WyrmCracker
New member
Just wanted to throw this out there. . .
All of the playing I do anymore is through a miced speaker in an isolation booth. THe amp is cranked. I listen through my studio monitors and evaluate tonal changes relative to the recorded tone with the amp operating at ideal volume.
Over the past 20 years, I have tried alot of pickups, and evaluated the tone by the in-room sound, mostly at practice volume.
My latest acquisition, a Duncan Full Shred, I am enjoying very much. But all the pickup swaps I have done since switching to the iso setup has made me realize. . .
Microphone type, placement, and **speaker type** make a much bigger difference in tone, detail, and feel. Of course the amp makes a huge difference.
EQ differences in the pickups are nullified (or compensated by) the Amps EQ, such that its almost impossible to discern a difference in pickup tone. The output of the pickup is the thing that makes the most difference. Hot pickups are tighter, lower output ones are more open. They have a differnt feel and playing dynamics, but again, when listening through the whole recording chain, less than you would think.
The output level of the amp has a much bigger efffect on tone than the pickups. Playing cranked vs. medium vs. low level has a huge effect on the recorded tone. As does distance from the speaker.
Playing in room, the effect of a pickup swap seems pretty big, but I guarantee the effect is mostly lost on the audience or recording.
In the grand scheme of things, pickups are pretty close to the bottom in the effect they have.
Speaker swaps are probably where I will be spending most of my tweak money in the future.
Not to diss pickup swaps entirely. . . they do make a difference. . .But I think speakers are the bigger difference.
All of the playing I do anymore is through a miced speaker in an isolation booth. THe amp is cranked. I listen through my studio monitors and evaluate tonal changes relative to the recorded tone with the amp operating at ideal volume.
Over the past 20 years, I have tried alot of pickups, and evaluated the tone by the in-room sound, mostly at practice volume.
My latest acquisition, a Duncan Full Shred, I am enjoying very much. But all the pickup swaps I have done since switching to the iso setup has made me realize. . .
Microphone type, placement, and **speaker type** make a much bigger difference in tone, detail, and feel. Of course the amp makes a huge difference.
EQ differences in the pickups are nullified (or compensated by) the Amps EQ, such that its almost impossible to discern a difference in pickup tone. The output of the pickup is the thing that makes the most difference. Hot pickups are tighter, lower output ones are more open. They have a differnt feel and playing dynamics, but again, when listening through the whole recording chain, less than you would think.
The output level of the amp has a much bigger efffect on tone than the pickups. Playing cranked vs. medium vs. low level has a huge effect on the recorded tone. As does distance from the speaker.
Playing in room, the effect of a pickup swap seems pretty big, but I guarantee the effect is mostly lost on the audience or recording.
In the grand scheme of things, pickups are pretty close to the bottom in the effect they have.
Speaker swaps are probably where I will be spending most of my tweak money in the future.
Not to diss pickup swaps entirely. . . they do make a difference. . .But I think speakers are the bigger difference.
No Synthe-Tone for me. Besides, I'm not into effects. The music I love doesn't need them.