Rail pickups vs pick attack

[HeftyMetalGuitar]

I figured something out which has been bugging me for a while and was wondering if anyone else has the same experience. The problem is in the articulation of the pickups, like my P-Rails set for example, which seem less defined in swiftly picked runs. The discovery I made while trying to figure this out was that my pick attack must be altered when I use pickups that have rails. Normally I will hold my pick probably at at a 45 degree angle but rails force me to flatten the pick more to get cleaner articulation. I do not like this because it fools with my muscle memory. What do you think of this? Are rail pickups not ideal for shreds?

 

[sosomething]

Re: Rail pickups vs pick attack

Is your frame of reference just the P-Rails pickups? Or do you have the same experience of this phenomenon with other rail-mag pickups?

I ask because I have never encountered this before, and I wouldn't expect anyone who's used a Dimebucker, for example, to comment that it's lacking in articulation or pick attack.

It seems to me that the softening of attack with the P-Rails (compared to other pickups) probably has a lot more to do with the sheer amount of winds involved to get 3 distinct sounds out of one humbucker-sized monstrosity than it does the shape of the magnet on the rail side.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Rail pickups vs pick attack

Is your frame of reference just the P-Rails pickups? Or do you have the same experience of this phenomenon with other rail-mag pickups?

I ask because I have never encountered this before, and I wouldn't expect anyone who's used a Dimebucker, for example, to comment that it's lacking in articulation or pick attack.

It seems to me that the softening of attack with the P-Rails (compared to other pickups) probably has a lot more to do with the sheer amount of winds involved to get 3 distinct sounds out of one humbucker-sized monstrosity than it does the shape of the magnet on the rail side.

+1 Dimebucker has gallons of definition for shred, and has bright and twangy country style cleans. The P-rails is an odd one, like a Frankenstein. Super fun though if you play with switching between all the coils.

 

[HeftyMetalGuitar]

Re: Rail pickups vs pick attack

Is your frame of reference just the P-Rails pickups? Or do you have the same experience of this phenomenon with other rail-mag pickups?

I ask because I have never encountered this before, and I wouldn't expect anyone who's used a Dimebucker, for example, to comment that it's lacking in articulation or pick attack.

It seems to me that the softening of attack with the P-Rails (compared to other pickups) probably has a lot more to do with the sheer amount of winds involved to get 3 distinct sounds out of one humbucker-sized monstrosity than it does the shape of the magnet on the rail side.

There are several rail pickups in my guitar collection such as Dimarzio single rails, Duncan Hot Rails, P-Rails, and a rather uncommon set from Fralin of the split rails. I had a set of the Bill Lawrence, and went down the Dimebucker road before, but the BL pickups sounded better for me so the Dimebuckers went away. I think that it is in my technique as I said because I have the tendency to use the crease in my thumb joint to keep the pickup from slipping when I hold it loosely. In that way it stays at a 45 degree angle which has less of a percussive sound and more of a scratching sound. When the pick hits the strings at a flatter angle it has the attack I am used to hearing with screw/pole pickups. It is probably that this issue is hardly noticeable to other people but for me is significant because minor changes affect my technique.