Tight pickup + tight amp?

J

JoeHammersmith

New member
not sure if this this should go to the amp section or stay here but...

just curious about if a player has a tight sounding pickup, is it good to mix it with a tight sounding amp? And vice versa? Or is it better to mix it up? As in having a tight pickup with a loose'r amp and loose pickup with a tight amp? Thanks!
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

It all depends on what you want really.

If you plan to play modern metal styles, obviously a loose amp and pickup/s wont work well.

A tight amp and loose pickups can work well if you still need a pretty tight sound, but want that extra 'bit' for soloing.
If you find a tight pickup with tight amp to be too tight, the above option would work well for you:)
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

To me that sounds like a recipe for a sterile sound. Swedish Death Metal or something.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

I can work with loose-ish amps... a boost will do wonders.

I can't, however, work with loose pickups. It just doesn't work for me, at all. Everything turns to mush, boost or no boost, tight amp or non-tight amp!

That said, I like tight pickups with reasonably tight to very tight amps (5150, Recto, MKIV, Soldano, VHT, ENGL, etc)
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Losse amp is still tightable (alltough limited) ,but a loose PU is not tightable at all.

Tigh PU + tigh amp = Millions of possibilities to keep it clean or use some chorus to make it fat.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

HughesJB4 said:
It all depends on what you want really.

If you plan to play modern metal styles, obviously a loose amp and pickup/s wont work well.
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+ 1


A tight amp and loose pickups can work well if you still need a pretty tight sound, but want that extra 'bit' for soloing.
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Or vice-versa. A friend of mine uses an Evolution combo into a Marshall DSL100 and it sounded good.

It's not my ideal tone but it worked for his style.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Virtual Kevorkian said:
And what's wrong with Swedish deathmetal?
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haha good question. I'm still searching for my "tone" and I have a SH-15 in my main guitar. Although I'm quite pleased with it so far, I wouldn't say that it's all that tight. And I don't really desire to have a loose tone once I get a better amp.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Depends of your playing, style, guitar scale, woods, etc...
I prefer super tight pickup with tight amp mostly because of my style.
However, I don't think it is possible for a guitarist to have a sound that would be ''too'' tight.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Distortion wasn't quite as tight as the Custom. Sound totally different to me. Distortion has a better lead tone, though. Jazz Bridge is tight too, even in the neck position.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

If I'm honest, Duncan doesn't have that many 'tight' pickups. The Full Shred, Jazz, Custom, and DD I'd consider to be tight, but nothing else from their stock passive line. Actually, even the Blackouts I found to be kind of woofy.

I'd look to EMG, DiMarzio, and certain Bare Knuckles if you want a really 'tight' pickup.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Duncans : Full Shred ,Screaming Demon ,Custom. DD with hex-pole tuning would be tight too
EMG : The EMG 60.

BKP : Miracle Man ,Painkiller and Warpig Ceramic.

Q-Tuner : The tightest thing on earth.

DMZ : EVO II ,Blaze Custom
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Virtual Kevorkian said:
If I'm honest, Duncan doesn't have that many 'tight' pickups. The Full Shred, Jazz, Custom, and DD I'd consider to be tight, but nothing else from their stock passive line.
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Custom 5 is 1 of Duncan's tightest.

The Invader is tight too. Don't be put off by the muddy sound of Nile. The pickup itself is an excellent choice in the bridge position for metal rhythm but neither Karl or Dallas can dial a tone for **** and their sloppy playing doesn't show the Invader in the best light.


....and certain Bare Knuckles if you want a really 'tight' pickup.
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The BK Painkiller is a bad ass pickup. A friend has 1 in the bridge of his GLP & **** me it kicks ass!

The Warpig is great also, both pups are very tight.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

The Invader has way too much low end and low-mid to be considered tight, to me. It doesn't have definition where I need it, which is basically anywhere.

And yeah, the C5 is pretty tight, just not as tight as a Custom, and it still has a very 'vintagey' vibe to it, like most Duncans.
 
Re: Tight pickup + tight amp?

Virtual Kevorkian said:
The Invader has way too much low end and low-mid to be considered tight, to me. It doesn't have definition where I need it, which is basically anywhere.
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Part of me wants to like the Invader, but I haven't heard a good tone with it yet. And it does seem to lack definition given the sounds I've heard from it. I'm still a novice though, so what do I know at this point?

The Jazz is an intriguing thought.... I wish it were a bit higher output though

Dmarzio's I've heard good things about, but they kind of look cheap. Are they or is that just me being really picky? Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions, I really appreciate them!
 
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