Possible ear fatigue from Black Winters

Securb

Securb

One of Jerry's Kids
I put a Black Winter in my Strat it sounds glorious. Maybe too glorious. I used the guitar with what I will call my mellower band, classic/hard rock. The pickup was great for 80% of our stuff. When I switched to my Strat with the Fralin High Output the guitar sounded flat and off. It also felt like my finger sensitivity was gone. I know the guitar sounds amazing so I thought maybe I was just not jiving with it that night. Tonight I opened the set with my other hard rock/metal band with the Black Winter Strat. Once again it sounded fantastic. When I switched to my Les Paul with the WLHs once again the guitar felt and sounded flat.

I thought it was just me but talking to my bass player after practice he noticed it also. I think the pumped mids in the Black Winter are making everything I play after it sound flat. I have not changed the EQ on my amp since putting in the BWs so it is not as if the amp;/pedals are EQed for the BW.

Next practice I am going to open the set with the Fralin Strat and then switch to the WLH Les Paul to get a feel for the sound of the guitars. I will then give the BW Strat a go. If it is the mids in the BW that are causing ear fatigue my solution would be to put Black Winters in everything (not happening) or to start using my EQ pedal with my other guitars to give the mids a boost.

Am I losing my mind, is this in my head? Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I play all kinds of different guitars during a set and this is the first time I have experienced anything like this.

TLDR - My Black Winters are making all of my other guitars sound like ass.
 
I'd say it's just one of those pickups that has to be adjusted for, but not quite as much as the Super3. If you went back and forth between the BW and Super3 you would probably just need to adjust the highs up for the Super3. Mids are so strong with these, and the Nazgul too.
 
BW can do that, especially if what BWs do is what you've been hunting for. In my case, it was switching between my Jackson with BW and my Les Paul Studio with Bare Knuckle Black Dog and 59/A4. The LP didn't sound bad or like ass, but I did question what it sounded like, like, "So that is what PAFs sound like? I know they are good, but should I change my amp to make them sound right?"
 
beaubrummels said:
BW can do that, especially if what BWs do is what you've been hunting for. In my case, it was switching between my Jackson with BW and my Les Paul Studio with Bare Knuckle Black Dog and 59/A4. The LP didn't sound bad or like ass, but I did question what it sounded like, like, "So that is what PAFs sound like? I know they are good, but should I change my amp to make them sound right?"
Click to expand...

I just got home and I am frustrated. You described it perfectly. The guitars didn't sound like ass but they didn't sound right.
 
Maybe you should take the opposite of your own advice. Use your EQ on the Black Winters and suck some of the mids out of them to bring them down to be somewhat EQ'd like your other guitars/pickups.
 
Yeah, a JB does the same thing to me. I think it is just about what frequencies your ear is sensitive to.
 
I don't think it's necessarily ear fatigue but you're probably just used to the extra aggression from the ceramic BWs so when you switch back to the alnico paf pups, they sound soft in comparison. Decide whether you want to eq down the BWs like Jolly said, eq up the pafs. Or a 3rd option if you like the ceramic aggression is you could add ceramic spacers to the alnico pups so that they maintain their character but get some bite to compete with the BWs.
 
Clint 55 said:
I don't think it's necessarily ear fatigue but you're probably just used to the extra aggression from the ceramic BWs so when you switch back to the alnico paf pups, they sound soft in comparison. Decide whether you want to eq down the BWs like Jolly said, eq up the pafs. Or a 3rd option if you like the ceramic aggression is you could add ceramic spacers to the alnico pups so that they maintain their character but get some bite to compete with the BWs.
Click to expand...

Good suggestion but I do not think it is a ceramic vs. alinco type of thing. I have tons of ceramic pickups, alinco, and even piezo, I have never experienced this. I am really thinking it is more about the EQ.
 
Could it be the attack that is throwing you off?
Black Winters can make you feel superhuman...like you can play anything as if you have found the perfect overdrive with that perfect eq curve and the guitar just starts playing herself.
I think everyone mentioning the ceramic vs. alnico thing is dead on.

Bump your other pickups but not with an eq...use an overdrive set up for that one job.
 
Lucy Diamond said:
Could it be the attack that is throwing you off?
Black Winters can make you feel superhuman...like you can play anything as if you have found the perfect overdrive with that perfect eq curve and the guitar just starts playing herself.
Click to expand...

The attack the Fralin High Output pickups have is amazing, they have incredible touch and sensitivity.

Lucy Diamond said:
Bump your other pickups but not with an eq...use an overdrive set up for that one job.
Click to expand...

I have 3 overdrives and 2 boosts on my board. Nothing or combination (gain staging) seemed to get me over the hump. Even my Wampler Dracarys with an EP type boost wouldn't get me over the hump.
 
I've not used the BW as that's not my style of pickup but after reading description and specs, seeing a couple videos, (3 ceramic magnets?), yeah, it makes sense why the PAF class pickups would seem lesser after playing the guitar with the BW in it. It will take a dedicated EQ to get the PAF class in the same EQ path, IMO.
 
Some pickups really require redialing when you switch guitars. I've chosen carefully to avoid needing to do that.
For those who play one guitar primarily or can spare the time to reset, all that matters is what one likes.

EDIT: Of course it's also true that to human hearing, higher volume - even slightly higher - sounds like better tone...

I've recently fallen back in love with my Distortion set; it drives harder and chunks better than anything else in my arsenal.
Practically speaking, it's far too different from the rest of my fleet to work for me.
Otherwise I'd be very tempted to let it spoil me.
 
Last edited:
Securb said:
The attack the Fralin High Output pickups have is amazing, they have incredible touch and sensitivity.



I have 3 overdrives and 2 boosts on my board. Nothing or combination (gain staging) seemed to get me over the hump. Even my Wampler Dracarys with an EP type boost wouldn't get me over the hump.
Click to expand...

"You must do what you feel is right of course." ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi
 
eclecticsynergy said:
Some pickups really require redialing when you switch guitars. I've chosen carefully to avoid needing to do that.
For those who play one guitar primarily or can spare the time to reset, all that matters is what one likes.

EDIT: Of course it's also true that to human hearing, higher volume - even slightly higher - sounds like better tone....
Click to expand...

When I plugged in the BW Strat I did not change the EQ on anything. It sounded great without adjusting anything. The same settings that sound great with every other guitar now sound flat. I have practice tomorrow night I am going to start off with the Les Paul Custom Lite and the Fralin Strat. If they sound fine and I think they will, it will let me know I might have to EQ the BW. I am putting my mini-seven band in the gig bag today.

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