John Mayer pickups?!?!
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DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: John Mayer pickups?!?!
He probably wanted them slightly scooped so the guitar doesn't mesh with his vocals, causing false/ghost notes to appear.
When I had a band, we had this one song where the singer wanted to do something kinda weird with the vocal melody where he'd go out of key (in kind of an Alice Cooperish madman sorta way). I didn't like it - thought it came off more like a bad singer than the "effect" he was going for.
I added a string ensemble under it playing the melody (simple and slow 4 note swell type of thing buried under it all), and surprise of all surprises, it straightened out his "vocal effect" so it sounded like he was singing a straight in-key line. He hated it, everyone else loved it, the band broke up :lol:
So, JM may have run across a chord or melody line on the guitar that either stepped on his vocals or pulled them off key, and thus ordered pickups scooped at a given frequency a given amount to counter that, rather than futz with it in the amp or mixer EQ.
He probably wanted them slightly scooped so the guitar doesn't mesh with his vocals, causing false/ghost notes to appear.
When I had a band, we had this one song where the singer wanted to do something kinda weird with the vocal melody where he'd go out of key (in kind of an Alice Cooperish madman sorta way). I didn't like it - thought it came off more like a bad singer than the "effect" he was going for.
I added a string ensemble under it playing the melody (simple and slow 4 note swell type of thing buried under it all), and surprise of all surprises, it straightened out his "vocal effect" so it sounded like he was singing a straight in-key line. He hated it, everyone else loved it, the band broke up :lol:
So, JM may have run across a chord or melody line on the guitar that either stepped on his vocals or pulled them off key, and thus ordered pickups scooped at a given frequency a given amount to counter that, rather than futz with it in the amp or mixer EQ.
Kosh Naranek
New member
Re: John Mayer pickups?!?!
If you're playing mostly in the 2 and 4 position (bridge/middle together or neck/middle together), less mids from the pickups gives a more clucky, squeaky clean 80's Strat tone. It's kinda cool, especially for pop songs or clean sections of rock tunes. Satriani used an extremely clean, scooped sound like that for the clean chords in "Ice 9" on Surfing with the Alien. That tone is kinda the opposite approach a lot of blues players take, using an overwound single coil with a fatter, more midrangey tone.
Maybe that's the tone that Mayer likes. I wouldn't know. I've only heard his hits. They don't feature him actually playing any electric blues guitar. With a scooped sound, I would expect the Mayer Strat would be of most use to guitarists playing rhythm guitar in pop, funk or reggea bands - any situation where you'd want a very glassy, clucky Strat tone. That kind of sound fits very well with certain styles.
If you're playing mostly in the 2 and 4 position (bridge/middle together or neck/middle together), less mids from the pickups gives a more clucky, squeaky clean 80's Strat tone. It's kinda cool, especially for pop songs or clean sections of rock tunes. Satriani used an extremely clean, scooped sound like that for the clean chords in "Ice 9" on Surfing with the Alien. That tone is kinda the opposite approach a lot of blues players take, using an overwound single coil with a fatter, more midrangey tone.
Maybe that's the tone that Mayer likes. I wouldn't know. I've only heard his hits. They don't feature him actually playing any electric blues guitar. With a scooped sound, I would expect the Mayer Strat would be of most use to guitarists playing rhythm guitar in pop, funk or reggea bands - any situation where you'd want a very glassy, clucky Strat tone. That kind of sound fits very well with certain styles.
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BigJoe77
New member
Re: John Mayer pickups?!?!
I have no idea what his wiring looks like in his guitar, but the majority of the pictures I see have the switch in the middle (3) position.
Obviously I lack the cash to match the rest of his rig, but, for me, the 5/2's were by far the best match for his overall tone of anything else I had tried. (Except for his forays in to trying to mimic Stevie Ray or Jimi...those are just a straight vintage A5 flavor through effects).
I have no idea what his wiring looks like in his guitar, but the majority of the pictures I see have the switch in the middle (3) position.
Obviously I lack the cash to match the rest of his rig, but, for me, the 5/2's were by far the best match for his overall tone of anything else I had tried. (Except for his forays in to trying to mimic Stevie Ray or Jimi...those are just a straight vintage A5 flavor through effects).
scottish
WeirdScienceologist
Re: John Mayer pickups?!?!
his pups arent anything special, i dont know why they are so hyped up. just plain old a5, slightly underwound vintage strat pups. anything that meets those specs will get you pretty darn close.
I think the key to his sound is the fact the pups are slightly underwound. That gives you that big fat woody tone he has.
his pups arent anything special, i dont know why they are so hyped up. just plain old a5, slightly underwound vintage strat pups. anything that meets those specs will get you pretty darn close.
I think the key to his sound is the fact the pups are slightly underwound. That gives you that big fat woody tone he has.
ImmortalSix
John Mayer's Mankini
Re: John Mayer pickups?!?!
Scottish has the right idea.
Key point of information: Mayer's main gigging axe doesn't have the production Big Dippers in it.
His John Cruz Masterbuilt Custom Shop relic "The Black One" has, go figure, custom pickups in it --- he has repeatedly said he like underwound low output pickups, because they allow the amp to do most of the work --- the amp is an infinitely more controllable piece of equipment, so why bias your pie chart of "what-you-get-your-tone-from" so heavily on a basically non-variable piece of equipment?
Scottish has the right idea.
Key point of information: Mayer's main gigging axe doesn't have the production Big Dippers in it.
His John Cruz Masterbuilt Custom Shop relic "The Black One" has, go figure, custom pickups in it --- he has repeatedly said he like underwound low output pickups, because they allow the amp to do most of the work --- the amp is an infinitely more controllable piece of equipment, so why bias your pie chart of "what-you-get-your-tone-from" so heavily on a basically non-variable piece of equipment?
jhale667
New member
Ugh
Ugh
His foray into trying to mimic Eddie Van Halen was downright painful....:eyecrazy:
Ugh
His foray into trying to mimic Eddie Van Halen was downright painful....:eyecrazy:
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