Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

[Chubtone]

I have the above mentioned four pickups in four of my guitars. Three of them are identical guitars with alder bodies. The Duncan EVH pickup is in a mahogany bodied guitar so it is not an exact comparison on the EVH.

These were all recorded on the same night, right before the Lakers game was about to start, so I'm rushing to get it done. The rhythms aren't exact, but I'm not in a cover band or a tribute band, so I don't really care. I'm just using these rhythms as a tone test. I AM NOT TRYING TO GET LYNCH'S OR ZAKK'S or EDDIES TONE!!!!!! I'm just comparing these four similar PAF inspired pickups with their riffs.

These were recorded guitar straight into amp, cabinet miced with an SM-57, mic into a mic preamp, mic preamp into computer running Sonar 2.2XL. There are no effects anywhere and no eq'ing other than the amps eq knobs. It's noisy and buzzy, but shows the tonal differences decently.

I am new to this posting clips thing, so I hope this works. I previewed the clip at my host and it sounds accurate as an MP3 or listening on "hi-fi". It sounds like garbage on the "lo-fi" setting.

The pickups are played in this order:
1.) Holmes 455 measuring 8.66k and having a price tag of $280

2.) Duncan '59 measuring 8.1k and having a price tag of $65

3.) Voodoo '59 measuring 8.2k and having a price tag of $140

4.) Duncan EVH measuring 9.1k and having a price tag of $140

Here are the guitars used, all Warmoths

PAF Pickup Tone Test

Let me know which pickup you think sounds the best. At the very start of the clip where I announce the first pickup, me saying "Holmes 455", is cut off on the MP3 version.

 

[flank]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

its a great job man....but being honest, theres not that much differnce that i can hear.... although the Holmes and EVH do have that upper midrange and highs bite and crunch that do stand out..... the amount of gain doesnt allow for differnt tones to be heard between pickups......its a great tone, but to really be able to hear differnces between pickups, i think it would have to be set a good deal cleaner.....

dont take offense to anything i said, cause i think the tone is great, i just couldnt hear THAT much of a differnce to decide between any of those pickups...

 

[Majestic]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

I like the Duncan '59 the *least*.

I like sound of the Holmes, and believe it or not....I like the EVH. The '59 just sounds dry, lifeless, and stupid......at least in this recording.

But.....my critique only applies for *this* particular recording.

 

[flank]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

i do agree that the 59 doesnt have as much depth as the other ones...

 

[Artie]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

I gotta admit . . . I couldn't hear much difference between them. And this is on a pretty good playback system.

I suspect that subtle nuances are lost in the conversion to 128kbps mp3.

Great playing though.

Also, I love that tobacco sunburst on whatever the second-from-the-left guitar is.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

They all sounded really good.

The Holmes sounded best to me and from your playing, I'd say it sounded best to you too...because you seem to play better on the cuts with the Holmes. The Holmes has the most sizzle and the harmonics just take off.

I thought the EVH was a little dark and the pinch harmonics you do didn't sound like they took off as easily as they do with the Holmes.

I'd have to say #1: Holmes #2: Voodoo #3: 59: #4 EVH...

...at least for the type of licks you just played.

I have a set of Tom Holmes in my '00 Les Paul 59 Historic...they're pretty amazing pickups.

Lew

 

[Artie]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

To those of you who could hear a difference, would you mind saying what you're listening on? I'm using a Turtle Beach Montego sound card, through a Tascam mixer>Proton pre-amp>Crown D-150 Amp>Yamaha NS-1000 monitors, and I couldn't hear a difference. Clearly, not a "dog" system.

What do you guys have?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

Just the little Polk audio speakers that came with my computor...nothing fancy at all. Still, I can hear pinch harmonics taking off easily or not. And sense if the guys having an easier time doing his thing with one pickup than the other. Plus, I know what the Holmes sound like, as well as the EVH and 59. Never heard the Voodoos before...that was appreciated. Lew

 

[Artie]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

Just the little Polk audio speakers that came with my computor...nothing fancy at all. Still, I can hear pinch harmonics taking off easily or not. And sense if the guys having an easier time doing his thing with one pickup than the other. Plus, I know what the Holmes sound like, as well as the EVH and 59. Never heard the Voodoos before...that was appreciated. Lew

I wonder if thats it. I don't have the experience with different p'ups that some of you do, and consequently, may not know what to listen for.

Its part of the reason, as an ex-audio salesman, I can hear the difference between Boston Acoustics, and JBL, and my wife can't.

BTW - Polk Audio speakers could be defined, by some, as "fancy".

 

[Chubtone]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

Each time, I used the Holmes first, so maybe I played better with it because I wasn't playing the riff again, and again, and again. It also has the lowest action. I am somehow convinced that higher action has a better tone.

