Pickups don't make a difference in tone.

[beaubrummels]

Why do people say this? I've seen on multiple other forums where someone will ask what kind of pickups they recommend for a certain sound and they'll tell him "get a better amp kid". Whats up with that?

Saying "get a better amp" is totally different from saying "pickups don't affect tone." If you are using complete crap equipment, you will not be able to hear the benefit that a pickup change brings. everything has to be in balance.

 

[GuitarDoc]

From what you said in your initial post, I suspect that you are using solid state amps. Indeed if you tried a good tube amp you would also notice for yourself what a tremendous difference that makes in your tone. Also as was said, the speaker in your amp has possibly a greater impact on your tone than just about anything else.

 

[Clint 55]

Upgrading your pickups will never prevent you from upgrading your amp at a later time.

 

[PFDarkside]

Straight from the guy who proclaimed the dimebucker as the worst pickup ever.

Proceeds to play extreme metal with loads of gain on a modeling device.

I mean if that’s the sound you want and pickups don’t matter, you may as well put cheap pickups in a forget the rest. If you are to a point where pickups don’t matter, than literally nothing else matters on the guitar for tone, it’s just a question of playability and appearance.

For most of us here, hand us two identical guitars, one loaded with a Custom and one with a Custom Custom and we could tell the difference.

 

[esandes]

People who state that pickups don't make much difference should only use the cheapest guitar with the cheapest 8" speaker solid state combo then swap pickups.

I'm no fortunate son with a trust fund. Pickups are the cheapest way to improve tone.

 

[Adieu]

People who state that pickups don't make much difference should only use the cheapest guitar with the cheapest 8" speaker solid state combo then swap pickups.

I'm no fortunate son with a trust fund. Pickups are the cheapest way to improve tone.

Used pickup, used speaker, used or knockoff pedals - the only sub-$50 ways to radically change your rig's sound

 

[weepingminotaur]

I'm pretty wary of binary thinking. Between "pickups don't affect tone" and "pickups are the defining factor in tone", there is a meadow. Let us meet there.

 

[GreatOz]

There's a ton of factors that go into your sound. The biggest from my experience are the amp/speaker combo, the amount of gain that's being used, and what type of pickups you use (singles, humbuckers, active, and etc; less the model itself, but again that does factor). If you use a ton of gain, it almost doesn't matter what kind of pickups you use; the pickup more determines noise level and how "smooth" your tone is and less the tone itself at that point. Try doing an A-B with completely different pickups with enough gain. Will you be able to tell a difference? Usually. Will you be able to tell which one is which? Doubtful. Could you tell what pickup was used in a full band mix with full blown processing? Extremely doubtful.

Yes, pickups affect tone, but the amp/speaker combo affects it more. At least in my personal experience.

Idk, just my $0.02.

 

[alex1fly]

IME playing multiple instruments (strings, percussion, winds, keyboards) and performing semi-professionally for the last 25 years... amp and cabinet choice have a much bigger tonal impact than pickups. String brand, gauge and material make a big difference. The thickness and material of your pick (or fingers) makes a big difference. How you attack the strings makes a big difference. Pickups absolutely play a role but it's hardly the place to start IMO. Cheap ones can sound great, nice ones can sound crappy. They don't have a sound on their own so you have to match it with everything else that's going on.

Pickups are like the middle managers of your guitar tone.

 

[Securb]

 

[Mincer]

Well, I think the premise of this was that they 'don't' make a difference. Not that they make the smallest difference. There clearly is a difference for 99% of players. How much that is isn't really relevant, as it probably is different for everyone.

 

[superpete]

if anyone here really thinks they dont make a difference, i'll gladly trade all my old epiphone, ltd, bc rich, & squier cheapies for your overpriced, overhyped name brand pickups.