups 15 times.

I think my approach is going to be open the volume and tone controls all the way, record direct through a DI, and then 1) play some open chords. 2) play some plucked triads. 3) play a little lead. 4) play a bit of a song. All of which should take 30 seconds. Then swap pups and try to duplicate the same experience. It just seems like there's so much room for variation, pup height, etc. that it's not going to be a very good or useful demo. Except that it will show no hum. In my mind the Li'l 59 will probably sound fatter. But unless you're playing identical instruments side by side how can you tell?

What would you do to demonstrate the differences? People at SD do this for a living.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: How would you demo a set of pickups?

I'm no expert but I would suggest you try to do a demo the way you would want to hear one.

I would suggest you try to do a true A/B demo...don't change the settings or effects or anything like that. Show the same examples under both trying to highlight known differences (such as the noise differences that you have already mentioned.)

Have fun and share it here if you think about it!

 

[Mincer]

Re: How would you demo a set of pickups?

Yeah, your idea is a good one. You have to use the same steel, and the same settings, with the same musical passage covering the range of the steel. Not just frequency range, but different techniques. Play the exact thing after you swap pickups. There are not a lot of comparisons in steel pickups out there, so it could help a lot of people.

 

[stratguy23]

Re: How would you demo a set of pickups?

It helps to watch demo videos to get a sense of what *not* to do

What not to do:

- Talk too much. Or maybe even talk at all. If you do, save it for the middle or the end. We came to hear guitar sounds, not talking sounds. There is a successful YouTube demo guy, channel name EytschPi42, who does well by putting the playing first and the talking second. He does the talking part right by talking about the stuff that the ear can't catch, namely the "feel" of the product to the player. That feel is crucial to buying decisions, and most reviewers fail to address it.

- Do the same thing the whole video. "Shredding solo for 4 minutes" is not an adequate product demo. The biggest pickup makers still make this mistake.

- Leave settings in question. People want to know: which pickup (original or upgraded) is being used? Which switch setting (bridge, neck, middle) is being used? Simply putting this up in text on the screen for the duration of the relevant part goes a *long* way.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

 

[Mincer]

Re: How would you demo a set of pickups?

I'd love to see this if you produce it...so come back and post it!