Vowel like?

[chcjunior]

I just read a review about a pickup that's powerful enough without becoming "vowel like". What the hell are they talking about? I have this mental sound in my head that each time I hit a chord it cycles like:
Aaaaaa Eeeeee Iiiiiiiiiiii Oooooo Uuuuuuuu


and sometimes Y

 

[big_black]

Re: Vowel like?

I have no idea. But I want whatever it is they are smoking.

 

[aestus]

Re: Vowel like?

Usually, when a pickup is over wound and/or uses a ceramic magnet, the pickup can have a vowel like sound to it. Especially in power chords. It gives the tone a "long E" type sound versus the wide "ahhhh" type sound with lower output humbuckers..

A good example of the "long E" type tone under heavy gain is Godsmacks "Keep Away" song. Listen to the power chords in the song, especially in the chorus. It has a long E type voicing compared to... letsay ACDC's "You shook me all night long" which has a wider "Ah" sound. ACDC may not be the best example because their sound is very middy and slightly nasal at times. Hope this kinda helps.


Tom

 

[FretFire]

Re: Vowel like?

I've used that description myself, but not when talking about output levels... and I tend to think of it usually coming from a neck pickup. I usually think of Satch as having "vocal" lead tones, like on the song "Always with you, always with me" for example. There are times in that song that I'd swear he's using a wah, but upon closer listening you can tell that's not what's going on. Other words for the sound I'm talking about could be "tubular", "round", etc.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: Vowel like?

I would interpret "vowel-like" as meaning round sounding. You know what a fuzz sounds like when you dime the fuzz? Like that. Undefined and midrange prevalent. That's what I think of when I hear that description.