This is KIND OF a high gain sound compared to 60's and early to mid 70's tones, but the amount of gain is WAY DOWN from what I (and most) used in the 80's and 90's. My stock old Marshalls have more gain with a mildly boosted TS-9 than does this amp. The amp is a Mojave Peacemaker and it is exactly the sound I have been looking for for 25 years. In the context of a mix, with a bass guitar and some mild reverb and echo, it sounds perfect to my ear. I am really whacking the strings and this adds to the perceived gain. If I were to try and sustain a bend, you'd see how much more gain my fingers would like to have.

This is about pickups though and does the hype of these mega buck boutique pickup builders live up to the price and perfromance versus an everyday and affordable Duncan '59. Is the Holmes 4x better sounding?

To be honest, I have used Duncan '59s for years and was expecting that the boutique pickups would blow it away. I think the '59 holds its own.

 

[flank]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

great point chubtone......i love the tone also, and i guess thats the point i was hinting at....i cant hear THAT much of a differnce between all the pickups considering there differnt price ranges.....although the Holmes is a bit more lively than the others....

 

[Artie]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

To be honest, I have used Duncan '59s for years and was expecting that the boutique pickups would blow it away. I think the '59 holds its own.

One of the things that I learned from my old audio days was, the difference between dirt and delicious, was profound, and slightly more expensive.
The difference between, delicious and delectable was subtle and outrageously expensive.

I would expect the difference between the '59 and the Holmes to be subtle. But worthwhile to those who can appreciate the improvement - ie., Lew et al.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

I think they all sound very good...as I mentioned.

It's fun to hear guys like you play that stuff because I don't...seems kind of adolescent, but obviously alot of fun.

Yeah...I think the Tom Holmes pickups are worth the money.

Like most of the lucky few who have a set of Holmes HB's in a great guitar, they are my very favorite HB's I own. But like you, I have a single HB Strat with a 59TB in it that I love too.

And one with the EVH too, but I haven't had a chance to really give it a work out yet...just got it recently and I've been in more of a Tele frame of mind the last few weeks.

Lew

 

[Big Mike Blues]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

To me, through my Ibook speakers, I liked the Holmes the least. the '59 felt refreshing to me each time, like Oh, there it is. I like the Voodoo the best I think, but the 59 came in a VERY close second to my ear.

 

[Chubtone]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

Adolescent? yeah, it's the style from MY adolescence. The style I like better than anyone elses preferred style from THEIR adolescence.

I have a friend that is older than me (I'm 37) but younger than some of the jedi masters in this post. He loves the style of music from HIS adolescence the best. Weird huh? NO!

I always kid him about how great it must have been to see Mozart on his first tour.

Some of my pick squeals weren't as good as others, but I think that's because I wasn't holding my mouth right. :laugh2:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

Adolescent? yeah, it's the style from MY adolescence. The style I like better than anyone elses preferred style from THEIR adolescence.

I have a friend that is older than me (I'm 37) but younger than some of the jedi masters in this post. He loves the style of music from HIS adolescence the best. Weird huh? NO!

I always kid him about how great it must have been to see Mozart on his first tour.

Some of my pick squeals weren't as good as others, but I think that's because I wasn't holding my mouth right. :laugh2:

Yep...that's natural. My favorite stuff is from my teenage/early adult years: Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Clapton when he was with Cream and John Mayall, etc. I didn't really like anybody "new" until SRV came out. Guess I'm a blues player...

 

[motorhead]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

Which guitars have the Voodoo and the Holmes?

On the pics it seems OK ... but how is the tremolo spacing ... is it an issue? I see alittle tilt on the Orange guitar.

 

[Chubtone]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

The orange one has the Holmes and the sunburst one has the Voodoo. They don't line up perfectly since they aren't Trembuckers, but I don't hear the E strings dropping out. There is a tiny tilt on the orange one, but that is accidental.

 

[motorhead]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

The orange one has the Holmes and the sunburst one has the Voodoo. They don't line up perfectly since they aren't Trembuckers, but I don't hear the E strings dropping out. There is a tiny tilt on the orange one, but that is accidental.

Thanks ... so all PUs line up on the low 'E' ?

Nice job by the way ... I'd love to send you my Duncan Jimmy Page (or maybe a hot Fralin) to add to the list then we'd have high-end potted vs. non-potted. As you can tell I've never been a fan of the'59 for the same reasons that were mentionned above.

Cheers!

 

[papersoul]

Re: Sound Clip: Holmes vs. Duncan 59 vs. Voodoo 59 vs. Duncan EVH

I like the tone you got from the Holmes but we all hear things differently. I know Gearjoneser has played Holmes but always seems to come back to his Duncan C-5s just like the BBQ does it for me. Lew had a good point that certain guitars and pickups/tones will enable you to play better and it shows.