Question about gain and pickups

[Dabatross]

I was wondering what effects does gain and high output pickups have on the way your guitar plays? For instance, if you play with a low output pickup it's harder to pull legato runs off in my opinion. Does more gain just mean more distortion or does it make the strings "fry" so it's easier to play? I've been trying to figure this out for a while now. I've noticed it's easier to play when using a +20 db boost switch, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on here. So, in essence my question is:

Does more gain and higher output make a guitar easier to play?

 

[FretFire]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

It makes mistakes less noticeable in my experience, but not necessarily easier to play. I personally feel it makes things less musical, but that's all opinion.

 

[Eddie J.]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

It makes mistakes less noticeable in my experience, but not necessarily easier to play. I personally feel it makes things less musical, but that's all opinion.

+1

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

On the other hand, learning to handle high gain is not such a simple thing like the majority may think. You know all that open string or finger pulling rings that make you sound like noise are much stronger in high gain situations.

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

I was wondering what effects does gain and high output pickups have on the way your guitar plays? For instance, if you play with a low output pickup it's harder to pull legato runs off in my opinion. Does more gain just mean more distortion or does it make the strings "fry" so it's easier to play? I've been trying to figure this out for a while now. I've noticed it's easier to play when using a +20 db boost switch, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on here. So, in essence my question is:

Does more gain and higher output make a guitar easier to play?

Not easier to play, it does mask sloppy technique

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

I actually think it's easier to play with more gain, as the strings feel smoother. I know this is purely psychological.

It might hide some mistakes, but the idea of "masking sloppy technique" is a bit of an overstatement, IMHO. It feeds the whole idiotic notion that somehow the amount of gain used is an indicator of someone's ability.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

It is purely psychological, to the point that particularly on chords, you sound a lot worse than you think. All the killer riffs (I mean riffs with chords, not single note solos) you've ever heard on guitar were recorded with a lot less gain than you think. With high gain, riffs sound blurry and undefined, like a beehive.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Before people start getting all "Your guitar sound is awful because you use a bunch of gain", let's all remember that the idea of "good tone" is a very subjective thing.

Crap... too late.

Since I can't find the quote, I'll paraphrase our very own Zerb, in saying that "There's no such thing as too much gain, only people who can't control it"

 

[LJ King]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

It is purely psychological, to the point that particularly on chords, you sound a lot worse than you think. All the killer riffs (I mean riffs with chords, not single note solos) you've ever heard on guitar were recorded with a lot less gain than you think. With high gain, riffs sound blurry and undefined, like a beehive.

+1.

Leave excessive gain where it belongs - in the bedroom!! :bigok:

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

It might hide some mistakes, but the idea of "masking sloppy technique" is a bit of an overstatement, IMHO. It feeds the whole idiotic notion that somehow the amount of gain used is an indicator of someone's ability.

Its not an over statement, its flat out true. Take any 10 players of your choice and have them play the same fast runs clean and with all the gain they like. At least half will butcher it clean. Guaranteed. AS for the the second comment, perhaps not ability but experience. Those tend to run hand in hand though.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Its not an over statement, its flat out true. Take any 10 players of your choice and have them play the same fast runs clean and with all the gain they like. At least half will butcher it clean. Guaranteed. AS for the the second comment, perhaps not ability but experience. Those tend to run hand in hand though.

I agree with your point of inexperienced players using a lot of gain, but I've really not heard many people who sounded good under gain, but sucked clean. They could either play, or they couldn't, ya know?

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

I agree with your point of inexperienced players using a lot of gain, but I've really not heard many people who sounded good under gain, but sucked clean. They could either play, or they couldn't, ya know?

Just try that little experiment and you will see what I am talking about. Hell just go to a GC and listen for that matter.

 

[Mephis]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Its not an over statement, its flat out true. Take any 10 players of your choice and have them play the same fast runs clean and with all the gain they like. At least half will butcher it clean. Guaranteed. AS for the the second comment, perhaps not ability but experience. Those tend to run hand in hand though.

Ever heard of light touch and speed picking?

Give those people a compressor to even out the dynamics and they'll sound identical clean as they will under gain. Hell, almost all the rockabilly guys use compressors for that reason.


And for the sake of music, if they sound good under gain then what's the problem? Guitar playing isn't an olympic event...

 

[LJ King]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Ever heard of light touch and speed picking?

Give those people a compressor to even out the dynamics and they'll sound identical clean as they will under gain. Hell, almost all the rockabilly guys use compressors for that reason.


And for the sake of music, if they sound good under gain then what's the problem? Guitar playing isn't an olympic event...

That's true. They don't normally have olympic events for people using crutches.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Ever heard of light touch and speed picking?

Give those people a compressor to even out the dynamics and they'll sound identical clean as they will under gain. Hell, almost all the rockabilly guys use compressors for that reason.


And for the sake of music, if they sound good under gain then what's the problem? Guitar playing isn't an olympic event...

+1.

Also, the playing of the guitar varies at different given situations. You play a classical guitar in a different way from an electric with low-gain and in a different way with high gain. You can't do fast legato runs in a classical guitar or a low-gain electric. It's just not musical sounding.

A second thing is that equipment plays a big part. There are guitars that can handle high gain and guitars that they can't. In such guitars, yes, you'll always sound mushy.
Hey, just listen to Annihilator and then tell me about high gain riffs being mushy.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

That's true. They don't normally have olympic events for people using crutches.

Pile a crapload of gain on guys who aren't used to it, and you'll hear a mess of feedback and finger-sliding noise.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Pile a crapload of gain on guys who aren't used to it, and you'll hear a mess of feedback and finger-sliding noise.

That's simply the hard truth. With all the respect.....

 

[Mephis]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

That's true. They don't normally have olympic events for people using crutches.

So I assume you think everyone needs to shred like yngwie to qualify as a guitarist?

Pile a crapload of gain on guys who aren't used to it, and you'll hear a mess of feedback and finger-sliding noise.

Like the time I let my friend play through my amp. He had never played through a high gain amp and had no clue how to ride the volume or keep it from going into uncontrolable feedback.

Hell, it even took me awhile to get use to the wilkinson after playing nothing but a floyd for months.

 

[Dabatross]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

Thanks for the all the replies so far. So if gain just covers up sloppy technique, why did Dimebag use so much of it? Plus, another question. I've seen Rusty Cooley pull off descending legato runs without ever plucking the string with his pick and they sound clean, smooth, and articulate. I know this is from experience, but seriously, how hard would he have to hit the freaking string with his left hand to make it sound as if he picked it?

 

[emilio]

Re: Question about gain and pickups

it does cover that much or an extreme amount. high gain is harder to control, that is why i don't use too much. :laugh2: