Tone Comparision Chart confusion

cronnin

cronnin

New member
While looking out for a new bridge humbucker, I've noticed something confusing on tone comaprision chart.

I've been LISTENING out 'Pearly Gates' and 'Jazz' (DIRTY BRIDGE) sound samples and noticed that my ears don't agree with B/M/T numbers.

'Jazz' seems to have much more mids than PG.

Don't know if that's for sure I'd like other people input for that, but what I am sure about is that 'PG' has significantly higher output that 'Jazz' and what's more confusing it seems to have higher output than 'JB' ?!

Am I going deaf or what? :)
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

i wouldn't rely on those sound clips too much if i were you... however, i will say that i think that the 'gates has more mids i think.
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

Well, I'd say you're gleaning way more info from the clips than they were intended to provide. AFAIK, the sample clips are only going to give you a general idea of the tone of each pup. Played through the average PC audio, it's a real crap shoot when it comes to clearly identifying discrete characteristics for each pickup. Then again, I'm 46 and my hearing isn't what it used to be :)
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

Plus a big part of each pickup is how it 'feels'. Some pickups are more responsive in the mid range frequencies which makes it feel like it has boosted mids, while the actual eq may be slightly different.

The best advice I can give you is to listen to your ears, because if you don't like your sound, no one else will either! (Because you'll be uninspired, and the result is tonal purgatory, which kinda sucks)
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

+1000 !

That's just so true. Sometimes I will prefer a pickup with a certain "feel" rather than another one that might have a slightly better tone, simply because it is more inspiring for me to play it.

jimijames said:
Plus a big part of each pickup is how it 'feels'.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

cronnin said:
While looking out for a new bridge humbucker, I've noticed something confusing on tone comaprision chart.

I've been LISTENING out 'Pearly Gates' and 'Jazz' (DIRTY BRIDGE) sound samples and noticed that my ears don't agree with B/M/T numbers.

'Jazz' seems to have much more mids than PG.

Don't know if that's for sure I'd like other people input for that, but what I am sure about is that 'PG' has significantly higher output that 'Jazz' and what's more confusing it seems to have higher output than 'JB' ?!

Am I going deaf or what? :)
Click to expand...
Pearly definetely has more mids. You also need good speakers to really hear those clips.
I have a good ear, but good speakers really help.!
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

Yes, it's so true, when you have uninspiring tone the only result is mediocrity and tonal purgatory :)



OK, lets do another thing. Lets say I have cra*py earphones which can't bring out all the details for comparing those two forementioned. Lets take a different humbucker...

Livewire Metal sounds like the mids are scooped ...to me. It sounds good for metal, and modern meta asks for scooped mids nowdays. It all holds together when you think about it. But why the hel* it has mids at 9 on the chart?
What am I missing?
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

I put more stock into the clips than I do the B/M/T scale.
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

MikeS said:
I put more stock into the clips than I do the B/M/T scale.
Click to expand...

I do too, but only as a general guide to the overall tone. Chances are, the pup is going to sound somewhat different in your guitar with your amp than it does with the sample clips, so basing a buying decision strictly on sound clips played through a PC is dicey and may only lead to disappointment.
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

The clips are actually good representations of the pickups, but it can be difficult to hear differences in them for some people. It takes a trained ear that can hear EQ and response in a little sound clip. But it's definitely there, and it's very useful if you can crank up the volume and listen to two models back-to-back.
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

The old clips (not the new ones they tried to make just like the old ones...) are pretty good IMO at describing the tonal character of a pickup.

The B/M/T scale is pretty much useless to me. One man's mid is another man's bass and one man's treble is another man's presence, etc. What the point of reference anyways ? To express an EQ, you need a point of reference. Guitar being a midrange instrument, you have to shift the EQ down a lot vs. what is found on common audio systems. With a guitar system, 2-3kHz should be considered treble, because with most guitar speakers, the frequency range stops at about 4kHz.

Having that said, the Full Shred to my ears has a lot more mids than the JB, but the B/M/T chart doesn't make it look that way. I also feel the Custom is extremely scooped in the mids, even more than the JB which has at least some punch in the very high mids.
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

Yes it may be that Full Shred has more mids than JB, but it seems to have more bass also, so in overall it doesn't have that mid spike like JB has (to my ear).

Anyway, leaving EQ aside, why does the moderate humbucker like PG seem to have more output than the hot humbicker like JB?
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

To my ears, the Full Shred is very lean on bass and has almost all mids with not much treble, presence or bass.

The PG feels hotter because of its EQ. The JB doesn't feel hot at all because it lacks low mids which make for the "thick feel" that I like so much!

I've used the Screamin Demon in the bridge on quite a few occasions and it "felt" like it was as loud as a JB. Seriously. The Demon felt high-output all the way because of it's EQ and response.

cronnin said:
Yes it may be that Full Shred has more mids than JB, but it seems to have more bass also, so in overall it doesn't have that mid spike like JB has (to my ear).

Anyway, leaving EQ aside, why does the moderate humbucker like PG seem to have more output than the hot humbicker like JB?
Click to expand...
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

:) Ok so we definitely proved that we can't agree on the EQ thing, all ears are different, and everyone has its own perception what a certain EQ segment shoud sound like.

I also like that 'thick feel'. I was about to get the JB cause it was 'sure shot lead pickup', but i didn't like the sound in the guitar shop, nor do I like it on the samles. It may be good pickup for live mix cause it stands out from the bunch, but PG sounds much more inspiring to me :)
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

The JB is about the thinnest pickup I've ever used. When I played it at my band's rehearsal few weeks ago, I couldn't stand the shrillness and thinness of the notes when compared to my EMGs. Usually it doesn't cut through the mix but using a bit of EQ and volume I could get it to be heard. Keep in mind that I'm coming from the EMG-85, Dimarzio Tone-Zone type of sound and those pickups are supposedly very thick, but I'm looking for something thicker like a Breed maybe ? Someday...gonna try the Suhr Aldrich first. Always on the look for the thickest of the thick when it comes to low mids and pure searing harmonics without shrillness.

cronnin said:
:) Ok so we definitely proved that we can't agree on the EQ thing, all ears are different, and everyone has its own perception what a certain EQ segment shoud sound like.

I also like that 'thick feel'. I was about to get the JB cause it was 'sure shot lead pickup', but i didn't like the sound in the guitar shop, nor do I like it on the samles. It may be good pickup for live mix cause it stands out from the bunch, but PG sounds much more inspiring to me :)
Click to expand...
 
Re: Tone Comparision Chart confusion

Tone is subjective. Trust your ears.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top